Review: The Gaff, Bath

Whether the name of this restaurant rhymes with the city it is set in depends on what part of the country you come from. : )

Having not visited Bath properly for a few years it was nice to go back and mooch around for a day. I was struck yet again by what a wonderfully complete place it is for shopping, eating and drinking. The eating and drinking has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years: some really top notch wine bars, independent coffee joints, gorgeous bakeries and small-plate restaurants (that said, top tip: lunch at the Fine Cheese Co is still as good as it’s been for the last 15+ years). Obviously it’s awash with tourists, but that doesn’t seem to have damned the eating & drinking to overpriced lowest denominator rubbish.

Anyway, if you’ve not been to Bath, or not for a few years, then go!

You could also do worse than stop for a meal at The Gaff, now occupying a spot in the very central Milsom Yard. It’s small plate dining, the dishes came out one at a time for us to share, service was great and the food lovely. The decor is modern, convivial but not particularly memorable (I’m being very literal: three days later, I can’t remember it!).

First up we snacked on battered pickles, and these were as good as I’ve ever had them – it’s tricky to keep crisp, crunchy batter on a big juicy slice of gherkin, but these were still the full-on scrunch even after they’d had time to cool. Corn ribs with chipotle mayo are very last year’s last year’s trend, but these were good and why shouldn’t a trend morph into a standard? I like corn ribs and don’t mind saying so.

Next to arrive was a mighty lamb faggot drenched in a shiny, sticky jus. The flavour of this beast was immense, lots of lamb and steely offal. Onions, cavolo nero and a pea puree made a good base for it. Bang-bang cauliflower involved big soft battered lumps of cauli covered in a sticky chilli glaze – well made and just very moorish to scoff. Our final dish was a piece of hake served with clams, boquerones and borlotti beans and bathing in a funky gorgonzola sauce. I bet that raised your eyebrow! I can report that the cheese was very present but not overpowering, adding a good funk that magnified the strong flavoured fish. I liked it.

We didn’t have space for pud. They’ve got a good wine list, varied and well priced, we enjoyed a great Rias Baixas full of flavour but beautifully clean. You might pay £40-50 each before drinks for a meal here, I think it’s good value for the quality on offer. Nice place to know in Bath… although there are so many other places I want to try next time I’m down here!