BRUDENELL HOTEL

Words and photos by Food Porn Nation and myself.

We popped along to Suffolk for a weekend visit recently and stayed at the lovely 4 Star Brudenell Hotel which is located in the quaint, charming town of Aldeburgh. The Brudenell Hotel is perched on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast, and accordingly the hotel offers panoramic views of the sea along the property’s frontage.

The décor at the hotel is fresh and vibrant, and embraces the seaside theme with its vibrant energy and light, bright colours. It’s an intelligent, engaging space, and wonderfully comfortable. There are 44 cosy rooms in the hotel, with some offering sea views. Our bedroom again embraced a contemporary, coastal themed décor with a seating area by the window which allowed us to relax and watch the ever-changing movements of the sea. Our room was really comfortable, and there was something wonderfully rustic about sleeping to the sound of waves lapping up along the shore.

Also in The Brudenell Hotel is the recently opened AA two-rosette Seafood & Grill restaurant. This too has a sea-facing terrace which will soon be made available for use when the weather gets warmer. It’s a contemporary dining venue, and there is an informal bar area where hotel guests and local residents can relax and enjoy a drink or two.

We enjoyed both dinner and breakfast in the Seafood & Grill restaurant and thought highly of both the food and the service. Chef Tyler Torrance draws inspiration from his surroundings, proliferating his menu with not only seafood dishes but also sourcing his other ingredients from the abundant Suffolk area. For dinner we tried a variety of starters, with the wild scallops (£12) being our favourite. The scallops were heady with flavour and came together beautifully with the accompanying cauliflower puree and caviar.

The Brudenell – Wild Scallops

Sauteed tiger prawns with chorizo and saffron tea (£8) was also very tasty with the prawns being firm and flavoursome. There wasn’t quite enough seasoning however, and it was difficult to detect the flavour of the saffron tea.

The Brudenell Hotel – Sauteed tiger prawns with chorizo and saffron tea

We also tried a whole dressed East Coast crab with new potatoes, rustic salad and lemon mayonnaise (£15). This was disappointing however as the crab was rather bland.

The Brudenell Hotel – East Coast crab with new potatoes, rustic salad and lemon mayonnaise

We shared a Salter & King 10 oz sirloin steak (£26), which we then proceeded to upgrade to a surf ‘n’ turf with a half grilled lobster (£19) and a tiger prawn and scallop tournedo (£9). The result was an amazing plate of food. The sirloin steak was pink and tender and came with some lovely hand cut chips, a fabulous Portobello mushroom, and a well made red wine sauce. The prawn and scallop tournedo was good, but the lobster coated with a generous serving of garlic butter, proved to be glorious as the lobster was tasty, and the garlic butter even tastier.

The Brudenell Hotel – Surf ‘n’ turf with a half grilled lobster and a tiger prawn and scallop tournedo

A classic sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream (£7) was delicious and really well made with the pudding being moist and light. The toffee sauce was really good too with a lovely richness and was not too sweet.

The Brudenell Hotel – Sticky Toffee Pudding

A blood orange pavlova with a blood orange and Italian orange sorbet (£7) showed off good technical skill with the meringue being lovely and airy. It was a pretty looking dessert, but overall, it was a touch too sweet.

The Brudenell Hotel – A blood orange pavlova with a blood orange and Italian orange sorbet

We really enjoyed the food at the Seafood & Grill restaurant and it showed itself to be a worthy AA two rosette holder. There were a few elements which could have been better, but on the whole our meal was a winning experience. We thought the service was brilliant as well, with the staff providing us with lots of considerate and thoughtful attention.

We also had breakfast at the Brudenell Hotel and really adored all the little touches that demonstrated all the care and priority that the Brudenell Hotel places on provenance and being true to its surroundings. We had a sunny full ‘Suffolk’ breakfast which was scrumptious. The eggs, sausages and bacon were sourced locally, as were the condiments such as the tomato ketchup. The pastries on the buffet table were really good, and we particularly enjoyed the freshly squeezed orange juice.

The Brudenell Hotel – Suffolk breakfast

We had a splendid time at the Brudenell Hotel. It embodied everything that a great seaside hotel should offer – delicious food, attentive and professional service, and a spirit that was in keeping with the Suffolk seaside. The town of Aldeburgh is also truly lovely and well worth a visit.

Summary Information:

Likes:
1) In the Seafood restaurant – the scallop starter, the surf-n-turf with the lobster which was an absolute must, the sticky toffee pudding, and the provenance used to source the ingredients.
2) The all round lovely service in the hotel including the restaurant.
3) The hotel was really well run to ensure that all guests were really well looked after.

Dislikes:
1) The crab dish in the Seafood Restaurant.

Food rating: 4/5
Overall service rating (both the restaurant and the hotel): 4/5
Overall hotel rating: 4/5

Food Prices: About £30 to £64 for three courses from the a la carte menu, excludes drinks and service.

For room prices, please contact Brudenell Hotel.

Webiste: http://www.brudenell-hotel.co.uk/