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Torquay
VIP Restaurant

Glamorous, chic, retro-swanky – put on your glad rags ladies and gentlemen, the VIP Restaurant is the place to be in Torquay. The ethos at VIP is to offer a top class experience, so whether you just want some drinks, a few nibbles or to stay for a meal, the slick professional service begins in the spacious bar. The frosted glass frontage provides a feeling of exclusivity, away from the busy harbourside part of the town, and once inside you are transported to another world entirely.

Decorated like a set from a 1930s Hollywood movie, this fabulous venue oozes sophistication and from the moment you walk through the door you feel like a million dollars. You can enjoy your starlet moment to the full as you sit on one of the plush, cream leather arm chairs or maybe a gold brocade chaise longue. Take your time to fully appreciate your surroundings; the eclectic mixture of furniture and sparkly lighting, the non-intrusive, mellow soundtrack, the unpretentious crowd and, of course, the outstanding choice of food and drink.

Chef owner Richard Gardner (see chef profile page 54) has excelled himself with this new venture, which opened in Spring 2007. Having secured a good reputation at The Orchard in Paignton, he has now created this luxurious setting where the menu, which we looked at whilst sipping a fresh blackberry martini (£5.45), reads like a dream. With starters ranging from soup with rosemary bread (£3.95) to crayfish risotto with a bacon, rocket and Parmesan salad (£5.25) and a choice of main courses from ‘catch of the day’ in a herb crust with new potatoes and salad (£8.95) to fillet steak Wellington (£18.95), you can be as indulgent as you wish without breaking the bank. It was a pleasure then, after ordering, to be taken down the small staircase to the 110-cover restaurant, which has all the understated glitz of Casino Royale. It’s hard not to be impressed here; the room is absolutely gorgeous and the seasonal local produce used is superbly cooked. I opted to begin with the crayfish risotto, while my partner chose the chicken liver parfait (£4.25); both were exquisitely presented and truly a joy to eat. The ‘catch of the day’ was beautifully fresh monkfish wrapped in bacon and my steak Wellington was a melt-in-the-mouth, perfectly pink cut of beef wrapped in crispy pastry and just the right amount of the richest jus I have ever tasted.

Unsurprisingly, desserts are simply delightful. My partner refused to share his trio of chocolate (£6.45); a chocolate brownie with clotted cream ice cream, a white chocolate cheesecake and a chocolate and orange mousse. To spite him I kept all of the delicious West Country cheeses with red onion chutney (£5.95) to myself, but he didn’t seem to mind.

VIP Restaurant definitely brings a touch of the glitterati to the English Riviera – now where did we park the limo?

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