A winning treat

Chris Gillan enjoys a relaxed dining experience at the Hilton Doncaster’s Garden Grille overlooking the town’s historic racecourse.
One of the newest hotels in Doncaster and ideally located close to a convenient network of A roads, the sleek and modern Hilton’s Garden Grille restaurant on the ground floor proved the ideal place to meet an old friend and catch up over a delicious dinner.

Situated on the ground floor with glorious views over Doncaster Racecourse, the restaurant offers an extensive à la carte menu which caters for all tastes with American, British, Asian and European cuisine on offer.

There’s also a new menu launching this month (April) which the restaurant team is keen for customers to come and try.

We were warmly welcomed by friendly staff, who swiftly took our drinks order at our cosy window table while we settled down to chat. We were still enjoying our chilled draught lagers when our waitress returned to take our order, but we’d been so engrossed in sharing our stories that we hadn’t managed to select our dishes. However, we didn’t feel rushed at all – our polite and professional young waitress simply smiled and said she’d return to give us some more time to decide. Nothing was too much trouble.

The Garden Grille menu offers a wide choice appealing to all palates and featuring many classic favourites, such as steak and ale pie and chicken tikka masala, or for a lighter option there’s a selection of vegetarian dishes and classic salads, as well as nibbles and sharing platters.

An open plan “live” kitchen provides an insight into the busy, efficient team of chefs who take pride in delivering a range of dishes which are not only well presented, but taste great too!

As a starter, I chose the Soup of the Day (cream of chicken) which was light, but full of flavour and served with a warm brown bread roll, while my companion thoroughly enjoyed his salt and pepper calamari, served with a garlic and lime aioli.

Next we both chose 10oz sirloin steaks, cooked to order, and served with a choice of peppercorn or garlic mushroom sauce. This was beautifully presented with rosemary sea salted skin on fries (perfectly cooked – crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle – just the way I like them!), accompanied by a juicy flat mushroom and grilled tomato.

Although the portions were plentiful (we also managed to eat our way through two side dishes of beer battered onion rings and salted fries), we both luckily just had enough space to accommodate dessert. So while I chose the home-made warm double chocolate brownie (served with a choice of cream, custard or ice cream), my friend indulged himself with the delicious blueberry cheesecake served with hedgerow berry compote, which we agreed were perfectly sized sweet treats to round off our meal.

Both my companion and I agreed that our evening had been “spot on” – it’s the sort of place which isn’t too stuffy or formal, so ideal for any occasion.

Our excellent selection of dishes, which all feature quality ingredients, were well presented and tasted great. There was nothing too fussy or formal, but every dish was prepared with enough attention to detail to make a difference.

I would definitely return, as we both enjoyed a lovely evening and, priced at

£30-£40 a head, the award-winning Garden Grille offers not only great value for money, but everything you need for an enjoyable meal out.

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