Emma French-inspired British cuisine in Bath
In a city like Bath, there are a plethora of options for dining, so hotel dining may not be your first thought; however, Brasserie Beau at Hotel Indigo is somewhere to be considered if you’re looking for French-inspired British cuisine in the city centre.
Hotel Indigo in Bath takes up the whole South Parade which makes for an impressive, eye-catching, and beautiful location. There is an outdoor terrace for drinks and dining, however, it was a sweltering hot day, so we chose to sit inside with the air conditioning!
Brasserie Beau opened in May 2014 and is the more casual dining restaurant of the two on site, however, this doesn’t mean that it skimps on style or service, with linen-dressed tables in a room which is styled to linger in. For info, the other hotel restaurant is called ‘Elder’.
The ambience was that of a French brasserie, with an assortment of framed pictures on the walls that evoked holidays to not just France, but other locations in Europe as well.
The menu at Brasserie Beau
On the menu are classic British and French bistro dishes. Local produce is highlighted with Lavinton Lamb, Hereford Beer, Tamworth Pork and Cacklebean Eggs all proudly served. The fickle British summer weather is accounted for too, with French onion soup for days when you need a comforting bowl of something hot, and burrata with sun-blushed tomatoes for warmer days. Mains include roasted fillet of salmon with caper and raisin puree, cauliflower and almonds; and free-range chicken breast with mushroom duxelles. Of course, steak and fries is listed, or should that be frites!
Don’t forget to also take a look at the daily lunch specials menu.
What we ate and drank at Brasserie Beau
We had a couple of snacks to start. Firstly, homemade ricotta atop sourdough with anchovies and lemon. Creamy and smooth cheese, which balanced nicely with the oily anchovy and tang of the lemon.
Secondly, devilled eggs, I’m a sucker for 70’s cocktail party snacks, and everything that goes around, comes around again, so these really should be on more menus in 2025. The creamy and lightly spiced yolk from the Cacklebean eggs was a bright yellow colour. We could have easily spent the afternoon munching on both of these snacks with a bottle of wine, but we had more food exploring to do…
Onto the starters properly now, and we have a spring salad with elderflower labneh and venison ham. Labneh is a creamy and smooth Middle Eastern yoghurt, like a Greek or Turkish yoghurt in its thickness and creaminess. The light elderflower flavouring provided a slightly citrus note to the salad. The venison ham wasn’t too strong or gamey but rather a sweet-tasting meat that matched the spring vegetables and tangy labneh well.
Next was something a little different for me, haddock arancini with Cacklebean poached egg and crab hollandaise. More of a fish cake than a typical arancini ball, this was filled with haddock, and a perfectly poached egg on top combined gooeyness with the flavoursome crab hollandaise. Bread would have been good alongside this to mop up the remaining sauce.
Onto the mains now – I had the Courgettes with black olive caramel, toasted macadamia nuts and mint with goats cheese. If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, then it might not stand out, but this was perfect for what was a hot summer’s day. The crisp courgettes were lightly cooked and served with contrasting sweet and savoury flavours.
While Mark had the Balhurst Estate Venison pave with fries. Served medium-rare, we had high hopes for the venison, but it was just ok as it was quite dry and chewy so needed the jus. The chips were crisp and did the job, but the venison lacked the Maillard delectability and charred texture that should come with a good piece of seared meat.
Although pistachio creme brûlée sounded intriguing, we decided not to have pudding as we wanted to visit some nearby ice cream shops so we finished our meal there and then headed off for a cone nearby (our verdict is that Swoon Gelato is the best in the area).
Overall verdict
The à la carte menu at Brasserie Beau surely has something for every taste and occasion, from classics such as French onion soup and chicken liver parfait to more left field choices such as lamb rump with babaganoush. We enjoyed our meal, and service was friendly and attentive. Toilets were clean and tidy, but are located outside the restaurant, down a set of stairs in the hotel.
Brasserie Beau is perfectly located for anyone staying at Hotel Indigo, or who has just arrived in Bath, as it’s only a 5-minute walk from the train station, a 2-minute walk from the last Bristol airport bus stop, and a 2 to 5-minute walk from the start and end points for the open-top bus tours.
Where
Brasserie Beau at Hotel Indigo Bath, South Parade, Bath BA2 4AB.
Opening hours for Brasserie Beau, Hotel Indigo Bath.
Open daily from 12 pm.
Book a table
Click here to book a table via the Brasserie Beau Bath Website.
