The Olive Tree has been a favourite of ours for some years. It was a little sad when a year or so ago it fell short of its norm on a one-off occasion, but last week's meal was right back to the top-class restaurant that...it is.
Bath has no shortage of excellent restaurants. The Olive Tree is unique among them, offering its full imaginative cuisine over 3, 4, 6 or 9 courses, each one as exciting on the eye as it is on the palette. My wife is pescatarian/vegetarian and was allowed to choose between three menus over the six courses we went for, making it easy for her to enjoy an uncompromisingly excellent meal.
Aside from the cuisine, of which I can only say, go there and enjoy it, the wine list caters for the higher and more modest ends of preferences. And the restaurant is very informal by comparison to other high-end restaurants. Jeans and fairly casual dress is normal, but some customers do dress up more. And the service perfectly balances a relaxed informal friendliness with the courtesy and knowledgable staff you would expect from this type of establishment.
For us, six courses was perfect for our appetites. The portion size is perfect, and we walked away feeling exactly as the chef would want - neither stuffed, nor wanting more. The flexibility over the number of courses makes it easy to visit on many types of occasion. Of course, no-one would describe the restaurant as cheap, and, for most people, this is not a restaurant for every-day eating, but the pricing sits comfortably in the more modest end of the top-class restaurant scale.
As for dishes, I refuse to highlight any of them - everything was perfect, and the staff will explain each one if you wish. Nothing will disappoint, I expect.
Overall, I could not recommend The Olive Tree more if you're looking for top class cuisine at Michelin-star level, in an informal but delightful setting.More