{"id":652,"date":"2026-07-30T20:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T20:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/?p=652"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T20:35:17","slug":"from-lucky-cat-to-the-lake-district-a-new-era-for-gilpin-spice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/?p=652","title":{"rendered":"From Lucky Cat to the Lake District: A new era for Gilpin Spice"},"content":{"rendered":"


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You may recall a couple of months ago that we had the pleasure of staying at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, between Kendal and Windermere, in the Lake District. As part of that stay, we dined at the hotel\u2019s 2 AA Rosette Gilpin Spice restaurant. <\/p>\n

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A few changes have happened since that visit, most notably the recruitment of new Head Chef, Ralph Rojas \u2013 previously at Gordon Ramsay\u2019s Lucky Cat \u2013 to steer the Gilpin Spice\u2019s Pan-Asian concept. With his introduction comes a new menu which we were lucky enough to sample this week.<\/p>\n

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Our evening kicked off with welcome drinks and snacks (the Cornish crab and smoked pike roe being a particular treat) on the new Laurent-Perrier Terrace, along with the opportunity to chat with Chef Ralph before heading inside to Gilpin Spice.<\/p>\n

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Front-row seats at the pass<\/h2>\n

On this occasion we were seated directly at the chef\u2019s table counter, right against the open kitchen. It\u2019s always a pleasure to see skilled chefs at work \u2013 woks firing up, flames jumping off the grill, sushi being prepared and rolled, and plates being quickly assembled \u2013 and this was no exception. The spectacle somehow gives an added energy to the evening.<\/p>\n

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The menu relies heavily on small plates, sharing dishes, and sushi inspired by spice route flavours, alongside a few substantial mains. <\/p>\n

Proceedings began with Prawn Crackers served with a coriander and sweet chilli emulsion. Simple, light, and wonderful with a refreshing glass of New Zealand Sauvignon.<\/p>\n

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After a selection of sushi, including the delightfully rich and buttery otoro (the fatty underbelly of the bluefin tuna), along came the small plates. <\/p>\n

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The small plates vary in price from just \u00a37 (Tomato Cha Saar Soup) to \u00a317 (Scallop \u2013 with a sweetcorn hot sauce). Our first was the Wagyu Tataki which had been prepared right in front of us- thinly-seared Wagyu beef finished with both a truffle ponzu and a truffle emulsion. Rich, heavy on the umami, and pure \u2018melt in the mouth\u2019.<\/p>\n

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My favourite was the Grilled Octopus. Ever so slightly charred, it was coated in a punchy Korean BBQ glaze, and served with a tofu foam and chimichurri.<\/p>\n

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The \u2018Kinilaw of the Day\u2019 was a standout also. This Filipino-style ceviche combined fresh tuna with coconut milk, vinegar, calamansi (an aromatic citrus fruit cultivated in the Philippines), chillies, ginger and crispy shallots. The acidity cut through the coconut cream brilliantly.<\/p>\n

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Our last \u2013 but by no means least \u2013 small plate was the SFC (Spice Fried Chicken) \u2013 extra crunchy chicken tossed in a fiery Korean hot sauce. But like all Gilpin Spice dishes, still a delicate amount of spice that\u2019s thoughtfully balanced, rather than the \u2018blow your head off\u2019 kind.<\/p>\n

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From the large plates, which vary in price from \u00a321 (Tandoori Spiced Hispi Cabbage) to \u00a342 (30 Day Aged British Rib Eye), we had the Beer Brined Cumbrian Pork Steak. The brine had kept the pork beautifully tender, and it was topped with wild mushrooms and a fragrant Thai Phat Phet glaze to give it a slightly spicy, aromatic flavour.<\/p>\n

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On the side, we had Gilpin Spice\u2019s famous Egg Fried Rice which you might remember from our last visit, as well as a nice, crunchy Tenderstem Broccoli tossed with crispy arare and a tofu foam.<\/p>\n

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As you can imagine, we didn\u2019t really have room for dessert, but it felt rude not to at least share the Coconut and Lime Sorbet, which proved to be the perfect light, tart cleanser needed to complete a lovely evening.<\/p>\n

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On this showing, Chef Ralph\u2019s influence is sure to keep Gilpin Spice the vibrant and relaxed dining venue that both locals and visitors have come to love.<\/p>\n

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Paul Johnson<\/h3>\n

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel \u2018Best Travel Influencer\u2019 Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted \u201cone of the world\u2019s best travel blogs\u201d and \u201cbest for luxury\u201d by The Telegraph.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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You may recall a couple of months ago that we had the pleasure of staying at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, between Kendal and Windermere, in the Lake District. As part of that stay, we dined at the hotel\u2019s 2 AA Rosette Gilpin Spice restaurant. A few changes have happened since that visit, most notably […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"tmauthors":[],"class_list":["post-652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-adventure-travel","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=652"},{"taxonomy":"tmauthors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/replyguru.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftmauthors&post=652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}