Exeter is not typically known for being hip (and clearly, neither am I). Casual, maybe a little quirky, sure. But stripped wooden floors and filament bulbs with copper wire tend to not to be synonymous with this tiny southern city.
South Street Standard is filling that gap in the Exeter market-place. Independent art fills the industrial-style unpainted walls and the chairs are tastefully mismatched.
Once to get the menu, the Exeter vibes ebb through. South Street Standard have a widely diverse menu of seasonal dishes. Joah and I only had 24 hours in Exeter and after hearing so much about South Street Standard, I was desperate to go. In fact, we went out and tried both their dinner and brunch menu over our mini break.
For dinner I ordered the salt-baked celeriac with a butternut squash puree, chestnuts and confit potatoes and Joah had the classic croque monsieur with mustard and hand cut fries.
Plus onion rings.
Because we wanted them.
The celeriac was rather lovely, in spite of not really knowing what it was. The texture difference between the parsnip crisps and confit potatoes really added an extra layer of substance to the light dish. In all honesty, I had to force myself to slow down to actually taste it; it was too easy to wolf down!
The butternut squash added a touch of sweetness, yet the salt and walnuts made the overall dish delicately savoury.
It is a great choice for someone who wants comfort without the stomach ache afterwards.
Joah on the other hand went for the more classic comfort food: a croque monsieur. For those on you who do not know, a croque monsieur is basically a cheese toastie filled with swiss cheese, dijon mustard and ham, topped with bechamel sauce.
I did not get a chance to ask him for a review - it was gone in seconds! One can only assume it was a traditional, classically rich croque monsieur.
In all, South Street Standard is a welcome addition to the Exeter high street. Exactly opposite the cathedral, South Street Standard is in the perfect position for a cheeky brunch or fabulously low-maintenance-yet-still-impressive date.
I would appreciate a few more vegan options (of course), but the few they had were dapper.
South Street Standard:
3 South Street, Exeter
EX1 1DZ
01392 273780
Opening Times:
Sun-Wed: 10am-11pm
Thurs-Sat: 10am-12am
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