The Chapel Restaurant & Bar

We were nearly put off this restaurant because some of the reviews were so negative. I am delighted to say we decided to go anyway – it was a delight! All the staff were helpful, friendly and attentive. The food was excellent, and what an amazing experience – eating in the beautifully restored, historic building. Would thoroughly recommend and will definitely be going back.

As we were staying at the Bodmin Hotel it seemed appropriate to try their fine dining restaurant too. We arrived early and were given a booth, which is so nice and makes the evening even more special. The staff were brilliant and so friendly and helpful, even taking on the task of finding this crazy non alcoholic drink their cocktail expert Tom recommended! The food was amazing and we had the 3 course menu option but what we also were given is a couple of extras in-between those dishes that the chef had created. They were a perfect addition and beautifully presented and tasted amazing. I can’t recommend enough trying this place as you’ll be thoroughly rewarded.

Up there with one of the best roasts dinners I’ve ever had. Ordered the pork, which wasn’t dry and came with a nice bit of crackling, with added homemade Yorkshire pudding. The veg on the side was cooked great and felt more premium to what you’d usually get. The gravy was made from tray juices and was also delicious. This was perfect to have after the prison tour

Dinner in The Chapel
Pre drinks in the Chapel Champagne bar.
Dinner was part of our package we booked, which is £55pp for 3 courses.

First, you’re served snacks on top of a box that contains fresh bread rolls.
Starters
Crispy Duck Egg
Asparagus velouté, vegetarian parmesan,
truffle oil.
Fowey scallops
onion bhaji,curry emulsion, coriander.
Mains
Cornish Ruby Red beef fillet
broccoli purée, wild mushroom croustillant.
Wild turbot
Pea, scrumps, beurre noisette.
A side of Hand-cut chips £6 extra
Desserts
Duck egg brûlée
Strawberry, meringue.
Pistachio parfait
raspberry, white chocolate.

Apart from the devine food you are just in ore of this magnificent restaurant they have created and such a fantastic experience.
We were served by the charming and most polite waiter who just made the whole evening special.
You can still book the restaurant even if you’re not staying in the hotel.

My partner and I weren’t staying at the hotel, but enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Chapel. The jail itself is really impressive and I left wanting to know more, so would definitely visit the tour if I’m ever in the area again.

The Chapel restaurant is a good sized open space with artworks projected on the ceiling and windows, although the window projection was quite misaligned. Atmosphere-wise for dining, I would have liked the background music to be louder, as it was almost non-existent.

The staff were friendly enough, but there were some inconsistencies with the tone that the restaurant is trying to achieve, for example our waiter’s footwear had holes/tears across the side of the shoe. Get the guy some new trainers. Also when taking our order, he seemed to opt for the ‘memorise’ route, and then forgot everything and wanted to double check our order. There’s no shame in writing the order down guys.
Our first order of drinks didn’t arrive until our main course, which is odd. Was the order forgotten, or is the service too slow?

My starter of the crab was presented in the shell atop a large bowl full of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, pine). I didn’t quite understand what they were trying to achieve, or what happens to the seeds after (hopefully not reused, but surely too expensive to simply throw away?) The taste was okay, I’m not a fan of eating out of a shell, it’s too awkward. Forget the seeds, and the shell, add a rocket salad.

The mains and dessert, presentation wise, was incredible, like something out of MasterChef. The staff who bought our food out poured gravy atop it, with no real flair, and the awe in presentation quickly went away.
Taste wise, it was nice but overly sauced. The beef shin was extremely small, like a very large scallop, but cooked very well. Equally the dessert was delicious.

£50 pp for the 3 course dinner which is probably about right. The menu didn’t have individual dish price points, so be prepared to have a 3 course dinner only.