[Disclosure: We were invited for a complimentary lunch at The Elephant in Torquay. We paid for our drinks]
The Elephant in Torquay has a fair few things to show off about. It won a Michelin Star in 2006 – just a year after it opened – and it’s maintained it ever since.
Its chef proprieter Simon Hulstone won the Roux Scholarship, National Chef of the Year and has represented the UK in various top-tier cooking competition.
But perhaps most appealing to the average diner who likes decent food is that The Elephant claims to serve the best value Michelin starred lunch in the UK. Search any list online for affordable Michelin star restaurants and it’s up there, which makes it hugely attractive to those of us who don’t have the means to drop a few hundred quid on a meal every five minutes.
The set lunch is priced at £32.50 for two courses or £38.50 for three. But it’s not just this that’s great value. The lunch tasting menu is £58 per person which is a bloody steal for food of this quality. A matching wine flight will set you back £45 a head and yes, while this isn’t as cheap as a steak and chips down Wetherspoons, it’s a darn sight more affordable than plenty of other restaurants of this calibre.
When we visit, the sun is shining on the English Riviera and The Elephant is a cool oasis of calm. Understated from the outside, the regency building looks out over Torquay harbour but is removed from any chaos. It has plenty of personality courtesy of some stunning artwork, and while refined the welcome is warm. A bit like coming round to someone’s house for a dinner party rather than feeling like just another name in a long list of restaurant diners.
We have all the plans to stick to the simple set lunch menu. But one taste of our trio of ‘petite bouche’ and a sip of a white port and tonic aperitif that is now on my go-to list for a sunny day, and we’re already dead set on having the full Elephant experience. The lunch tasting menu. Six courses that combine locally-caught fish from the sea we’re gazing out at with meat courses including 36-day aged beef, belly pork, and desserts that leave you hoping you’ll still have space to enjoy them.
Sourdough with a citrus butter is the reminder that these days, we’re allowed to luxuriate in huge hunks of bread and decent butter in a posh restaurant as much as we are in a pub beer garden. Goodbye tiny rolls and hello good bread.
The petite bouche lead Jamie to dub The Elephant experience as ‘special but not stuffy’. They’re as accomplished as the artwork on the walls, yet somehow simple at the same time. A blob of brown crab served on spiced shortbread with a zing of pink grapefruit. Duck liver terrine that’s complemented by the slight woodiness of smoked eel and the crisp freshness of Granny Smith. And the piece de resistance – a Tunworth cheese and tomato toastie that basically feels like posh pizza and I am totally here for it.
The beef tartare is different to any tartare I’ve had before. Somehow light, the whey dressing adding a lactic quality that contrasts with the tang of capers and pickle. It’s paired with a rose and I’m already feeling like this is going to be up there with one of our great experiences.
The mackerel, like the petite bouche, could as easily be up on the wall as on our plates thanks to its visual beauty. But it doesn’t stop there. It’s been torched which quite frankly is the best way to have mackerel, especially when contrasted with fennel yoghurt and cucumber that’s unlike any sloppy slices of supermarket stuff you may have had previously.
Gilthead Bream is one of my favourite courses, swimming in a foam that is acidic thanks to verjus but simultaneously luxurious. Crispy seaweed on top adds a crunch, along with the visual reminder that we’re lucky enough to be so close to the sea that what we’re eating is probably fresher than fresh. The Portuguese Chardonnay we get with it is the perfect pairing, somehow working perfectly with the acid of the verjus.
Despite declaring the bream my favourite, I’m soon waxing lyrical over the belly pork dish of dreams. A perfectly cooked cube of meat, served with another cube of rice that’s encased in a crisp coating.
They’re both great, obviously, bu almost outshone by various incarnations of Heritage carrot – sweet slices, a silky puree, and the joy of sweetness punctuated by pops of pickled ginger. The whole thing is brought together by the gorgeous Valpolicella the dish is served with – another reminder that when wines are paired right, a dish can become seriously superlative.
We don’t want the savoury stuff to be over to be honest, but we’re also loving the fact that we’re able to enjoy this length of tasting menu without losing the will to live through too much food.
Pre-dessert is pretty sweet – there’s no messing about in this transition to the good stuff. Raspberry, white chocolate, elderfllower and caramel, all brought together in the kind of dish that’s as much a treat for your eyes as your palate. The kind of stuff we watch in The Bear or on Masterchef and that you simply can’t replicate at home (unless you happen to live with a chef, but I reckon even a lot of them don’t produce this stuff pretty).
It’s lovely, but not as lovely as the final course – an Apricot and frangipane tart that is perfectly balanced without any of that fake frangipane flavour. The apricots are meaty and sweet, the creme fraiche quenelle perfectly chilled, and Thai basil brings an added dimension that lifts everything. As does the Tokaji it’s paired with.
We knew The Elephant would be good, but end our lunch gabbling about how good it’s been, as we’re humoured by Maitre d’ Tom who epitomises everything this role should be. He’s knowledgeable and at times looks scarily serious as he surveys the room – the kind of person who you know isn’t happy with any kind of imperfection. Yet he’s also one of the friendliest, chatty people I’ve come across in an environment like this. Who puts you at ease in what can be an intimidating setting, and who is happy to explain things and add anecdotes that remind us all that food is to be enjoy – and by everyone.
As we blink our way back into the sunlight, and back to the gaudy shops, sound of arcades, and smell of deep fat fried chips, we feel like we’ve just stepped out of a strange parallel universe. One where the food is fine, the bill reasonable, and the experience unforgettable. And it’s why The Elephant is still packed on a sunny Friday lunchtime in July 2024, nearly two decades after it first opened. Star or not, this place is a jewel in the crown of the English Riviera and one you should get to if you can.
