Review: The Dog and Partridge in Bury St Edmunds

Setting

The Dog and Partridge is in my favourite part of Bury St Edmunds, half way between the Theatre Royal and St Edmundsbury Cathedral, nestled in amongst elegant town houses and across the road from the Greene King Brewery.

Interior

Part of the bar faces the main front door when you walk in but it isn’t on top of the entrance and there is plenty of room to mill about.

Tables are nicely spread out around the restaurant, giving the feeling of space with no danger of feeling on top of your fellow diners.

We sat near a partition wall with a window, and there are cosy corners and larger spaces for bigger parties including a booth in one corner which was hosting a birthday party when we were there.

Outside, the beautiful courtyard is ideal for summer dining and drinking.

Food

I must admit that reviewing a Flame Grill eatery as a vegetarian scared me a bit and while their meat free options are limited, what I had was absolutely delicious.

For starters Patrick picked a typical teenage dish - eight chicken wings - served in a dinky metal bucket lined with blue and white paper.

No fuss, no frills, but, he informed me, totally moreish with their barbecue sauce.

I opted for the breaded garlic mushrooms, nice and crispy with a good sized pot of mayo on the side and a side salad dripped with a tangy citrus dressing.

Other starters to tempt include chicken liver pate, garlic marinated butterfly prawns and Caesar salad.

For our main course, Patrick went for one of his all time favourite dishes, lasagne, made with British beef in an Italian red wine ragu.

It came with two large triangles of garlic ciabatta and a side salad. Being a hungry teenager he also went for a side of chips.

I ordered the basil, mozzarella and sweet potato burger. I was a little nervous as I think basil can be over used but the burger was very subtly flavoured with the herb.

My main course was served on a wooden platter with fries, again in one of the dinky metal buckets which I loved, and crunchy house coleslaw.

We also shared a side order of onion rings - lovely golden crispy batter.

Burgers on the menu for carnivores include beef, southern fried chicken, pulled pork, salmon, lemon and dill or beef, cheese and bacon and if you are really hungry you can double up for £1.50 extra.

Other mains include good old cod and chips, sausage and mash, beef and ale pie, butternut squash cannelloni, a mixed grill for the heartiest of appetites and gammon and eggs.

There are also flame grilled steaks cooked how you like them - choose from sirloin, rump, ribeye, bone-in rib steak or lamb steak.

Or why try a full rack of ribs, Scottish salmon fillet or a succulent chicken breast.

There’s a huge variety of salads and sides to complement your meal including a house mixed salad, crunchy house coleslaw, buttered baby potatoes, chips, skinny fries, and lemon scented basmati and wild rice.

Younger children are also catered for with their own special menu including evergreen favourites such as fish fingers, chicken nuggets and macaroni cheese.

Patrick couldn’t manage dessert but something had caught my eye on the menu - Spanish churros - which I just had to try.

I ordered them and what arrived were three warm oblong donuts filled with hazelnut and chocolate puree, nestled alongside a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, all topped off with drizzled chocolate sauce.

It is hard to explain how much I loved this dessert! The warmth of the churros with the coolness of the ice cream works perfectly and I could eat it again and again (and probably will do).

Alongside the churros for dessert are such temptations as knickerbocker gGlory, black forest gateau cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake, a trio of Belgian chocolate dinky desserts, apple and blackberry crumble pie and a chocolate coated popcorn ice cream sundae (next on my list).

Drinks

Maybe it was psychological but I am sure the Greene King IPA in this place tastes better than anywhere, as the brewery is just across the road.

Patrick enjoyed ice cold lemonade with his meal and there is a range of wines, beers, lagers and soft drinks for all tastes.

The Dog and Partridge also sells Illy coffee in various forms ranging from cappuccino to espresso.

Or why not go for a large deluxe hot chocolate with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and a flake?

Price

Starters range from around £3.39 for the breaded garlic mushrooms to £4.59 for the chicken wings.

Burgers start at £6.99, up to £9.59 for the gourmet choice and examples of other prices for mains are £8.49 for the lasagne, £11.19 for the mixed grill, £9.09 for cod and chips and £7.69 for gammon and eggs, so most of them under £10.

Rump steak is £10.49 with sirloin at £11.99 and rib eye and £13.49. A full rack of ribs is £12.49 and Scottish smoked salmon is £9.99.

Sides range from 50p for the coleslaw to £2.79 for garlic bread.

Desserts are all under a fiver.

Summary

A really warm welcome from the staff who served quickly and politely, checking back once per course to see if we were ok.

A beautiful building in a lovely part of town, whether you want a catch up meal with your teenager, or a family get together, it’s the perfect place to go and the food is delicious, served beautifully and good value for money.