Reviewed by Collette

Recently we’ve been hearing a lot over social media about Bowmers in Budleigh Salterton and so naturally we were keen to see what the restaurant had to offer. So on a sunny Saturday morning we ventured over to the seaside town, intent on giving it the once over…

As you step inside the restaurant you are greeted by a bright and modern space, sporting a wonderful statement light fixture, fresh roses on every table and tasteful artwork. It’s also worth noting that the entire place is impeccably clean (which scores definite brownie points with me). Influenced by the Mediterranean, Bowmers takes pride in using fresh produce – some of which is grown by themselves – and adjusting their menu to suit seasonal and daily ingredients. This means that each meal is cooked to order from scratch and you can really taste the difference in quality.

Once we were seated we were served complimentary homemade sour dough bread and butter – which was lovely and didn’t last long – before making our choices. Since it was only a lunchtime I opted to miss out on a starter and jump straight into mains. However, my dining partner didn’t quite get this memo and proceeded to order the calamari. When his squid arrived, together with a fennel and radish salad and an aioli dip, he announced that it was one of the best versions of the dish that he had ever eaten (praise indeed) and the draw was just too much to resist. I helped him polish his plate off and I must agree that chef Emil certainly has a way with calamari!

For mains, my partner chose the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding: tender beef with roast and boiled potatoes, onion gravy and a bowl of beetroot, squash, courgettes and pomegranate seeds on the side. The roasted vegetables were delicious, with the soft beets paring well with the sweet, slightly acidic flavour of the pomegranate. It’s fair to say that this dish was a real treat and he would definitely order it again.
I chose the haddock stew and when the dish was placed in front of me the smell itself was a giveaway for what was to come. The haddock was cooked to perfection, with the skin that was crisp and tasty even to the last. The chick pea and squid stew was an equally delicious medley of flavours and I must admit that I also had my fair share of those delicious roasted vegetables… For pudding we shared a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and a scoop of raspberry sorbet together with a coffee and a tea; which was a wonderful way to finish a great meal.

Bowmers is a real little gem and we had a lovely lunch. It definitely deserves a lot of credit in terms of the level of service and the quality of the food and we look forward to seeing what else the restaurant will offer when it opens its doors again on 24 August!

www.bowmers.com

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