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The Latymer at Pennyhill Park

Bars, British, Hotel Bars, Modern European, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wine Bars·
££££
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Gold Award
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SquareMeal Review of The Latymer at Pennyhill Park

Gold Award

Nestled within the luxurious Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey, The Latymer is a hidden gem of fine dining that showcases the culinary brilliance of head chef Steve Smith. Holding a coveted Michelin star, this restaurant epitomises elegance, with service that is both attentive and warm.

From the moment you enter The Latymer, you're transported to a world distinct from the rest of the hotel. While Pennyhill Park is airy and expansive, The Latymer exudes an intimate, almost secretive charm. Its wood-panelled walls and cosy ambiance create the feeling of having discovered an exclusive sanctuary.

Before our visit, the restaurant made sure to inquire about our dietary preferences and any strong dislikes, ensuring that our tasting menu experience was personalised to perfection. This attention to detail set the tone for a meal that felt as much a story as a series of courses.

The seven-course tasting menu, accompanied by snacks and petit fours, was presented at a delicate pace, with each dish introduced like a carefully crafted tale. One of the standout moments was the calves sweetbreads, which were impeccably seared and infused with the smoky richness of Alsace bacon, finished beautifully with the sweetness of parsnip.

Equally impressive was a dish centred around a simple single ingredient served in a variety of textures; a tart entirely made of beetroot, from the crunchy casing to the sweet jelly filling. This sort of artistry is where head chef Steve Smith really shines, showcasing his mastery.

The evening concluded on a high note with a mango and rice tart - a refreshing and visually stunning dessert, elegantly perched on a delicate pastry disk and adorned with floral accents. Throughout our meal, the in-house sommelier elevated the experience with expertly paired wines, each glass accompanied by fascinating snippets of history.

The Latymer’s commitment to local and seasonal ingredients shone through in every bite, and the service was impeccable from start to finish. While the tasting menu may be on the pricier side for the Home Counties, the experience is nothing short of exceptional, making it well worth the indulgence for a Michelin-starred adventure in fine dining.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
Bars, British, Hotel Bars, Modern European, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wine Bars
Ambience
Cosy, Dark and moody, Fine dining, Glamorous, Luxury, Quiet conversation, Romantic, Traditional, Unique, Widely spaced tables
Awards
One Michelin star, SquareMeal UK Top 100
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Alfresco And Views
Great views
Special Features
Chef’s table, Vegan options, Vegetarian options, Wheelchair access
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Dates, Romantic, Special occasions

About

Located inside Surrey's luxurious Pennyhill Park Hotel, The Latymer is a fine dining restaurant serving a choice of inventive menus designed by head chef Steve Smith. With a Michelin star to its name, The Latymer prides itself on providing only the highest level of service and a suitably formal atmosphere to best showcase the award-winning food. The restaurant is committed to showcasing only the finest local produce and also has a real focus on seasonality, which means that the menus change every day based on availability of ingredients.

Found in one of the oldest parts of the house, The Latymer's dining room boasts a snug yet grand feel with rustic exposed beams and opulent décor throughout. A mixture of brightly upholstered chairs and banquettes sit on a turquoise carpet while tables are topped with white tablecloths and wooden panels line the walls.

Taking on the position of head chef in 2020, Steve Smith has completely redesigned Latymer's food offering. The focus is on its discovery tasting menu which is available for both lunch and dinner. This is comprised of six regularly changing courses with guests recommended to allow three hours to experience the gastronomic experience. Examples of dishes might include Birxham crab salad and custard with mango and coriander to start, followed by Ventowyn Farm egg with peas, girolles and ham, and sea bass with Roscoff onion, smoked eel and mustard. Sweet dishes might include seasonal delights such as Yorkshire rhubarb with waina and pistachio.

When it comes to drinks at The Latymer, you can opt for a wine pairing designed by head sommelier Sergio Dos Santos to perfectly complement every dish on the tasting menu, or you can choose a bottle from the extensive wine list. There are also plenty of other drinks available for those who don't want wine and for non-drinkers.


FAQs

Does The Latymer have a Michelin star?

The Latymer has one Michelin star.

Helpful? 0

Who is the head chef?

The head chef is Steve Smith.

Helpful? 0
Meet the team
The Latymer at Pennyhill Park

Steve Smith

Head Chef

Having won a Michelin star at no less than five different restaurants, as well having achieved numerous other accolades, Steve Smith is incredibly highly regarded within the industry. He began his career working under chefs including Paul Heathcote and Jean Christophe Novelli, before going on to win a Michelin star as head chef at Gordleton Mill in Lymington and then again the Burlington restaurant in Skipton. After five years at the Burlington, he moved to Jersey to become executive chef at Bohemia, where in 2013 he once again won a star as well as 5 AA rosettes. In 2020 he took over as Head Chef of the prestigious Latymer restaurant, and has retained its Michelin star since taking over.


The Latymer at Pennyhill Park is featured in

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Location

Pennyhill Park, London Road, Bagshot, Surrey, GU19 5EU

01276 486150 01276 486150

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed Closed
Thu Closed
Fri Closed
Sat 12:00-13:30
Sun 12:00-13:30
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 18:00-20:30
Thu 18:00-20:30
Fri 18:00-20:30
Sat 18:00-20:30
Sun 18:00-20:30

Reviews

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7 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

26 February 2023  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 3.5

The service and food was fantastic. We have visited Latymer twice now and it has not failed to disappoint. We will be back, thank you! 

Graeme R

09 February 2023  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Exceptional fine dining

We stayed at Pennyhill Park for my 60th birthday and the 6 course tasting menu was a special treat. The food was original, surprising and sometimes theatrical. We didn't stretch to the wine pairing, but asked for a white and red recommendation which were both superb. The staff were attentive and friendly (particularly Shiju and Sergio) and were able to answer all our questions about the food and wine, including giving us a history of the Anjou Pigeon. The restaurant is intimate and beautifully designed. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to Steve and your team for a wonderful evening :)

Paul A

26 November 2022  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4.5

Excellent lunch by any standards, personal service by the experienced sommelier. The one slight disappointment was the rather downbeat dining room.

Anon

12 September 2021  
Food & Drink 3
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 5
Value 2
Very bad dessert

Disappointed. First, they couldn't find our booking and I had to show them on my phone that I indeed booked and paid the deposit. Thankfully, it wasn't fully booked and they were able to give us a table.
We had a 6 course menu. First four were outstanding, the two starters were excellent and so were the two main courses. But then came the disappointments which ruined the evening for my wife. The first dessert was mediocre, rather refreshing but nothing special and wouldn't want another one. Worst was the last dessert. It was sour and bitter. It just didn't work and we both forced ourselves to eat as much as we could but couldn't finish half of it. We also looked at three other tables and at all those tables the three couples also left most of that dessert on the plate.
I gave feedback to the waiter who only said he'll pass it on. My wife really craved for something sweet in the end and we didn't get anything else.
We've just been to a simple local restaurant today and at the end of the meal they gave us complimentary chocolate and some orange jelly. My wife said "even here you get this and I really wanted something like this at the Latymer." At the Latymer I paid £338 for two people (and we only had two alcoholic drinks each) and hearing my wife saying that makes me really want to tell people to avoid the Latymer.
It was also my wife's birthday when we went to the Latymer, so it's even more disappointing that our experience wasn't great.

Paul A

29 January 2019  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 3
Value 4.5
We'll be back
It is easy to see why Matt Worswick has hit the heights of the Good Food Guide Top 50 with his devotion to the showcasing of familiar ingredients in unfamiliar taste combinations, the excellent wine pairings and the unfailingly helpful and knowledgeable front of house staff. We were struck by how difficult we found it to say which was our favourite dish on the seven course tasting menu when asked by the staff, because they were all individually delicious in making their own particular contribution to the overall balance of the meal. Another plus point was the extra information relating to each dish noted on printed cards and “served” at the same time as the food. Attention to detail was very much in evidence, a good example being the ability to choose the five course menu wine flight with the seven course menu dinner, which we did, although we ended up having an extra glass as the list contained a couple of other tempting beauties. The meal started with the inevitable gougères, this time with a truffle sprinkle, little ice cream cones with smoky baba ganoush and a wonderful pairing of Iberico ham and bergamot gel, and then good sourdough bread was served with a lovely black garlic spread with a taste of liquorice. None of these counted as one of the seven courses, as would have been the case at some Michelin star restaurants we have eaten in recently. The freshness of the poached oyster was evident and enhanced by the Oscietra caviar and the contrasting pickled Granny Smith apple cubes and juice and the tang of calendula. Normally we would feel hard done by to find two vegetarian dishes on a tasting menu, but, given the fact that such dishes are apparently very labour-intensive to put on the table and that they were quite stunning, we could not but approve in this case. We love celeriac and when it is salt-baked, served with super remoulade and a lovage sauce and Australian truffle and taken to new heights by a brilliant truffle ice cream, we are more than happy. Risotto is risotto - or is it? Artistic presentation playing off wild oyster mushroom against wild, crunchy rice made to appear almost black by some excellent malt vinegar powder and then paying respect to the classic version with a background of parmesan made for a dish that would deserve its place on any menu. It was interesting to consider the air miles involved in the next dish - top-class Orkney scallop and Brixham crab brought together with pickled sea aster with possibly a different origin again, but what a meeting of terrific tastes, especially when accompanied by the best crab sauce we’ve had outside Cornwall! The superlatives didn’t end there, either. The duck main dish was outstanding, with mouthwatering roasted breast and sensational seared liver with a mustard jus and authentic Waldorf salad contrast. The menu finished on a high with two desserts, poached pear on a brandy snap base with a sensational toasted almond ice cream, and a brilliantly balanced chocolate delice, milk crumble biscuit and yogurt sorbet. In addition, even the fresh mint tea was of the highest order, as were the petits fours, and this confirmed our impression that the whole dining experience had been very carefully curated. The solitary false note for us was that the dining room had not been significantly updated since our last visit and was decidedly out of tune with the lightness and modernity of the cuisine. Nonetheless we have certainly joined those who consider that Matt Worswick is deserving of more than one Michelin star.

MICHELLE T

27 March 2018  
Beautiful crafted food in formal surrounding.

Stuart M

29 May 2017  
Used to be very good, before the change of chef. Since then the food seems to have slightly tailed off and the prices rocketed, last visit we struggled to find a red wine at less than £100.
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01276 486150 01276 486150

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