The Mansion House restaurant is located in a splendid looking Georgian building which fronts onto the pavement of Upgate. Once through the black double doors we climbed a small flight of steps and entered the restaurant. We were faced with a central table located immediately through the doors on which stood a delightful floral display.
We had been invited for Sunday lunch by a couple of dear friends and on arrival we were greeted by the proprietor Andrew with a smile and he led us directly to our table for four next to the blazing fire.
The room itself is a delight: very roomy, light and airy due to the spectacular glazed roof. In various niches around the restaurant marble busts stand, each wearing a quirky top hat!
Our friends ordered a bottle of Merlot as we perused the menu of starters and mains. The menu has just the right number of dishes on it, enough to give you a good choice but not too much to over-tax the kitchen.
I chose the Lincolnshire Poacher and wholegrain mustard twice-baked souffle as did Mrs Wanderer and one other. Our other companion went for the Crispy Duck Gyoza Dumplings with an oriental broth, pea shoots and roasted cashew nuts. For the mains I went for the pan-fried seabass with a chorizo sauce whilst the others variously chose the roast topside of beef and roast loin of pork.
The room was well occupied but the service was attentive and the starters arrived quite quickly. One thing I would say is that everything was hot and the portions substantial. No skimping here.
The souffle was beautifully cooked and the poacher cheese came through well. Our companion enjoyed his dumplings having admitted he’d never tried them before. The broth was rich and tasty as was the sauce surrounding the souffle’s.
Our mains followed in short order and I was impressed with the presentation of my seabass (photo above). This turned out to be the ‘lighter’ choice for the main, which I was happy with. The roast beef and pork dishes arrived and again there was no skimping with regard to the quantity or quality of meat. The roast topside had been beautifully cooked to the requested ‘medium’ and all the dishes were served with shared sides of freshly cooked vegetables and roast potatoes. I avoided those, preferring the lighter option after the souffle of simply vegetables but they looked to be very well cooked.
We were pleasantly full after our mains and all four of us declined the dessert choices although they looked wonderful.
All-in-all a lovely visit and one to be repeated quite regularly I think. Thank you Andrew and the team.
The Willoughton Wanderer 
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