... and a very pretty building. Unfortunately that's all the good that remains to be said about what used to be a spectacularly enjoyable restaurant. We have been visiting the Carved Angel regularly since we bought a timeshare in Torquay about 18 years ago and it used to be the high spot of our holiday. Unfortunately since Joyce Molyneux's retirement it has become progressively less enjoyable and our dinner there last year was memorable for the direness of the evening. The food was ok though very overpriced, the service was dreadful and thoroughly unfriendly and the attitude of the grubby front of house girl was patronising to say the least. I have just read Jan Moir's review in today's Saturday Telegraph and it would appear that this once fabulous restaurant is not only on the skids but travelling ever faster downhill. How sad!    [19 Jul 2003 13:30:52]

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Recommended Dishes: none - don't go there!

     ­Elizabeth Caplan   lizajanec at supanet dot com

Sorry, we have to disagree....
Having only been to TCA once we obviously cannot compare with Ms. Caplans previous experiences but her description of 19-Jul-2003 bore no resemblance to ours on the evening of 24th August 2003. We approached in trepidation as having bought a weekend retreat in Brixham a year ago we were looking forward to the double celebratory meal of one year in Torbay and 20 years of loving each other. Reading her counterpoint to everything else we had read and heard about TCA almost made us book elsewhere. We're glad we didn't! The reasonable [£39.50 per head] table D'hote of aperatives, canapes, soup, starter [crab & lobster fish cakes & tienne of dartmouth crab & avacado in strawberry vinagrette], main course [local steak in caper gravy and grilled gressingham duck breast with lime juice] dessert [raspberry soufle with stem-ginger ice cream & cardom creme brulee with orange jelly] and coffee & petit fours all washed down with Sharphams Reserve, from up the river was superb. Service was very attentive and the open kitchen worked with quiet precision and timely efficiency. Service was attentive and smiley without being overbearing. We will be back.    [25 Aug 2003 06:39:54]

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     ­Mark Taylor & Andrew Budge, Reading