What better reason for a trip out on the Daff than a leisurely lunch with friends and family – and no designated driver! In our “Let’s do Lunch” column we’ll be checking out some of the great eateries down the line and hopefully providing inspiration for your next culinary adventure. It’s a tough job – but someone has to do it! For this issue, we visited No3 Restaurant in Ross-on-Wye.
No 3 is one of the area’s best loved restaurants, so when we booked in we had high expectations. The restaurant had an outstanding reputation to live up to and it didn’t disappoint.
With 30 years experience in the industry, the owners Darren and Charlotte promise an intimate and relaxed dining experience that offers something different for any occasion. They aim to ensure you enjoy a memorable experience every time.
The restaurant sits on busy Gloucester Road in the centre of Ross, just a few steps from the Market House and less than 2 minutes walk from the bus stop in Cantilupe Rd.
We booked in for Saturday lunch, when we arrived the restaurant was busy but not overcrowded. We were shown straight to our table and offered a welcome carafe of water with our menus.
It’s a very nice room to eat in, Charlotte is an interior designer and it shows. Big windows overlooking the bustling, tree-shaded street flood the room with light and the colour scheme of blues and golds is smart and welcoming. Comfy chairs too – very important.
After two small steps at the entrance the restaurant is all on one level, including the spotless and spacious loos.
So, drinks first. Sadly as I was heading back to work I had to stick to elderflower presse. But I shall be back to sample the wine and cocktail list another time. Both looked excellent and pretty reasonably priced with lots of choice around the £22 per bottle mark, including prosecco and plenty of wines available by the glass. Cocktails, mocktails and interesting looking shots are also very popular here.
On the food front, you have a choice of 3 menus at lunchtime. The main menu, the vegan menu and light bites. Oh and then of course there are desserts.
We planned on sharing a starter having a main each, then sharing a pudding. /but despite the very high quality of the food and the fine dining presentation, portions are plenty to keep any Herefordshire farmer feeling well fed, We just couldn’t manage a pudding – even between the two of us – so that’s another good reason to come back for another visit.
Darren likes to focus on fresh seasonal produce. There is always a catch of the day on the specials board and at this time of year it was no surprise to find Wye Valley asparagus featuring in several dishes on the menu.
There is plenty of choice at each course and it would be a very picky eater who couldn’t find something to their taste on one of the menus.
Starters ranged from traditional soup, prawn cocktail or cheese souffle (a best seller) to sticky duck salad or bang bang cauliflower for the more adventurous.
We went for an indulgent Severn and Wye smoked salmon and smoked mackerel boudin. This was little parcels of smoked mackerel pate, wrapped in smoked salmon and served with a potato salad and horseradish dressing. It was spot on. The richness of the boudin set off nicely by the salad. And there was plenty of it for the two of us.
Then we moved on to mains. Again, plenty of choice: from the total luxury of fillet steak Diane (with the option of a vegan, cauliflower version), shoulder of lamb, grilled steaks and gourmet burgers to a healthy super salad. Prices for mains range from £33 for the fillet steak Diane to £8.95 for a super salad from the light bites menu.
We opted for a smoked salmon and asparagus omelette from the Light Bites menu (only available at lunchtime) and the catch of the day, which was pollock, with mussels, greens and new potatoes.
The omelette was creamy and light, with the fresh local asparagus shining through. A good side salad and an excellent side of skin-on-chips made a perfect lunch.
The catch of the day turned out to be one of the best bits of pollock I’ve had in a long time, set off perfectly with well-balanced sauce, a handful of delicious mussels and plenty of fresh new potatoes and seasonal greens. Darren has a bit of a passion for cooking with fish, and it all comes to the table super-fresh from Brixham day boats and this really showed in this dish.
We would have loved a desert. The white chocolate blondie sounded amazing as did the rhubarb and lemon syrup sponge. On another day, with no work to go back to, I would have been tempted by one of the after-dinner shots to go with my coffee too.
Service throughout our meal was just right: relaxed, friendly and very efficient. There was no hurry when we were dithering over the menus at the start, during the meal the staff kept an eye on us without hovering and when we had finished the bill came promptly (I hate having to wait hours for the bill!).
The meal came to £58 before service for the two of us. Certainly not cheap eats, but value for money for ample portions of top quality food in a lovely setting. It’s no surprise that No3 is number one on Trip Advisor not just in Ross, but for the whole of Herefordshire. Darren, Charlotte and the team know how to keep diners happy and we will certainly be going back.
Daffodil Deals: 10% off 2 main courses from the main menu with your Daffodil Line bus ticket, Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes.
No3 Restaurant, 3 Gloucester Rd, Ross-on-Wye, Tel: 01989 564997,
Pensioners with a bus pass do not get issued a ticket in order to claim a discount or would the bus driver be able to issue one of sorts?
Many thanks for this useful guide, keep up the good work!