Camelot restaurant and bar
4 Braddons Hill Road West
Torquay TQ1 1BG
Torquay
Torquay
Camelot medieval restaurant
Despite living in the UK for over 5 years I have not travelled widely within it: a two week trip to the Highlands of Scotland (Inverness, Portree, Isle of Skye, and even the fairly remote North and South Uist), Glasgow and Edinburgh several times, a short trip to Cardiff and the Peak district and that’s about it. I do not count Brighton, Dover, Oxford etc which I’ve also visited as they’re near enough almost to count a little as London’s suburbs 😉
Having lived in the French riviera, I was curious to discover the English riviera. After all, on the map it is not that far from London. Well, that was without realising how bad the road network is in the UK. The so called motorway is more like a national road in France. Pathetically, the whole UK motorway network is just a little over twice Belgium’s motorway network despite being a much larger country. It is time they invest a little more into it instead of patching unsafe roads. After driving for over 5 hours with a short stop at Stonehenge (a disappointing ripp off place not worth the stop – go to Carnac in Brittany where there are thousands of standing stones instead) we eventually arrived in Torquay.
Near the harbour in Torquay, it is FULL of junk fast food places so we had to walk back inland to find some more original places for our dinner. We found the Camelot wich is a kind of medieval style pub with a knight outside and some solid and heavy wood tables inside.
We ordered as starters the garlic and herb mushrooms (£4.95) and a deep fried brie (£5.45). As main meals we had two ‘holy grail’ with chips and vegetables (£8.95 each) which were pork belly. As drinks, we had a pint of Kronenbourg (£3.20), a lemonade (£1.20), and a still mineral water (£1.20).
The starters
Garlic and herb mushrooms
The garlic and herb mushrooms were very well done. In a nice creamy and garlicy sauce and served with some excellent chunks of fresh bread, this was an excellent starter that gave plenty of hope for the main course to follow.
Deep fried brie
The deep fried brie was very good: crunchy outside, soft inside with a nice taste and the chutney and salad went well with it.
The main courses
Holy grail with chips and vegetables
Another view of the holy grail with chips and vegetables
The holy grail with chips and vegetables made of pork bellies were huge. Unfortunately they were a little on the dry side with a lot of fat. The vegetables were good but the chips were not the best we have had. Still, for less than £9 it is a good deal if you are hungry.
Cost and conclusion: it was just over £33.90 and no “12.5% optional service charge” like in London. We like to have it already included in the meals, like in France and many other places. What’s wrong with London where it is becoming a tipping place like in most underdevelopped countries? Despite the not so convincing main course, the Camelot was still a good place to stop after a long drive and the starters were quite good. The prices are very reasonable. Recommended if you are in the area and want to avoid the fast food.
