Rockliffe Hall is five-star luxury through and through. If you’re looking for that little extra touch or a luxe escape from city life, then you really want to find yourself here. The drive to The Clubhouse restaurant takes you past the impressive facade of the hotel itself, and wends through the picture perfect gold course before you arrive at The Clubhouse. All visitors are greeted by the adorable topiary golfer who faces the restaurant, which makes golfers and non-golfers (us!) alike feel very welcome!
We were greeted by both friendly and knowledgeable staff who made us immediately welcome. When you’re dining in The Clubhouse you’re treated to incredible views of the perfectly manicured lawns, but the whole place still has a very distinct ‘relaxed’ vibe. We both felt completely at ease as though we were watching the sunset at our own table at home (well, if we had a golf course, excellent personal chef and an idyllic view, which we don’t!).
The food was amazing. There are no other words for it. The chef absolutely outdid themselves and the portions were huge (absolute bonus). We had the steak pie (would recommend) which was ENORMOUS and came with the richest red wine gravy, savoy cabbage and incredibly creamy mash, plus the scampi which was fab for the pescatarian among our number The scampi actually came with a little wedge of lemon inside a muslin bag which was a really nice touch as there is honestly nothing worse than squeezing a lemon over fish and having to pick out the sticky little lemon pips immediately after. No thanks. The scampi was also served with BEEF DRIPPING CHIPS (the dreamiest of chips) which were phenomenal.
The puds were also exceptional – we went for meringue and a classic sticky toffee pudding. Honestly, we tried, but we could only manage half before we accepted defeat. The puddings were really first class though. The way the chef put together seasonal berries, cream and the subtle flavours in the homemade meringue really put a nice twist on a classic dessert. The sauce for the STP was heavenly too and it was really quite difficult to resist the urge to pocket the remainder for later (fortunately one of us is sensible and persuaded the other this was a bad idea).
The Clubhouse is open to everyone, not just members so if you fancy a round of golf or even just a stroll through the beautiful grounds we would definitely recommend this place! Absolutely fab for a relaxed lunch or for watching the sunset over the grounds with dinner and a glass of wine (or two!). Fabulous staff, incredible chef and wonderful views to boot – a thoroughly enjoyable experience all round!
North Taste 