The Angel Inn
Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk
CONTINUE READING
Already a member? Log in here
Subscribe to our newsletter to gain access to limited free articles, reviews, news and our weekly newsletter.
The Good Food Guide Membership: Save £100s at Britain's best restaurants - try for free for 30 days
Polished and pristine after a renovation that has left not one of its 16th-century stones, bricks or beams unturned, The Angel is setting the tone for contemporary fine dining in the Suffolk-Essex borderlands. It is very much a destination restaurant, even if the wonky, beamed charm of its interior suggests ‘pub’. Head chef Ruben Aguilar Bel works with superlative ingredients – expect the likes of wagyu beef, Herdwick lamb, fat scallops and wild salmon – and presents them with appropriate finesse. He nods to his native Spain: amuse-bouches might include a hot, crisp Ibérico ham croquette, and Brancaster mussels escabeche finished with warming paprika oil. Summery salmorejo sits well with crab, plated with precision alongside confit octopus, a little caviar, and pieces of sweet Ardleigh strawberry, while the subtle flavour of wild bass is lifted by sultry romesco, a dish presented with the flourish of a smoke-swirled cloche. A citrus sorbet and gin foam pre-dessert resets the palate so that the delicacy of set buttermilk with strawberries, an oat crumble and flirty Champagne sabayon can properly be enjoyed – or you could go tropical with a 'piña colada' dessert of coconut and pineapple parfait, passion-fruit cream and matcha tea feuilletine. The wine list encourages exploration with a strong by-the-glass offer that includes a powerhouse Barovo from the Tikveš winery in northern Macedonia (recommended with the wagyu ribeye, beef cheek and a Shetland Black potato dish), and a Chardonnay from the Sanford Winery in California, to go with the wild bass.
