The Checkers (restaurant)

The Checkers, is a restaurant with rooms inMontgomery, Powys, Wales. Historically, the building was used as acoaching inndating from the 17th century. Until the 2000s, it was used as apub/hotel. It was converted into aFrench restaurantin 2012 and under chef Stephane Borie, it was awarded aMichelin starlater that year. There are two main rooms in the restaurant, and three hotel rooms. It has received a mixed reception from critics, who have praised particular dishes but criticised the atmosphere. It serves both modern and classic French dishes, and in 2016, switched to only usingset menus. In 2018, The Checkers moved away from their Michelin star and opened a breakfast and lunch restaurant renamed Checkers Pantry.
The restaurant is located on Broad Street in the town ofMontgomery,Powys,a short distance fromMontgomery Castle.There is a separate dining room and bar/lounge area in the restaurant.The dining room has low-slung beams, and an open brick fireplace,around which are placedLaura Ashleysofas. Thechestnutwood flooring of the restaurant was created from a fallen tree on the Francis family farm.There is room to serve up to 40 diners, with 12 members of staff working there.There are three en-suite rooms available to hire on a hotel basis.
The menu uses locally grown produce from Powys andShropshire,and is a combination of classic and modernFrench cuisinewith seasonal changes.Dishes include apork bellymain from the nearby Neuadd Fach baconry, which is served with an applemousseline, pear andau jus.Amonkfishmain course comes served with alangoustineconsomméand aBrussels sproutpurée. Other French courses include aFrench onion soupand a cheesesoufflé. Desserts served include anougattube filled withwhite chocolateandpassion fruitmousse, and a trio of lemon pots.
In early 2016, thea la cartemenu was stopped and the restaurant moved to serving onlyset menus. This was attributed to a desire to reduce thefood wasteproduced by the restaurant, which staff hoped that could drop by half as a result of the change.The children's menu consists of smaller portions of the main menu.
The building dates from the 17th century, and was originally used as a coaching inn.References to the Checkers Inn in Montgomery within theBritish Newspaper Archivesappear as far back as 1855, when Rebecca Davies' annual ball was due to take place in the large room there.In 1870, the inn was run by Charles Williams.During the early 2000s, the building was operated as a hotel and pub,with Eric Whittingham as landlord.
Head chef Stephane Borie trained withMichel Rouxat the threeMichelin starrestaurantThe Waterside InninBray, Berkshirefor seven years, where he metpastry chefSarah Francis.Borie and Francis went on to run the Herbert Arms near Montgomery in 2008 with Sarah's sister Kathryn running the front of house service. The trio took over The Checkers in March 2011, refurbishing the former pub as a restaurant. They praised the customer base following them from the Herbert Arms to the new venture.
The restaurant was awarded aMichelin starfor 2012. The list was announced in October 2011, only seven months after the restaurant opened.Borie said "I am very surprised, but it is teamwork obviously, we didn't really expect anything because we have been in business for such a small amount of time."Following the star, Borie increased the number of kitchen staff from three to six.
In 2018, however, the restaurant owners decided to move away from their Michelin star and to reopen the restaurant to serve only breakfast and lunch but not dinner. They reopened as Checkers Pantry in mid-November 2018.
Neil Thomas visited the restaurant shortly after it was awarded a Michelin star. He gave it a rating of five out of five in his review for theShropshire Star. He praised the Cerwyn cheese soufflé and the pheasant pithiviers starters, as well as three of the mains; a roast duck dish, the pork belly dish, and avenisondish.Around the same time, Sally Williams reviewed the restaurant for theWestern Mail, who also praised the soufflé. She called the atmosphere "comfortable" and stated that it had a home-like quality to it.In 2013, the restaurant was ranked as the second best in Wales, behindThe Walnut TreeinAbergavenny, in theSunday Timeslist of the 100 best restaurants in the UK.
Matthew Normangave the restaurant three and a half stars out of five, following a visit in early 2014 forThe Daily Telegraph. He praised the soufflé and the French onion soup, but called the monkfish "bland". The pork belly dish was described by his colleague as "superb, just the right side of too intimately piggy". Norman concluded that the restaurant was a "slick operation", but the "character, vibrancy and fun had been slaughtered on the altar of satisfying the inspectorate".