Review: Lunch at AQUA

When Emily, one of our Editors, was invited along to AQUA Bath for lunch with a friend, she jumped at the chance to combine two of her favourite things; great food and good company! Here is what she thought..

I always try and make a lunch date with my friends at least once a month. Lunch is a great time to enjoy a leisurely meal and catch up on anything you’ve missed. I love that a lot of restaurants have special set menus too; these mean you get to enjoy delicious food at a really great price.

AQUA serve a very inviting lunch menu every day from 12 – 7pm. You can choose either 2 courses for £10.95 or 3 for £12.95. They have a great range of dishes available and change the menu frequently.

We booked our table for a late lunch - hoping to also sample a few of their famous Bellinis.  I am a huge fan of AQUA, I have been for dinner there several times, but this was the first time my friend Tom had been. One of the wonderful things about the restaurant is the stunning former church house it resides in.

The building is simply stunning, and this is mirrored in their choice of décor inside. Beautiful chandeliers cascade from the ceiling and a rather grand looking piano overlooks the dinning floor from an impressive balcony. It’s very stylish and has a wonderful sense of indulgence about it, so that’s exactly what we decided to do when we sat down to our three courses of scrumptiously prepared dishes.

To start, we enjoyed an overflowing dish of plump marinated olives, which were bursting with flavours of chilli, herbs and garlic. To accompany our olives and chatter, we each ordered a Bellini. I opted for raspberry and Tom the traditional peach.

We were served by the lovely Karolina, who gave some great recommendations and knew each dish on the menu inside out. I always feel good about a restaurant when I know the staff are forthcoming with recommendations and are passionate about the food they serve. As it was a hot day, Karoline also bought us water, with ice and lemon, before giving us a few moments to order our dishes.

To start, I ordered the Courgette Fritti with Shaved Parmesan and Parsley, and Tom ordered the Cauliflower and Pancetta Soup. The dishes came out quickly and were absolutely delicious.

The courgette was similar to tempura; sliced finely and deep fired in a crunch batter with a deliciously creamy herb sauce. I really enjoyed the dish; it was light and flavoursome with a generous helping of parmesan. For me, it was the perfect start to the mean meal as it wasn’t too heavy.

Tom’s soup looked incredible, he described it as “smooth, hot and perfectly seasoned, the contrast of textures with the pieces of pancetta worked really well – as did the dash of olive oil”. We were both really pleased with our starters and were excited to try our mains.

Karolina gave us just the right amount of time until she brought over our mains, we both opted for the Pork Chop with Savoy Cabbage, Sweet Cranberries and Herb Sautéed Potatoes.  This came with a high recommendation from Karolina and we were not disappointed! The chop was tender and succulent. The gravy was a thick, rich and full of flavour. The Savoy cabbage was tossed in pancetta and sweet cranberries which made it extremely moreish – and a far cry from any cabbage I’ve cooked at home! Needless to say, we both had clean plates on this course as it was simply mouth-wateringly good.

To follow the main course, I picked the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Tom had Chocolate Ice Cream. The desserts were the perfect way to finish the meal. My sticky toffee pudding was to die for, and it was just the right size! The vanilla bean ice cream, that accompanied it, balanced the sweetness of the toffee perfectly. The cake was moist and warm and there was plenty of the gooey sauce – just what I love!

Tom’s chocolate ice cream was lovely, rich and chocolaty. He was given a couple of scoops and was in ice cream heaven with the creamy, soft goodness. You really can’t beat a good chocolate ice cream.

Due to the hot weather, we declined the tea and coffee and ordered another Bellini each. Overall, we both thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and I really can’t believe how good value it was. The quality and flavours of the food were fantastic, the service personal and friendly. It is still top on my list of Bath restaurants and we will be returning for lunch there again soon.