Fine Dining at Two South Hill
Set in the grounds of Guildford Castle, Two South Hill boast fine dining, varied menus, fabulous views and one of the few Chef's Tables available in the local area.
Focusing on fresh British produce, carefully sourced from sustainable ethical suppliers, their butcher of choice is the renowned Aubrey Allen; recently appointed the Royal Warrant to Her Majesty The Queen, as suppliers of meat, poultry and game.
With alfresco dining on the patio in the summer months and a function room available to hire, Two South Hill appears to tick all the boxes for a great meal out, so we popped along to take a look for ourselves...
The building is set on quite a hill so be prepared if you arrive on foot. For those coming by car their is ample parking in the nearby area and the public car park a short distance away ensures that you can avoid any hill work on your way in, or out. 
Subtle lighting and mirrored walls create the allusion of space while giving the restaurant a busy air even when it is quiet.
Soft music adds to the ambience rather than dominating the conversation, although the acoustics created by design are not to everyone's taste; however these would be minimised when the patio doors are opened in the warmer weather.
We were met by co-owner, Anthony, and escorted to our table without fuss or delay and immediately offered a choice of still or sparkling water, before being furnished with the á la carte menu.
Obviously we had to try the marinated olives, which we were informed came from the local delicatessen next door. Our recent passion for olives has led us to try them at every opportunity, and we have to admit these were very good.
For starters we ordered the Poached Gressingham Duck Egg, with black pudding, crisp streaky bacon and Choron sauce and the Salt and Pepper Squid, with spiced saffron aioli and leaves.
Beautifully presented, both starters were well cooked and bursting with flavour. The black pudding was quite sweet and of exceptional quality, while the squid was cooked to perfection. It can be touch and go with squid but on this occasion we are pleased to say it was very much go, go, gone...
For our main course we opted for the Double Roasted Belly of Pork - free range Gloucester Old Spot with celeriac rosti, braised fennel with a calvados & apple jus and, since the Lamb Noisettes were off the menu, we opted for the alternative of Confit of Duck - with garlic kale, sweet potato rosti and a wild berry & chocolate jus.
Again, both dishes served beautifully presented, perhaps a tad too quickly after the starters but at least there was no complaints to be had about any delays.
The pork belly was full of flavour, with a good texture and impressive meat to fat ratio. A steak would have been our first choice but we decided to try something different so this was a pleasant discovery. The crackling was slightly hard with little taste and for preference we would liked to have seen a little less jus. The rosti may have benefited from a little more depth but what we had tasted divine.
We are pleased to hear that the Confit of Duck will now be more regularly available and is in the process of being added to the menu. Again, we cannot fault the way it had been cooked, the complimenting garlic kale and perfectly balanced jus. A drier, sweet potato rosti on this plate - absolutely lovely!
Feeling slightly full we wondered for just a second or two about ordering dessert but it seemed rude not to try some of the sweet delights on offer so opted for the Apple and Blackberry Crumble, with clotted cream and the Selection of British Cheeses, with local honey, grapes and celery.
Served in a hot mini saucepan, with the clotted cream on a spoon, the crumble is bursting with fruit. It is good to see a crumble with chunks of well cooked apple still in the sauce as opposed to a pureé but for us a little more crumble would have made a big difference to this dessert. Add another layer of crumble mix and a little less sauce and this would be a winner.
With a selection of four cheeses, crackers, grapes, a stick of celery and the most amazing honey we have ever tasted, the Cheese Selection is ideal for those who prefer something a little more savoury to finish their meal with. It was nice to see some Somerset Brie on the cheeseboard.
Originating in north-east France, brie is now made all over the world and the UK has some brilliant varieties to choose from.
Although not extensive, the wine list contains detailed descriptions of what is available, so with a glass of Shiraz to accompany our meal, and coffees to close we have to say leaving hungry and unsatisfied wasn't an option.
The staff were friendly without being intrusive and the food was well presented and equally well cooked. With starters ranging from £5.50-£9.95, mains from £10.75-£17.50 and desserts ranging from £4.75-£7.75 on the á la carte menu it sits mid-range on the pocket but also has some price busting offers available to suit: -
Lunch Set Menu 2 courses for £10.95 or 3 courses for £15.00 Served Monday - Saturday from 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Evening Set Menu 3 courses with a drink for £19.95 Served Mon - Thu 5:30pm - 10:00pm & Fri/Sat 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Check out their full menu range at www.twosouthhill.co.uk