This week’s Chefs’ Restaurant of the Week is The Elephant, Torquay and courtesy of Great British Chefs
The son of a chef, Simon Hulstone was a Roux Scholar, Knorr National Chef of the Year and World Junior Chef by the time he was 30. After working in kitchens like Cotswold House, Cheltenham’s Bacchanalian and the Bailiffscourt Hotel, he moved to Devon to head up the Elephant, having already attracted the Michelin panel’s attention.
The Elephant restaurant, is split into two sections. The Room is upstairs from the Brasserie, offering diners more of a chance to relax and enjoy their meals in a slightly more formal atmosphere than the bustling downstairs section. It also offers the same kind of food as The Brasserie, but here, the focus is on either a two or three course dinner, or the tasting menu (there is also an a la carte choice available here).
Decked out in the same modern and elegant style, with portraits of the pachyderms themselves around the walls, The Room offers more good views over the bay in which the restaurant is situated – comfortably away from the bustle of the tourist centre, but close enough to be accessible.
In terms of what to expect from the food – very little differs, although there’s more of an emphasis on pairing, matching and experimenting with flavours and styles here than in the Brasserie. Local ingredients are focussed on where possible, with a speciality being dived scallops from the bay; here, they might be served with risotto and confit lemon. Simon’s desserts are spectacular, yet bursting with familiar flavours as witnessed by his passionfruit and vanilla cheesecake.
Find out more about The Elephant on Great British Chefs website, where you can also subscribe to Great British Chefs’ bi-monthly newsletter for competitions, recipes and more from Britain’s greatest chefs.