The hotel looked great, food and drink choice perfect for us and reviews excellent, so we called, booked, jumped in the car and were pulling up across from the hotel in the Market Cross Place parking area, on the beachfront, in under two hours from London. Not bad for a Friday evening.
The lively bar and brasserie serves cooked breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, top notch dinner and Sunday lunches. Head Chef Ben Hegarty is passionate about creating menus using the abundance of fresh and local seasonal produce, so readily available from the land and sea. Take a look at his podcast.
Who goes?
Anyone looking for a bit of peace and quiet, wanting to escape the rat race for a weekend or a few days. Aldeburgh is a place known for food and drink, which was exactly what we were looking for. The latest pub shuts at midnight and although great fun, Aldeburgh may not be for you if you’re looking for a wild weekend.
Location
10/10 The location on the seafront was ideal and easy to find with a sat nav. The tranquil setting of the hotel is what sold it to us.
Staff
10/10 We were impressed with the staff that we met. On arrival we were greeted warmly and made to feel very welcome. The restaurant and bar staff had perfect knowledge about the food available and were happy to advise us regarding the food and wine menus. They were all friendly, engaging, and hardworking and appeared to really care about their jobs, the hotel, brasserie and the guests.
Rooms and style
8/10 The bedrooms are well kept, cosy and relaxing. The large room was light and airy and had everything in it that we required; tea and coffee making facilities, iron and ironing board, free WiFi, hairdryer, towels and even dressing gowns. It’s the breath-taking views over the beach towards the sea that made it for us. We were lucky enough to have bagged a sea view.
Food and drink
9/10 The lions share breakfast; Suffolk cure bacon, Suffolk pork sausage, grilled tomato, mushroom, fried egg, black pudding and baked beans was everything that I could ask for and more. Anyone who can put a healthier spin on a cooked breakfast gets my vote. The dinner menu had a mouth-watering selection, but after some debate, honestly it’s that good I settled for the goats cheese mousse and pickled beets to start £7 and grilled rare onglet steak with salad and fries for main £14. You’d be hard pushed to find food of such good quality for this price anywhere else.
Value for money
9/10 We paid £130 for an overnight stay, but I’ve just taken a look on the website and there are offers available, such as £85 for a room on Burns Night.
Would you go again?
Hell yes, I was just saying to my other half that if we hadn’t already made plans for Burns Night then smoked haddock and potato soup, lemon and parsley baked haggis with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and swede and a generous choice of Scottish desserts, at the Brasserie Bleue would have been our destination for the evening.
www.whitelion.co.uk/events-item/burns-night-January-2015
White Lion Hotel and Brasserie Bleue, Market Cross Place, Aldeburgh, Suffolk (01728 452720)
James Clark
