Restaurant review, The Greyhound Inn, Pettistree: “A little touch of Scotland in Suffolk”

Restaurant review, The Greyhound, Pettistree. (Image: Archant)

Food

What a sweet little pub – all cosy and intimate, but lively too for a Wednesday.

The menu was rooted in autumn with slow-cook cuts, game and seasonal veg filling what was a concise but well-conceived list of dishes.

To start we shared a bowl of Scottish (the owner/chef hails from Scotland) cullen skink soup and a tasting board.

Restaurant review, The Greyhound, Pettistree. (Image: Archant)

The soup was creamy without being cloying, more like a veloute than a thick chowder. The flavour of smoked haddock was subtle and delicate and we lapped it up.

With it was a slate of chef Louise’s homemade oaten soda bread. This type of bread feels like home to me. There’s something earthy and grounding about a slab of this stuff smeared in butter. It was very obviously freshly made, with a soft centre and crunchy, toasty crust. Wonderful.

The tasting board was filled with the kind of things I expect the Queen and Prince Phillip may eat for brunch on a trip to Balmoral.

Louise’s treacle and whisky salmon was succulent, generously sliced and rich, cut through by the sweet depth of the cure.

Restaurant review, The Greyhound, Pettistree. (Image: Archant)

Homemade oatcakes had been crafted from pinhead oatmeal and were expertly made (without being tooth breaking).

Jo couldn’t stop herself dipping into the clean-tasting, light and surprisingly fresh smoked mackerel pate, which had a lid of apple jelly.

And the salad of confit duck was a nice touch, bursting with flavours from a dressing that was at turns sweet, spicy and sharp.

I eat as much game as I can during the season and this meal was no different as I knew straight away I’d have to choose the pheasant kiev. Initially the kiev seemed tough. But I think that was just the knife (ask for a steak knife if you order it) because the bird was beautifully tender. The bird had a complex flavour thanks to its herby filling and wrapping of good quality unsmoked bacon. It came with well seasoned crushed potatoes, kale that tasted delicious on its own, and a golden jus with a depth much richer than appearances revealed.

Restaurant review, The Greyhound, Pettistree. (Image: Archant)

Jo’s fillet of cod was flaky and spot-on in its cooking. The pillowy garnish of butternut squash gnocchi were great – neither too soft or rubbery. But we both felt the crab sauce was lacking a touch of seasoning, as its flavour was a bit lost on the plate – it was fighting against the samphire.

For pudding there was a glass of proper, French-style chocolate mousse, flavoured with just enough espresso so the coffee and chocolate didn’t compete against one another. Crushed cocoa nibs on top added a welcome crunch, however the salted caramel jelly cubes were tasteless. We would have preferred a nice crumbly shortbread biscuit made with salted butter on the side to dunk in, or a layer of salted caramel hidden beneath the mousse.

I thought the date and rum pudding with toffee sauce was delicious. You couldn’t taste the rum, but the sponge itself wasn’t too sweet (that came from the lashings of sauce) and was nicely made. I was happy it hadn’t been over nuked in the microwave too.

Drink

There was a short wine list filled with options for all types of wine lover, and a great selection of beer at the bar, but I was driving and Jo doesn’t really drink so we stuck to soft drinks of coke and Appletiser.

We tried the hot drink offerings after dinner. On the menu it said the coffee was triple roasted, Rainforest Alliance etc etc but the coffee Jo was served was quite weak and insipid – maybe a touch more barista training is needed here?

I was delighted by my thick, moreish hot chocolate, though.

Ambiance

I really like the way they’ve decorated this place. It’s stylish in its own twee way, with mismatched painted chairs, and headboard style banquettes (which for some reason always remind me of Bedknobs and Broomsticks). Both the bar and the dining room were practically full so in hindsight we should have booked. We were lucky to get a table.

Location

Just off the A12 on the road towards Wickham Market. The access road (literally next to the pub) was shut when we visited but was due to reopen a day or so after. In any case, the diversion signs were easy to follow.

Service

A cut above the average pub. Staff were smartly dressed in black and every dish was delivered to the right person without them having to ask who was having what, so there’s obviously a good deal of communication between the team. Very slick.

Jo was impressed by the heat of the plates too, which kept our food nicely warm on what was a freezing night.

Price

I felt the prices were very reasonable based on the considerable effort that had gone into all the food, and the clear provenance and quality of the ingredients. It was £70 for three courses for two with two soft drinks and two hot drinks.

Parking

There’s a good-sized car park to the front of the pub.

Toilets

Not the best I’m afraid. They could do with a bit of loving (paint was peeling etc) and were bitingly cold, being separate to the pub in the car park. But I do empathise with them as this age of pub comes with its restrictions. It certainly didn’t affect my overall impression of the pub. Just remember to take a jumper with in case you need to nip out during your meal.

Highlight

The tasting board. It was a great reflection of what Louise can do and every single element was perfect. I only wish they had a little shop so I could have bought some more of that salmon to take home!

Summary

A fine example of an English country pub. There were no airs and graces. And it wasn’t all “are you local” as we walked in. Food was carefully and thoughtfully prepared, and we loved the Scottish elements, like the soda bread and oatcakes, which made The Greyhound that little bit different.

Did you read our review of the food at Kesgrave Hall last week?

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