The Greenhouse in Banbury's town centre food review

After learning The Greenhouse on the Terrace in Banbury’s town centre had reopened from a temporary closure, we jumped at the opportunity for a return visit. 

We booked a table for an evening out at the rooftop dining experience located across the canal from Castle Quay Shopping Centre.

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With its reopening it brings with it a new chef, a new menu and new atmosphere with regularly scheduled live music. 

The restaurant, which marks its two-year anniversary next month, is also located inside The Light building, which includes a seven-screen cinema, 10 lanes of bowling, a retro arcade, a climbing centre, indoor mini-golf, interactive darts, a karaoke room and American style pool tables.

My wife ordered and thoroughly enjoyed the mushroom arancini for her starter. The mushroom dish came with a truffle mayo sauce, which was quite tasty.

I would highly recommend the Bruschetta as a starter on your visit to The Greenhouse at the Terrace due to the nice mixture of flavours from the basil and garlic oil served over top of sourdough bread. 

For her main, my wife ordered the roast beetroot salad, which she described as a clever and innovative mix of flavours and textures combining a full leaf salad with walnuts and lightly fried beetroot falafel.

The tasty beetroot salad also arrived with breaded goats cheese nicely layered over top of it as it was intermixed with avocado and a citrus dressing.  

For my main course I really enjoyed the tagliatelle carbonara, which included freshly made pasta with a parmesan and egg sauce topped with crispy pancetta.

I found it to be one of the most tasty pasta dishes I had eaten in a long time, that could have only been better with a side of my favourite vegetable, a stem or two of broccoli. 

For dessert my wife and I shared the chocolate brownie, which arrived topped with cream. 

We really enjoyed a new and different atmosphere at The Greenhouse, which was mostly down to the live music. 

As we entered the restaurant on our Friday evening visit we were greeted by the sound of a musician playing the guitar in the corner. As the evening progressed we noticed how well he performed covers of several hit songs. 

When the terrace restaurant reopened on May 3 it also launched a new season of regularly scheduled live music. The restaurant will also feature live music and DJs every week.

The live music will be played every Saturday from 12-4pm, and a DJ every Saturday from 6-10pm.

There will be different acts every week, with some being local to Banbury.

In a statement, the business said: "We reopened from Friday May 3 so get ready for the ultimate rooftop experience.

"Whether you’re getting together with friends, celebrating a special occasion or throwing a private bash, our team will make sure your time with us is nothing but unforgettable."

The reopening also saw Andrei Rares take over as the new head chef. 
 
Andrei Rares has worked as a chef for over 12 years and worked across Europe.

He grew up in Romania and moved to Italy when he was eight years old. He has worked in Italy, Spain and the UK and now makes Banbury his home. 

A spokesperson for The Greenhouse said: "His working relationship with food began in an oyster bar in Verona, Italy, where he lived with his family when he was 19 years old.

"He served freshly caught oysters with simple, fresh sauces and champagne.

"It was whilst he was there that his passion for working with fresh ingredients and producing great quality food began.

"Inspired by these flavours he bought a one way ticket to Spain to continue his culinary career and worked in Spain for seven years progressing through the ranks whilst learning different techniques and embracing locally grown ingredients.   
 
"He is passionate about bringing the flavours of his culinary experience to The Greenhouse and is excited about using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients and developing this area more fully to create a stunning menu that he hopes the people of Banbury and the surrounding areas will enjoy."

The Greenhouse at Castle Quay Waterfront is a great place to enjoy an evening out for a date night, or a meal with the family or just having a drink on the terrace.

For more information about The Greenhouse see its website here: https://greenhousebanbury.com/ or The Light entertainment venue see its website here: https://banbury.thelight.co.uk/

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