The George Hotel
Braunton - Devon

North Devon Food & Drink Awards

We are delighted to receive second place in the pub category in the North Devon Food & Drink awards on Friday 28th November!

Mr Davies: Senior Food Safety Officer

6th February 2008

Scores on the Doors -The 5-Star Rating Scheme
~ We have been given the highest rating ~ 5 Stars


Assessed by North Devon Council, in conjunction with the Food Standards Agency.
The star rating is based on the scores for hygiene, structure and confidence in management.
The better the standards of food safety, the higher the number of stars given. This will range from 5 stars (excellent) to 0 (zero) stars (very poor).

NEW for Summer '08!! ~ Customer reviews - provided

GOOD food with generous portions, from early in the morning untill late in the day. Lovely fairtrade drinks combined with good entertaining and relaxed service. Good availability and a cosy interior. Traditional exterior that looks like a classic English pub! - Matthew from Reading.~~~~~~~~
THE waitresses are very lively and they bring food quickly. They are honest, kind and overall lovely people. The food is outstanding. The chefs are obviously very talented. The range of fairtrade drinks are brilliant, especially the mocha and hot chocolate! I love it here! - Will from Berkshire.~~~~~~~~
THE staff are quick to serve, friendly and kind. The food was immaculate and the drinks were great, especially the hot chocolate. I only go to Devon once a year but I always go to The George Hotel, if I lived down here I would go here everyday without doubt! - Jack from Berkshire.~~~~~~~~
REASONABLY priced, extensive menu of quality authentic Thai food, very friendly service - Peter from Bristol.~~~~~~~~
BEST food outside Thailand, friendly staff, clean, great selection of beers, wines and spirits, good atmosphere, excellent breakfast and stylish modern accommodation - K stansmore from Braunton.~~~~~~~~
VERY welcoming, happy staff, lovely food - Matt from Wiltshire.~~~~~~~~
BEST ever everything, was great service, food fantastic, great night out, will be back. To be recommended, extremely good value - Mrs Joyle from Bickington.~~~~~~~~
GREAT food, good service, nice atmosphere. The George is taking pub dining to a whole new level, North Devon, WATCH OUT! - P Butler from Braunton.~~~~~~~~
PURE and authentic flavours with very fresh ingredients, presented with real style and grace, welcoming and intructive staff - Mr & Mrs Williams from Cornwall.

Quality In Tourism

2007
Our Quality In Tourism rating and awards

Lisa Tutton: Roundswell & Sticklepath News

1st February 2008

A Thai Experience at The George
On a freezing cold evening recently, we were invited to a Thai meal at The
George Hotel. It was the perfect way to be warmed up by the friendly
atmosphere and spices of their food!
We were directed to a table for two, decorated with flowers and our
experience began! Firstly the waitress, wearing traditional Thai costume,
delivered some prawn crackers, accompanied by plum and sweet chillies
sauce to us. These were different in themselves!
Lisa, the manager, explained the menu to us, advising us that each dish had
its own spice rating, with one tick being a mild dish to three ticks being a fairly
hot dish! This was fantastic, as my husband and I both have very different
taste buds! He is able to eat anything very spicy, whereas I was slightly
unsure as to what to order, it had to be very mild! It was also explained to us
that even if you fancied something on the menu which had three ticks, you
could request that it be made with less spice, making it a mild dish. This is
very achievable as the chefs create every dish from scratch, using fresh food
in everything. The meat is also marinated beforehand to seal in the flavours, it
is then cooked in a Wok, making this extremely healthy food for you!
We were advised on what to sample and only a few moments later we
received our first course, a selection of mixed starters. Again this was great,
the food was so light and delicate.
Each course was impeccably presented, with flowers on the plates created
from various vegetables.
Our main course was absolutely gorgeous, Pad Thai (local rice noodle dish
with bean sprouts, egg and roasted ground peanuts), Mee Kai (egg noodles
with garlic oil), Gai Ma Muang (stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, baby corn
and mushrooms) and Weeping Tiger (slices of grilled 8oz sirloin steak tossed
in a hot wok with garlic, black pepper, coriander and served with a spicy lemon
sauce). Everything was cooked absolutely perfectly and although the
Weeping Tiger was a two tick rating, it was very subtle.
We would definitely recommend The George to anyone wishing to try an
authentic Thai feast, made by the professionals!.

Jess: EX33 Magazine

January 2008

To be invited out at all on a Thursday evening is a treat but to be invited to a Thai Banquet at The George is just marvellous!
We arrived to see beautifully dressed tables with white linen cloths with what can only be described as works of art for their centrepieces. On close inspection these 'works of art' were beautiful flower arrangements carved and sculpted from various different fruits and vegetables by the talented Thai staff that work at The George. The waitress was also beautifully dressed in a traditional Thai costume of rich gold's, reds and black with some amazing head attire that would have delighted our little girls at home!
My eyes had had a feast, now it was time to sample the cuisine.
I am somewhat of a latecomer to Thai food and have always tended on the side of caution, as I have always believed this food to be extremely hot and spicy.
Of course Thai food can be very hot and some people enjoy their food this way but it can also be extremely delicate and flavoursome. During the evening even I managed some of the hotter dishes, as strangely the heat was so well balanced and enjoyable that it did not make your eyes water and your mouth feel like it was on fire. I must admit I had winced as the dish put before me was called 'Weeping Tiger' but was pleasantly surprised!!
We were reliably informed that the chillies are rated with red being the hottest followed by green and then yellow. Of course every Thai Green curry can be made to different heat intensities but the heat guide is a good rule of thumb. The menu helpfully puts one, two or three chillies next to each dish to give you an idea of spiciness!
The food was so fresh and in many ways simple and unfussy yet so exquisite and complex in its flavours.
I particularly enjoyed a pineapple rice dish, which was served in the pineapple skin itself.
I was forced out of my comfort zone with the array of starters and main courses during our banquet and tasted things I may never have tried if ordering a meal for one. It certainly did broaden my horizons as far as menu choices go.
We spent a very pleasant evening in The George sampling the delights of the vast Thai menu that they offer and would heartily recommend the delicious authentically cooked cuisine to anyone, even those who are
unsure of something a bit different. I never thought I'd say it but I would certainly recommend a little bit of spice in your life or in your food at least!

North Devon Journal

24 January 2008

I once asked my Japanese friend what was the worst thing she'd eaten during her stay in England, expecting perhaps that she might cite custard, baked beans or Yorkshire puddings as the worst insults to her palate.Her answer though was immediate and unequivocal:

"Sushi from Tesco," she said.

It made me chuckle. National dishes are probably always best judged by people who have grown up with, or have experience of, the culture. I am therefore coming clean from the outset: I know absolutely nothing about Thai food.

That said I recently visited The George Hotel in Braunton which has branched out in the culinary department to offer a hugely impressive range of dishes from various regions of Thailand. A long menu includes curries, stir fries and dishes based around beef, duck, pork, seafood, king prawns and sea bass.

A spot of translation from my waitress, which included a journey back to the kitchen to quiz the chef, informed me that a Namprigpao was a kind of pepper. It sounded interesting so I asked for a Pad Namprigpao (pepper stir fry) with French beans, kaffir lime leaves, mixed veg and tofu. With it I had Pad Thai (rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg, and roasted ground peanut).

Jon Bowen opted for Beef in Terriyaki Sauce which turned out to be sirloin steak cooked in Japanese sweet wine, sake, ginger and soy sauce which he ate with sticky rice.

Now I wouldn't describe either of these dishes as subtle. Think rather tasty and spicy. Mine was marked up as mild but I found it gave my cheeks quite a glow and my lips that almost sexy but not quite, I've-just-eaten-a-chilli pout (sensitivity to hot food is always personal but I was glad I didn't opt for hot).

We both thoroughly enjoyed the good variety of strong tasty flavours. I could tell Jon was impressed with the steak:

"I'd bring my mother here you know," he offered. Now that's a very high accolade indeed.

Sometimes it's nice not to go to a restaurant but to meet up with friends and have a bite to eat in a pub. It's even more fun if the pub is, like the George, adventurous with its menu.

The atmosphere in this popular hotel bar was buzzing - a typical busy Saturday night.

Puddings were not offered in this instance but we were pretty full by this point and we'd enjoyed allowing our taste buds to be bombarded with generous flavours. Mmm these banqueters might well be back.

Scores On The Doors Certificate

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CASK MARQUE

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