Hotel restaurants are often criticised as cold, soulless spaces, often outdated, and usually lacking identity. But the moment you walk into The Pem, it makes its purpose known: this is a tribute to women.
It doesn’t lean into overly ‘girly’ tropes, and despite its ill-fated suffragette namesake, Emily Wilding Davidson (affectionately known as ‘Pem’), there’s no clichéd green, white, and purple either. Instead, it’s power-dressed in rich beetroot tones and dusky pinks. The floors are glossy monochrome, and the seating is velvet, with black and white photo portraits - all strength and magnificence - to counter any perceived softness.
Cooking at The Pem is just as intentional, following largely British flavours with interpretations of old school classics alongside dishes with international appeal. Canapés set the tone: a cod brandade croquette that’s hot, crunchy and deftly salted, served with a pretty beetroot counterpart. The latter, wrapped in a thin pastry collar, fractures into a layered complexity far beyond its tidy form.
Elsewhere, scallops arrive bronzed, perky, and expertly timed, and though a scattering of candied orange peel competes for dominance, we admire its fringe of crisp enoki mushrooms. A rose veal carpaccio, meanwhile, is technically perfect, matched with peppery rocket and fried capers. A little more acid (perhaps some capers in their naked, briny state) would be welcome - though it’s hard to argue with the gossamer thin delight of the dish as a whole.
Herdwick lamb proves a standout: blushing, fatty lamb cannon surrounded by tempura ‘popcorn’ cockles, a mint gel of startling purity, and a lavercake which channels the spirit of Sunday stuffing, salted by seaweed. A ‘lemon meringue’ dessert raises the bar further. It’s an ‘is it cake?’ level of deception, landing as a faux half lemon formed in tempered white chocolate. The segments are pockets for tart curd-like limoncello, topped with a scoop of silky lemon sorbet, and crowned with crunchy meringue.
The Pem doesn’t upset standards. And despite its inspiration, it’s not trying to subvert the natural order of the hotel restaurant. But if personality is what makes a good restaurant great, The Pem has that in spades, matched by moments of pure brilliance.