Meudon - Cornwall,Isles of Scilly

This restaurant is outstanding!! The hotel it’s in is beautiful and unique with the best hotel gardens I have ever seen. The staff are so attentive and nothing is too much trouble. The food was first class and I’m surprised not Michelin starred!! We had a walk down to the beach after lunch, through the gardens and it felt like we were in a tropical paradise. This hotel is a real hidden gem

Dropped in for a spot of lunch whilst walking one of our local routes from home. Despite repeatedly requesting menus from four different members of staff, we were left waiting, without even a glass of water, for over half an hour. It wasn’t busy typical changeover day quiet. Food eventually arrived (bbq steak, medium rare) after an hour. Still waiting on the water. Staff manners were diffident bordering on contemptuous. Zero effort was made to make us feel welcome, either by the maitre d’, waiter, bbq chef or receptionist. The setting was pleasant enough, however for the £100 which we spent (for two) there is an abundance of dining alternatives in nearby Falmouth and Helford who provide excellent cuisine and a hearty welcome, often with a stunning aspect to boot. We will not be adding Meudon to the list of local venues which we support through winter and summer. Disappointing. Mediocre. Complacent.

We came for an afternoon tea which was served in what I think is what they call the drawing room. Its an attractive room which was warm and inviting and we felt comfortabke and at ease. We were not so happy about being served on a flimsy foldup metal tressle table, athough it was covered with white crisp table cloths it was a bit wobbly and not ideal. I did bring this up and was offered an alternative lower sturdier (I am presuming it would have been) table which we declined as it would have meant bending down. The tea itself was good though it would have been nice to have as a choice Cornish tea, we love Tregothnan. Everything we ate was enjoyable but we did compare it to one we had recently at the Hannafor hotel in Looe which knocked spots off this one. Their cakes were much much better and their sandwiches made with much better bread. We enjoyed the food here though and I think its fair value for money. We walked in the gardens afterwards and went down to the beach, its idyllic. I would recommend the experience but I think some thought needs to be given to a better table. Also It would have been better to have a bowl of suger lumps rather than sachets. Generally the overall impression is that it's a bit makeshift. Service was fine, though I think our waiter thought I was being difficult about the table.

We stayed for lunch and had chicken ceasar salad. There were no croutons and no parmesan cheese. It was expensive for what it was. We had a bottle of Prosecco which cost £42. The next day we ate in a 2* hotel, and exactly the same bottle was £26. To add insult to injury, the Meudon added a further ten per cent to the bill. Our friend really wanted to have lunch at the Meudon, so it didn't seem appropriate to complain in her presence. We shall not eat there again.

Reserved a table for the relatively good value Sunday lunch. We had a friendly welcome and nice window table overlooking the garden. Service was good and there was a nice ambience, but food quality and presentation really varied. Smoked salmon starter sounded sophisticated but looked a bit of a mess and was just a small pile of salmon on one side of a plate, a teaspoon of crème fraiche and a bit of dill. The roast beef however was excellent beautifully rare and generous quantity, but the sea bass was a very tiny piece of fish on a few spinach leaves with a rather cold buttery sauce alongside. Vegetables accompanying roasts were very good amazingly crunchy roast potatoes! Gorgeous. Disappointing that the vegan main was just plain slices of roast cauliflower no nuts or crunchy topping or chick peas to give some interest or protein! Totally unimaginative! Puddings were again mixed disappointingly cloying vegan lemon tart (though nice to have something different! and good sticky toffee pudding, but spiced apple crumble was unappetisingly stodgy and underdone. We enjoyed our visit, but in my view the food should be much better and the good reviews in the press are over rated.