First impressions of the Fuggles bistro are very positive. The interior is cosy and inviting, with fresh hops hanging from the original wooden beams.
Unfortunately the food never lived up to the same standard on our visit and we were all rather disappointed. The staff were friendly and polite and I could not fault them, but whoever is in charge of the menu let the side down.
A main of duck, potato cake and plum sauce was the worst culprit. We were asked how we wanted the duck cooked and requested medium rare, only to be served a mallard on the wrong side of well done. Worst still the potato cake that came with it was so overpowered with stem ginger it was almost inedible. I'm not sure whose palate came up with that one, but I can confirm ginger and mashed potato is one of the worst things I have ever tasted. To add insult to injury the whole dish was finished with a horribly cloying and sticky plum sauce.
Dessert didn't fair much better with a plum crumble comprised of tough undercooked plums buried underneath a mound of soggy, flavourless crumbs.
We also got the cheese board for dessert and this was fantastically uninspired, which is particularly sad knowing that the region is home to a variety of great artisan cheese producers.
It's a real shame, as the setting, staff and everything else are spot on. But on the basis of the food you get the feeling they think this (and the fact that Ledbury has a very small selection of restaurant choices to compete with) are enough to rest on their laurels.
Perhaps we were just unfortunate on the night we visited, but everything we ate was either under/over cooked, or guilty of a flavour combination that just didn't work. Next time we might try the Feathers restaurant in the same building (which I'm told is very good) but I would not be in a hurry to return to Fuggles on the basis of our last visit. read more
