Ben's, Bury St Edmunds - A very lovely setting in a clean and immaculate dining room. It is a…read morelittle pinky and girly but the interior has a feel of spring even though it was still wintery weather outside. Identical chandeliers and the organised mismatched furniture has a certain charm. The decoration was quite sparse; the kind of place where echoes were almost possible, so after awhile it made the place feel cold when there was no one else except us. If it was not a restaurant, I would have thought that it was a tea house. The cleanliness makes the place feel like a new establishment; clean open kitchen and nicely built bar area. It would be perfect if they had baby changing facilities as well.
Ben's restaurant was started with a dream of a man who is concerned about the source of his food. With an acute entrepreneurial sense, he brought the restaurant, Ben's, alive. Ben's is a restaurant with it's own lifestock. The menu boasts the providence and quality of the ingredients. But Bury St Edmunds is in the countryside. So, apart from the chain restaurants, restaurants like this are sort of expected, isn't it?
Taking pride of their ingredients, Ben's menu is hence very British. For example, sausage and mash is not just sausage and mash. It has additional accompaniment and a touch of finesse that lifts Ben's restaurant to quite a sophisticated eatery. The main has quite a large selection of meats; game, venison, beef, pork, lamb, fish - and the accompaniment and sauces is also tailored to each separate main. The amount of work in the kitchen, before and during service, must be extensive. On Sundays, it is traditional Sunday roast and pie of the day. Desserts are quite a list as well.
roast beef GBP 14.95 - An enormous serving of beef, together with potatoes, yorkshire pudding, peas and a side of cauliflower cheese, served with gravy. The dish looked delicious, but unfortunately the meat, while not bad at all, was nothing special, and the cauliflower cheese was tasteless.
salmon salad GBP 12.45 - this was a starter dish but they kindly upgraded it to a main dish portion. It had abundance of smoked salmon and the wasabi mousse was delicious perfect with the salmon.
ginger cheesecake GBP 5.95 - very creamy, and not enough of that ginger, obviously home-made, but tasted as if it was mass produced.
caramelised pear and spiced ginger sponge, with custard GBP 5.95 - texture was very light and the pudding was warm. However, the ginger bit needs to be a little more gutsy.
trio of ice-cream GBP 4.95 - chocolate, elderflower with apple and tayberry. The flavours were very, very good but shame that there were just too many ice crystals in the ice-cream. It wasn't pleasant eating it.
Service was very polite and friendly. The meal was very enjoyable but slightly expensive. Each plate was presented well. Mains and desserts came in generous portions. There are little things that could be improved and I thought overall, the meal was mediocre.
