Item: Strawberry Tree
Rating: 4.0
Author: Nigel

Restaurant Strawberry Tree

Location Lyme Regis

Price

Rating

Verdict

There is some great tapas to be had in Lyme Regis, and this is the place!

Had Meryl Streep not almost got swept off the harbour wall in Lyme Regis, it is possible no-one would ever have heard of the place. I was, I have to say, very disappointed when the kids failed to identify the famous scene from the French Lieutenant’s Woman that Mrs Nigel and I tried to replicate on the Cobb. I took an amazing photo of her looking moodily over her shoulder, although the weather didn’t play ball and was stubbornly (and unusually) sunny. I suspect it was the absence of cape that did it (as well as the fact that I am no Jeremy Irons…).

But for walkers of the England Coastal Path, it is another stop along its 2,700 mile length, and a welcome one for us as we had just finished a long trek which had involved climbing more than half the height of Ben Nevis, taking in the highest point on the path with its spectacular views of absolutely naff all, as the entire coast was, at that point, covered in thick fog and cloud. Golden Cap, the 200m high jewel of the Jurassic Coast was, to be honest, Leaden Crap.

In Lyme Regis itself, we stayed in the Alexandra, Britain’s most overpriced and least boutique hotel (notwithstanding its online protestations to the contrary), which sadly is one of the few actual hotels in the town, and they know it. And if that was as good as Lyme Regis got, we were a little worried about the food offering. But having at that point expending many thousands more calories than is strictly necessary on any given day, we would have eaten anything.

Fortunately, the Strawberry Tree did not disappoint. It was not entirely easy to find in the dark (Lyme Regis having clearly been purpose built as the set for a Victorian Gothic horror movie), but once we got there, it was a bright and inviting space.

A restaurant menu featuring sections for nibbles, vegetables, cheese, meat, and seafood, with dish names, descriptions, and prices listed under each category.

A dessert menu from Strawberry Tree listing homemade desserts, “café au café,” tea, coffee, and a selection of dessert wines and liqueurs with prices.

It is very much a “proper” Tapas bar. Somehow I have missed one of the pages of the drinks menu, on which it has some extremely Spanish aperitifs, such as Sherry and Vermouth. Having been brought up on Harvey’s Bristol Cream and Martini, I never used to get too excited about either of these, but a few visits to Spain have been a major education, so I felt very grown up as I sipped on my “Vermut”.

We had a few nibbles, which were brought over for from the bar for our inspection (nice touch), and then got down to the serious business of food. No photos of the nibbles as we were very hungry!

A plate with four pieces of breaded and fried food, possibly eggplant slices, drizzled with a dark sauce. A small bowl of sliced bread is visible in the background.

A plate of roasted cauliflower florets served on a bed of creamy white sauce, garnished with crumbled seasoning, on a wooden table.

Oh the aubergine! The best aubergine on the planet is in a small restaurant in the Spanish town of Gaucin, where they somehow fry the aubergine in a very light tempura batter and drown in it honey. But it is in no way greasy or heavy: It is heaven. The Strawberry Tree version came a reasonably close second (maybe third), and was well worth trying. The Goat’s cheese was also extremely good (a combination of good ingredients and great preparation).

The rest was pretty good, but yet again, we have a lonely fish fillet, identified as such on the menu (“sardine”, not “sardines”), but really, can’t we stretch to at least a couple for 8 quid?

Service was a little awkward, ranging from the slightly manic to the rather brusque, but overall, it was a very pleasant meal, well priced, with a great drinks selection.

Which brings us on to Lyme Regis’ other tapas restaurant, Fennel. This is a rare treat in any town: I think the last time I saw two tapas bars in the same place was Madrid, so we were really interested to see what we were going to be served. Just a rehash of the very agreeable meal the night before, or something quite different?

Well, Fennel is definitely quite different, and not in wholly good ways.

I’ll preface this part of the review by saying that we did have some really excellent food. It was all served from a tiny kitchen at the back, and was clearly presented by someone with real love for cooking. The premises itself seems to be a pop-up restaurant space, so it is possible that by the time you get to Fennel, the whole thing will seem like a mirage and will have disappeared. Which in some strange way actually maps our own experience, as for the first time in dining history we had wine, starters and main course on the table within 15 minutes of sitting down. And that was not in the least bit welcome…

I’ll take a step back.

We arrived at about 7.50, and already, quite a lot of food and drinks had disappeared off the menu. And the very first thing we were told was that there was only one piece of Lemon Sole available. When you have such a small menu, losing so much so early (early at least by London standards) means you have limited the choice far too much to be comfortable for your guests. And I really hate being rushed into ordering because there is only one of something still available. Also the whole drinks pricing was messed up, with glasses of wine vastly more expensive than the per bottle equivalent, and the Negroni coming in at Central London prices, so our plan for an aperitif and a glass or two of wine went out of the window. I don’t really like drinking white wine for the whole meal, but a bottle of the (pleasant) Verdejo was the only logical choice (logical for a stingy alky, anyhow)

Chalkboard menu titled Fennel Tapas lists various dishes and prices, including bread, peppers, anchovies, seafood, mackerel, chard, gratin, green beans, and patatas bravas.

A handwritten drinks menu lists aperitifs, wines, cider, and soft drinks with corresponding prices; some items are crossed out.

We were told that food would be served as and when it was ready. Fair enough, but there is usually some sort of rhythm to this in a tapas/small plates restaurant, that allows the diners to have what we used to call a “meal” before Nandos spoiled everything. Oh no, literally 15 minutes after we were seated (as trailed above), everything except the Chard (which we hadn’t wanted but the Fennel and the Beans were already gone) was on the table.

A small plate with several salted anchovy fillets on a rustic orange wooden table, surrounded by a candle, glass of water, and silverware.

A plate with green olives, salami slices, and three wedges of hard cheese on a rustic orange table, with a glass bowl and a floral-patterned plate nearby.

Top marks for a reasonable number of (very tasty) fish fillets and the Lemon Sole was superb. The potatoes get a very honourable mention, with the rest passing muster but not excelling.

But it was not a meal. A tsunami of food, maybe, but not an enjoyable dining experience.

Some clarity dawned as we were about to pay our bill when the waitress turned up at the table next to us looking a little bemused and asking whether they had ordered Lemon Sole. It seemed the one that had arrived with us was supposed to be destined for them, but even if it had arrived closer to the intended time, the whole experience would have lasted less than 40 minutes.

I’m not sure I can recommend eating here unless you have a train to catch or dislike your dining companion intensely, which is a shame, as the food was good/great.

We may be back to Lyme Regis to bid that part of the Coastal Path goodbye, and I would certainly consider the Strawberry Tree (not that I am welcome back in most places I review), and I would love to go back to Fennel, but there is too much to put right: If I did go back, I’d get there early, and order very, very slowly…