Bloom Farnham, reviewed

Tucked up away in the quaint town of Farnham, is Bloom, a Grade II listed building turned quintessential wine bar and tapas eatery. We were lucky enough to be invited in for their opening week to try out their mouth-watering small plates and delicious cocktail concoctions!

We arrived at Bloom and immediately felt at home with it’s cosy and rustic atmosphere and warm and friendly welcome by one of their extremely attentive servers. We were ushered to our table on the first floor of the building, passing the well-stocked bar and busy barmen rustling up some of their alcoholic inventions as we went. Walking up the stairs, I noticed the floral decorations, flowery wreaths draped around the window frames and floral photos hung from the walls – truly bloomy! We sat down at our table by the window overlooking the cobbled streets of Farnham and was given two menus, one for small plates and the other the wine and drinks menu. We opted for two cocktails, Eden Garden (shown below) and Pear In Thyme – two botanical inspired prosecco mixtures with a herby edge.

Our next task was selecting our small plates from the extensive multi-cuisine menu ranging from seafood delights such as tequila clams with chipotle butter beans and king scallops with pickled fennel to hearty mini roast beef joints with all the trimmings! After much deliberation and having recommendations by our lovely waitress, Lilia, we choose 5 different dishes. The service at Bloom was second to none, Lilia and Beth were attentive, informative and knowledgeable regarding the drinks and food menu, not to mention extremely quick having only waited 15 minutes for our courses.

I decided to go with some of their vegetarian options, battered salt & pepper baby corn with a toasted sesame seed garnish and chilli jam, Manchego fries with fig and quince ketchup and caramelised pear with heirloom beetroot salad. Each plate was prepared perfectly and presented flawlessly, bursting with exciting flavours and textures. I particularly enjoyed the chunky deep-fried Manchego cheese fries paired with the sweetness from the fruity ketchup. My guest opted for Thai mussels, Malaysian chicken in a spicy peanut sauce served with rice and cucumber salad and roast pork marinated in lemon, ginger and garlic on a bed of sweet potato fries with an apple jus. The Thai mussels came in a large bowl with a fragrant and creamy white wine sauce and a side of crusty bread – it smelled absolutely incredible, and that is coming from a veggie!

As we were enjoying our delicious spread, we decided to order a few more cocktails, this time selecting Dusty Rose, a rose petal infused gin, Aperol, lemon and grapefruit mix, shaken together and served in a tumbler with a dried rose petal garnish and my guest deciding to go for the classic dark ‘n’ stormy with a coriander and chilli shrub twist.

Having polished off our tapas and sipping the last of our drinks, we decided to take a look at Bloom’s beautiful courtyard. At the back of the restaurant is a large seating area, absolutely perfect for those glorious British summer afternoons complete with its own floral swing – Instagrammers, eat your heart out!

In conclusion, Bloom offers a dining experience like no other in Farnham, whether you’re after a cosy indoor setting with a breathtaking and unique global menu or even breezy afternoon vino or G&T with a twist, this is the place for you. After leaving, we couldn’t help but feel excited for our next visit to Bloom.