Hotel restaurants dominate latest AA Rosette winners

The AA has announced the latest Rosette Award winners, celebrating dining destinations with the highest quality culinary offerings in the country.

Notably, three of the four restaurants awarded four AA Rosettes – signifying the best in the UK and Ireland – are located within hotels: Ocean Restaurant at The Atlantic Hotel, Jersey; The Ritz Restaurant, London and The Latymer at Pennyhill Park, Surrey.

The Ocean Restaurant operates as part of The Atlantic Hotel, a boutique retreat in a conservation area overlooking the wild dunes of St Ouen’s Bay. The dining room offers sea views alongside a light and airy setting with a soft-focus palette of blue, white and beige.

Led by chef Will Holland, the dining offering encompasses  seared scallops with salt cod brandade, carrot remoulade and sweet-and-sour carrot puree. The menu also offers juniper-roasted venison loin with a breaded bonbon of the meat, smoked bacon choucroute, salsify and pickled blueberries, in a bitter chocolate jus.

The Ritz Restaurant dining room boasts opulent interiors – decorated with Louis XVI-inspired murals, painted ceilings, statues and chandeliers reflecting from mirrored walls. The service matches the decor,with theatrical classic tableside service and a menu concept defined by contemporary reworkings of culinary classics such as hay-smoked veal with caramelized shallot and Madeira sauce and Dover sole served with new season leeks and cauliflower

The Latymer is set in the creeper-covered Victorian manor at the heart of the 123-acre Pennyhill estate whose grounds encompass a hotel with gardens, wild woodland, a golf course and a spa. The panelled walls and floral fabrics create an elegant setting for food with contemporary cooking techniques showcased on six-course tasting menus.

Dishes including pumpkin in various guises with quail’s egg, cep powder and ice cream, and Orkney scallop with celeriac, truffle, apple and smoked eel. The menu also features pink venison loin alongside cauliflower and almond couscous and blackberry and bitter chocolate foam.

Meanwhile, the AA awards three rosettes to restaurants achieving standards that demand national recognition beyond their local area. Of the 26 restaurants awarded three Rosettes, 14 belong to hotels – from Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall to Davies and Brook at Claridge’s and The Betterment by Jason Atherton in Mayfair.

Shaun Rankin delivers quality cooking that matches the magnificent grounds at Grantley Hall, ranging from chicken terrine with truffle-topped brioche and artichoke textures to venison loin with barbecued celeriac and blackcurrant gel.

Ensconced within the corner of Claridge’s, Davies and Brook’s elegant and contemporary dining room featuring high ceilings and specially commissioned artworks, showcases cuisine courtesy of acclaimed New York chef Daniel Humm, including dry-aged duck in a glaze of honey and lavender with daikon ribbons and rhubarb puree.

“This has been an immensely difficult year for the hospitality industry, and yet restaurants across the country have continued to provide incredible dining experiences to the public despite these considerable challenges,” comments Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media.

“The dedication and hard work of the teams behind these establishments is inspiring, particularly during this time, and we are pleased to be able to celebrate them with the announcement of these AA Rosettes.”

The AA introduced the Rosette Awards in 1956, the first nationwide awards dedicated to recognising restaurants.

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