Where to begin with the Balmoral Hotel? OK, it's a hotel and has 42 rooms. For those just interested in a few pints, it has the affectionately titled Parlour bar. It's a small bar with the name referring to what used to be a small room, sort of like a sitting room I suppose. It's a bit of an awkward shape but it has a relaxed yet bustling sort of atmosphere - you can sit and have a quiet pint and take it easy, while the chatter in the background from other local patrons gives it that feel of a local pub. It also has a very nice decked patio.
Then we have the Lady Anne Grill which has been a local favourite for years. Comfortable seating, spacious, relaxed, with some open booth to give a feeling of some privacy, while not being cut off from the other diners. It's a beautiful set-up, and the way the bar pleasingly curves in a convex manner to face the whole dining area gives the feeling of a much bigger, possibly grander, room.
You can't go wrong in here with the peppered chicken or the lasagne served with garlic ciabatta bread and salad. The lasagne is always a hefty portion and tastes as lasagne should, and the garlic potatoes, are the perfect accompaniment. The menu isn't that big, and includes other favourites like burgers, fish, chicken curry, chicken stir fry, beef and guinness pie, but they do a good job with what they serve.
Upstairs is the Glenriver restaurant where you can basically get everything that the Lady Anne serves, with the only real difference being that it serves steak and one or two other items that aren't available in the Lady Anne. The Glenriver is furnished in a more contemporary style, with those high-backed leather chairs, but I always prefer the more traditional style of places like the Lady Anne.
There's quite a big bar in the next room to the Glenriver, that has a sort of lounge come reception area style to it, with comfortable seats and sofas and low tables, which is a great staging area if you're going to/coming from the restaurant, function room, or night club next to it.
The night club part of it has entertainment from Friday to Sunday, with a quiz on a Wednesday. It's not the sort of night club n the traditional sense of a club in a city centre, but more of an evening entertainment venue with bands and the occasional DJ.
Finally, (this place is big) is the function room/banquet venue - the Grand Ballroom. I was at a wedding here and they did an excellent job. I'm always interested to see how a venue handles feeding over 100 guests at the same time, and this place has it down to a fine art. The service and food were excellent - the Balmoral didn't miss a beat from start to finish.
If I was doing this review on that wedding alone I would've rated it five stars. As it stands, a few minor minor niggles (like the restrictions of drinking in a small awkwardly shaped bar when it gets busy, or the slightly limited menu) prevent me from giving it five stars and saying 'as good ad it gets', but that phrase certainly applies to its execution of weddings. read more