No menus, no fuss, no rules
Menu Gordon Jones is not your standard fine dining restaurant.
For a start there is no menu. Every day, chef proprietor Gordon Jones creates a new menu from the ingredients he is delivered that morning – some days it is even a different menu at lunch and dinner.
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It is not a concept which suits everyone. While I am there a pair of women come in and ask to see today's menu. They look horrified when they are told that such a thing does not exist and immediately leave.
But the fact that the Bear Flat restaurant has been fully booked every evening for a year and does not have a space on a Friday or Saturday night until August proves that for every person who doesn't like the concept, there are plenty who do.
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Although the surprise element has become its USP it wasn't part of the original plan for the menu. Gordon said: "When we opened we had a more traditional menu but then we started getting busier and one day I didn't have time to get the menu printed on time, so we told people it was a surprise menu and it just took off.
"It suits me as I don't have to print anything, it gives me room to create."
Eating each dish is like opening a beautifully wrapped present, with each bite revealing new flavours and textures. You do need to keep an open mind and be prepared to eat something a little out of the ordinary, however, as Gordon thrives on creating unusual food combinations and cooking with little used ingredients.
"The butcher just sends me stuff," he said. "Anything weird, he gives it to me. It's nice giving people unusual things. There's nowhere in Bath where you can get something a bit different. Because of the set up here I can gauge people's reactions and if they look a bit funny I can talk to them about it, usually that helps."
The open kitchen means that Gordon chats away during the meal, sharing his enthusiasm. At one point he comes out of the kitchen to proudly show me the brioche that he has made.
"It's such a nice place to work because I can interact with the customers" he said. "We can have a laugh in the kitchen and a bit of a singalong."
Keeping a relaxed environment is important to Gordon. "People think that when it comes to fine dining you have to have table cloths and bow ties but we wanted something informal," he said.
But just because the atmosphere is low key it doesn't mean that Menu Gordon Jones isn't aiming high. Gordon hopes that a Michelin star may be forthcoming before too long.
"We are making a name for ourselves and we do something different so I don't see why not," he said. "And it would be great to say that we have a star but you can turn up in your jeans and it only costs £35 for a five-course lunch menu.
"I am Scottish so I'm stingy but it has never been about number crunching. It is more about me being happy. It might be selfish, but this is about my experience as a chef as well.
"People know what we do here and if they enjoy that then they should come along.
" If they don't they should just stay at home."
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