Dinner at The Gainsborough Bath Spa

Enormous, glistening prawns (‘Dancing Prawns’, no less!) – crispy on the outside, soft and juicy within – drenched in a glossy, citrus-infused, Asian-esque emulsion and dotted hither and thither with sweetly nutty crystallised walnuts. A trio of meaty, chargrilled skewers (chicken, lamb and beef), each one tasting of their very best selves, served with a highly-textured, piquant satay sauce that had nothing to do with sickly peanut butter and everything to do with real, roasted nuts, chilli, and – I’m guessing – tamarind. A rich Rendang, laden with luscious chicken, fragrant with turmeric, lemongrass and cardamom and enriched with coconut – comforting; complex; addictive. Charcoal-grilled short ribs, the fat perfectly rendered by the flames, the supremely meaty flesh tenderised by a lengthy marinade, partnered with a spicy/sweet sambal that we wanted to order by the jar, for carrying on with at home.

So far, so totally top-notch Far Eastern fabulous – yes? Oh, most definitely yes. So where did our Lobster Linguine fit in? Well, very well indeed. Because, on the Gainsborough Bath Spa brasserie’s recently-launched new menu, “a kaleidoscope of globally inspired gourmet experiences” turns the spotlight on the point where East meets West. It’s a brave USP indeed – and bravery, as we all know all too well, can backfire. But in this instance, brave equates as inspired, intelligent and – well, exactly what you want to eat, right here, right now.

And so it came to pass that we dived into mounds of glistening nuggets of moist, super-fresh lobster marinated in umami-rich miso, spring onion and just the right amount of garlic oil for garlic to make its presence felt without overwhelming that sweet, sweet meat, tangled up in silky, creamy linguine, served in our lobster’s own, huge shell and dusted with chilli flakes. In a word: spectacular; I was craving exciting, well-executed, beautiful food… and it turned out that I’d come to the right place.

Subtly occupying two Grade II listed buildings in the heart of Bath, the Gainsborough Bath Spa opened its doors in the Heritage City in 2015 and created quite a splash from the get-to, not least of all because the hotel has exclusive access to the natural thermal waters that have kept the city buoyant for centuries. So yes, there’s modern history to shout about here. But The Gainsborough has been refreshingly forward-thinking in its approach to contemporary fine dining protocol too, moving with the times through the years since it opened – and this year’s new menu splash is, to my mind, the one that’s going to cause the biggest ripples in Bath’s restaurant scene: they say East meets West; I say, you’re not going to find anywhere else in the city that serves this kind of high-level fusion food in such an elegant but thoroughly welcoming environment.

A well-considered ambience of understated red carpet glamour (subtle chandeliers; acres of marble; reception staff who make you feel like they’ve been waiting to greet you, and only you, all day) lie beyond a grand entrance, combining to offer a seductively sophisticated welcome offering a “feel like a million dollars” buzz.

The lovely little bar is a cool oasis of chic overlooking the indoor pool and specialising in spiffing cocktails, and a quintessentially modern-British hotel lounge (The Canvas Room) hits traditional afternoon tea hotspot heights. But oh, the dining room! Coffered ceilings, original artwork, an impressive wine wall; intimate corners (including a cosy firelit ‘snug’ at one end) and space for all elsewhere – it’s modern without being overtly Insta-friendly, and traditional without being stuffy. Which is why, after our fabulous feast in that dining room, we lingered long enough to allow ourselves to get pudding-ready: ‘Chocolate’, which turned out to be a kind of super-elevated version of a cookie/ice cream sandwich bringing brownies, chocolate ice cream and salted caramel sauce together in very grown up harmony, and a delightfully green-tinged Pandan Crème Brûlée sprinkled with citrus honeycomb that bought texture and balance to the soft, sweet pandan-infused custard.

People who know me know that I’ve had a serious soft spot for The Gainsborough since it very first hit my radar; I even had feverish dreams of returning to it through those weird, weird lockdown years, and eagerly awaited news of a rebirth. That rebirth has arrived; The Gainsborough is still as wonderful as it always was – but the new menu has seriously upped the ante.

I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. I want to go back – and I will.