The Solent Hotel

Above: Dine in style at the Solent Hotel

Cosy is not a word I had expected to use to describe the Solent Hotel. I have visited the Hotel on many occasions during the day, and it is an attractive, quality contemporary hotel, but not, I would have thought, cosy.

But on a crisp autumn evening it was transformed. Spotlights underlit the surrounding beeches and maples in all their glorious golds, russets, bronzes and scarlets, looking astonishingly vibrant and pretty against the dark sky. And as we walked under the covered entrance up to the main door we could glimpse a fire burning bright in the entrance hall (furnished like an old-fashioned study) that made us ooh and aah in anticipation.

We went on through to the Terrace restaurant, past the new bar area with oak floors, and lots of stylish seating areas and past the glass wine cellar that juts out at a curious angle into our path. Beyond another massive fireplace, the restaurant opened up before us – a place that combines English manor house (grand stone fireplace and high ceilings) with Mediterranean (rustic beams, tiled floors and paintings of hot Tuscan landscapes). The tables, laid with white linen cloths and lit church candles, were generously sized and well spaced apart, and the chairs were comfortable and upholstered in dark leather.

We were seated, my youngest daughter and I, on a table next to the fireplace where logs burned gently in the vast mansion-size grate. We were all snug and cosy (there’s that word again) and quickly decided, with our backs to the fire and a view across the restaurant, we had the best table in the house.

We were brought mini ciabattas with olive oil, tomato relish and olives so deliciously marinaded they were sweet and fruity. Without asking the bread was replenished and our glasses filled with sparkling water.

We chose from both the a la carte and the daily specials menu. My daughter went for south-west crab mayonnaise, griddled asparagus, parmesan and aged balsamic to start, “delicious, the combination of flavours work” she commented. I opted for a little hot dish of whitebait served simply with half a lemon and a dish of mayonnaise. We had a glass of aromatic Sancerre each – “a glass of happiness” remarked my daughter. “Elderflowers and sunshine,” I suggested. It certainly had something of the colour of sun through autumn leaves.

Main courses were Tart tatin of tomato and aubergine, crispy goats cheese with basil pesto for my daughter – which was stacked high, with cheese melting over layers of rocket and tomato. I chose pan-roasted filled of Cornish halibut, crab ravioli, spinach and parsley sauce. My fish was delicious, beautifully flavoured and almost creamy; the sauce was buttery and piquant. Portions were generous, but we made room for Hampshire strawberries with clotted cream ice cream (daughter) and crème brulee with passion fruit sorbet (me).

Even though every table was occupied, the service was delightful, attentive, friendly and chatty. The front of house staff took time and care to explain dishes, tempt, suggest, to make sure you were happy, that there was anything you might need. I like chatty, chatty is cosy. This is the sort of place where you could eat on your own and feel comfortable.

We wandered back past the bar area, this time filled with small groups of people talking and laughing, and paused by the fire in the entrance hall, now smouldering seductively, and were tempted to linger. But outside the lights spun their magic among the trees and the Solent Hotel looked colourful and inviting…
“And pretty and cosy,” said my daughter, “really cosy.”

Sample menu...
To start: Crispy duck and Hampshire watercress salad, soy, ginger and coriander;
Warm salad of crispy goats cheese, roasted beetroot; Tiger shrimp tempura, chilli sauce, lime.
To follow: Roast confit of duck leg, Lyonnaise potatoes, French beans; 10oz 31 day aged sirloin steak, grill sauce, rocket, hand cut chips; Garlic and rosemary studded rump of South Downs lamb, roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
Sweets: Warm chocolate fondant, pistachio ice cream; Coconut pannacotta, fresh mango, mango coulis; Sticky banana pudding, vanilla pod ice cream.