The Walnut, Wellington

I had been scoping out social media for The Walnut so I already had pretty high expectations. And because I’d done that, I was one of 5 lucky Instagram winners who received a free main at the restaurant to celebrate their new menu. Woo hoo! Off we popped into Wellington today to give the place a whirl. The thought of adding the optional lobster tail to my free dish did cross my mind, but I think that could be considered as taking advantage.

A well-established, independent restaurant, The Walnut has a great touch for local and seasonal eating. The restaurant itself is comfortable and a little quirky, whilst still smart. An excellent setting for an informal brunch or dinner for two.

The team are full of smiles and can’t do enough to make you comfortable. Despite the extensive drinks menu, we weren’t able to find any beers listed. A quick query to the waitress established Ludlow Gold was on draught, alongside a few bigger names (and lower flavoured!) beers. Pint it is then! And delicious it was too.

What did we eat?

Although freshly cooked to order, the food was brought to our table surprisingly promptly. A feast for the eyes as well as my belly, my pan-fried salmon was bright and vibrant. A perfectly seared skin crackled to complement the melting smoothness of the salmon flesh. Moist and juicy, the flavour sung against the creamy tarragon sauce.

My only bugbear – of the whole visit actually – was that my dish was served with kale and not samphire as stated on the menu. That would have really been the final note of the harmony. And who eats kale on purpose? But they do say that their dishes are subject to market forces, so perhaps there just isn’t any good samphire to be had this week. And I still enjoyed the dish. I won’t begrudge the unexpected boost of vitamin K either, I suppose.

Also on our table was the flat iron steak. The real star of the show, this is a stonkingly good value dish, with the quality of the meat being as good as you’ll see anywhere. The quality of its cooking matched those dizzy heights too. A perfect sear on the outside to seal in the flavour, and moist, melting interior for our rare order. This was topped off with a simple salad and beautifully prepared fries. Heaven on white ceramic.

Final thoughts on The Walnut

Save it to your Google maps, or do whatever you need to do to remember to visit The Walnut. I cannot recommend the steak enough. I’m looking forward to trying the brunch menu too. Plus there is bottomless afternoon tea on offer, which certainly deserves more than a second glance.

🐐 17 Market Square, Wellington

We got one main course for free as I won an Instagram competition using my personal account, not The Shropshire GOAT. We paid for the remainder of our bill in full and using our own spendy-spends.