The Orange

Relaxed get together place

We were in a group of 8 people, relatively swift service for such a big group. There were a couple of mishaps with rehards to the wine (got first sauvignon blanc instead of the chardonnay i had ordered). Then I got a wrong salad, but that was only me in the group of 8 and the restaurant handled this mistake very professionally by not charching for that wine at all as well as replacing the salad swiftly.

I booked the Garden Atrium Bar for a Christmas Party and it was Fabulous, the staff were so accommodating and helpful both on the night and in the run up.

I've always struggled to find somewhere that is good value that can cater for a large group of people without the food being dry and bland, The Orange did not disappoint, the food was tasty, the staff were amazing, the wine was lovely and the atmosphere was perfect. We will definitely be back!

The Orange is a top venue for a weekend lunch. We were seated in the upstairs dining room which is formal enough with its linen napkins to make you feel they've made the effort whilst still being light and airy enough for it to feel casual and relaxed. The menu is surprisingly broad with everything from rock oysters to rabbit and except for one obvious omission (where is the burger, brave menu maker?) there really is something for everyone. I had a pizza (normal-based but I could have had a spelt one, fancy!) which had a great combination of toppings with prosciutto, artichoke, aubergine, mushrooms and goat's cheese. Unfortunately it was a little bit overcooked and not quite up to the standard you now get in an Italian pizzeria. My 2 girlfriends looked happy with the fish and the pie dishes they ordered, which were beautifully presented, although perhaps a bit on the small side. It's all more heartfelt than hearty. I finished with a baked chocolate mousse cake which (I never thought I would say this about any chocolate dessert) was a bit too densely rich; the exquisitely sharp compote and cream which were served with it were too small to save it. So the food for me was a fraction off beat. None the less I'd return as I think it's all on the right track and perhaps I could pick better dishes. Unlike the food menu, the wine list is brief and to the point with only 10 or so pedestrian choices for each colour but we were happy enough with the Sauvignon. The service is spot on: they are there when you want them (topping up your wine) and invisible when you don't (gossiping) and they ask us in the nicest possible way if we would like to move downstairs when they start setting up for a private evening party. At under £30 a head, I think it is pretty good value for a very genial venue where you'd be happy to meet friends or family.

It's a good thing to have a place like The Orange just round the corner. I'm a fairly regular visitor, and am always impressed by the quality of their food (the lunchtime pizzas are particularly good for a lazy weekend…), but my most recent experience has pushed me to publicising my opinions beyond my own front door.

I recently organised a surprise birthday party for my girlfriend, and booked the Henry Guest table for 12 on a Saturday night. The set menu was £35 a head for 3 courses. Despite the variety on offer, most of us went for potted pork (more like rillettes, to be honest, and extraordinarily delicious), rump steak with the best chips I've had for ages, and a death-by-chocolate dessert. The wine wasn't bad at all either – I went for the cheapest on the menu for the sake of economy, and was very pleasantly surprised.

It wasn't the food, however, that made the evening so good (superb though it was). Our waitress was one of the most accommodating I've come across. In addition to being attentive with respect to drinks, she was patient with what was quite a noisy crowd and went the extra mile to make the occasion special. For example, I hadn't ordered a birthday cake, so asked for a candle to go on my girlfriend's pudding. However, in addition, our waitress arranged for the pastry chef to write a birthday message around the edge of the plate. After living in London for a while I've become used to feeling like part of a conveyor belt when it comes to service, or subject to ‘have a nice day’ psychology – but this simply wasn't the case with the Orange.

The only tiny gripe I had was with the comfort of the furniture. The HG table has a bench seat across the back wall that doesn't bear up to being sat on for 3 hours!

But other than that, I couldn't recommend The Orange more highly.

A wonderful place for all occasion. I was at a wedding reception in the upstairs dining room and it was perfection! Such a lovely space and the most delicious food. Having been many times before, I can say that I have never had a bad meal there. Friendly staff and always a great atmosphere The hotel rooms there (there are 4) are also great and very comfortable.

Great staff, attentive and friendly!

One of our waiters answered all our questions, and went out of his way to find information such as where the meat was source from, despite the place being very busy.

Food was absolutely superb!

I had wild boar, which is really unusual to find in England, and it was cooked to perfection and tasted great. Adding chorizo was nice twist from traditional recipes.

I'm definitely going to visit The Orange again

I just organised a cocktail party for 25 people in the music room at the Orange. We all had a wonderful time. The room is located on the first floor, has large windows and a small terrace in the back, which was perfect to enjoy the wonderful weather. The canapés were delicious and the presentation exquisite. The staff was very efficient and flexible. I would definitely organised more events there. Many Thanks to the team at the Orange for making the event stress free.

The Orange is a new favourite of mine! I have been here several times before for glasses of wine with the girls but never before for food. That is until I was in the area with a friend feeling suddenly peckish. Being fairly early they managed to seat us immediately. We found the service to be polite, friendly and efficient.

The food was delicious, I ordered the grilled salmon with broad beans, peas and bacon with horseradish sauce. It was divine and the flavours worked wonderfully together. The salmon was perfectly cooked and I can report its one of the tastiest meals I have had in a long time. My fellow diner was also thoroughly impressed and the phrase ‘we have to come here again’ did pop up once or twice. We shared the dessert of treacle pudding, rhubarb compote and rhubarb ice cream and it was delicious. All the food has a very rustic homemade feel to it and the ice cream especially tasted like the lovely clotted cream type that the west country (my second home) is famous for!

Unusually for myself, I didn't order wine however having had a quick peek at the wine list I could see a tempting array of different wines all at reasonable prices.

The restaurant became busier and the atmosphere more bustling as the evening drew in, I can see this would be a fabulous place for after work drinks and a bite to eat.

Overall I would say this is great food, in a great place without being too purse draining!

The Orange is very nice and I can definitely recommend it.

Online booking is very simple and you get a conformation e-mail and a call on the day which makes the process simple; but it does get booked up quickly for peak times so either book a few days ahead or you'll end up going early or late.

The room has that carefully distressed look where all the woodwork looks a bit battered and all the chairs, glasses etc don't match – but you know someone has spent many hours making sure that they don't. The overall impression is warm and welcoming – like dinner at a friends house and the window boxes full of greenery are a lovely touch.

Service was a little bit mixed – swift, perfectly friendly and polite, but employing staff who don't always speak brilliant English is a bit of a drawback, with some confusion between steak and skate, though we got there in the end. I did also get a bill that included all the items we had, plus a drink that we didn't, though when I queried this it was removed instantly without quibbling.

Atmosphere was good – though it gets quite noisy when full. We went quite early whilst it was quiet, but by the time we left the noise levels had rapidly increased, though not to the point that they were unpleasant or in any way spoilt a good evening.

Food is very good: I started with pea soup with mint and pecorino gnocchi – a really large bowl full with a lovely garden fresh taste and properly hot (something many restaurants struggle with), this was followed by breast of chicken, white beans and chorizo with a side order of chips – it was just a bit bland, nothing wrong with it but nothing exciting, though lovely, properly hand cut, chips. This was followed by a distinct high point – orange caramel cheesecake with sea salt caramel ice cream – one of the best desserts I've ever had; a generous sized portion with a rich creamy cheesecake, candied orange and exceptional ice cream.

The bill came to £165 for 3 people with 3 courses, one bottle of wine, one bottle of water and a couple of extra glasses of wine – that’s good value.

Will I return – yes, definitely.

Used The Orange for a private dinner – everything went very smoothly, and we were very well looked after. Charming staff, attentive and lovely apple & rhubarb crumble!