**Please be aware that evening dining is only offered during our designated pop-up dates and times.**
Tales of Tea is the newest destination restaurant in Coventry City Centre in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. The restaurant in the grounds of the 14th century heritage building is also now offering high-quality Saturday evening fine-dining for the first time, making it one of the best restaurants in Coventry. **Please be aware that evening dining is only offered during our designated pop-up dates and times.**
The Undercroft, which houses the Tales of Tea restaurant, is believed to be the oldest part of the building built in around 1342. The Undercroft would have stored a range of items over the centuries from food, to building materials and even barrels of gunpowder during the English Civil War.
Since launching last year, Tales of Tea at St Mary’s Guildhall has proved extremely popular as a family friendly restaurant for brunch, lunch, and afternoon tea. Saturday evening dining has an exclusive feel with a three-course menu that offers interpretations of classic British cuisine using high-quality ingredients. The atmospheric and unique location creates a perfect place to eat in Coventry for those wanting to treat themselves or a loved one to experience a high-quality dining experience.
The Saturday evening dinner service draws from the same high standards of hospitality that Coombe Abbey hotel is known for and is establishing dining at St Mary’s Guildhall as one of the most sought-after reservations in the city.
Our experienced Executive Head Chef has created the three course à la carte menu to include an assortment of dishes to cater to a variety of dietary requirements including a vegetarian and vegan selection.
The classic dishes include ingredients that pair together to give you a delicious dining experience that uses locally sourced high-quality ingredients.
Dishes on the new menu include:
A selection of starters includes a tasty seafood option.
To commence:
CITRUS CURED LOCH DUART SALMON Pickled Heritage Beetroot
This wonderful salmon dish, accentuated with fresh citrus fruit, is as delicious as it is pretty on the plate. The beetroot adds an exciting, elegant earthiness to the dish.
Paring the dish with beetroot, a food believed to encourage the feelings of love because they are naturally high in nitrates (which act as an aphrodisiac), will go down perfectly for date night and sharing a joyous evening at the perfect romantic restaurant in Coventry.
Did you know that by law during the 16th century the Tudors had to eat fish on certain days to support the fishing industry?
To follow:
‘SPRING’ CHICKEN TWO WAYS Roasted Crown & Confit Leg Pressing Butter Braised Potato, Madeira, Morel & Baby Leek Fricassee
This dish is one fit for royalty and its history is reminiscent of one of the key figures in the Guildhall’s own. Confit originated in France and was originally invented to preserve food. Now it is deemed a popular British cooking technique, where a specially curated selection of spices are used to create a flavourful crispy skin on a succulent chicken, perfectly complemented by delectable potatoes and a gentle fricassee.
This French and British combination of traditions is like the twin crowns of France and England that King Henry VI ascended to as an infant. During the Wars of the Roses Henry VI and his wife, Margaret of Anjou, made Coventry their headquarters – even keeping the Crown Jewels here in the Guildhall for some time. If you keep an eye out, you might even see them in the Coventry Tapestry.
To conclude:
FORCED RHUBARB & APPLE CRUMBLE TART Bourbon Vanilla Custard
Our Tart is the perfect warm dessert comprised of soft, stewed rhubarb and apples, which are covered with a crunchy, crumbly topping, paired with indulgent custard.
Tarts have been found in English cookery books since the early fifteenth century (A Proper New Booke of cookery, 1575) and custards were a favourite for special occasions.
Legend has it that King James II, a fan of custard, once had a banquet at St Mary’s Guildhall, and his table being so heavily laden with food one day that it collapsed covering him with custard.
These are just a few selections from our new menu. Why not discover all the other exciting courses? You will find dishes rooted deep in English history, but with an open eye for the delicacies of other cuisines.
If you find yourself enticed by our food blog and would love to enjoy some tasty food in Coventry city centre book your table today.
References
A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye. First published 1545. Online transaction by Daniel Myers of the 1575 edition at www.medievalcookery.com/ notes/pnboc1575.txt
Please be aware that evening dining is only offered during our designated pop-up dates and times. The next three-course meal pop-up event, created for graduates to celebrate their graduation, will take place from Monday, 15th July, to Friday, 19th July, starting at 12 pm and continuing into the early evening. Our exclusive graduation three-course menu offers an exquisite selection of dishes crafted to make this special occasion truly unforgettable.
