Every now and then Mr. Snarky gets to do the research for dinner and we end up at a very nice place…read morelike The Elm Tree Pub :). The drive to the pub is through loads of narrow, winding roads and in the dark, we missed the entrance to the car park and did have to turn around. However, once you manage to find the car park, it is lovely... much like a secret garden.
When we walked in, it was very cozy and you could tell that most of the people in the pub were mostly regulars as everyone did seem to know each other. Like always, we didn't book, so we were just hoping they could squeeze us in... and they did. There are dining areas upstairs and in another room, but we ended up sitting at a table near the bar area. It is a dog friendly pub, in fact we were sandwiched by two tables with dogs and they were so well behaved.
The menu is not massive, but you can tell this is more than the average pub. Really I would consider this a Gastropub as it isn't your standard pub faire. I wanted to try everything, but decided to try something I haven't had before... Pheasant. Mr. Snarky decided to go with steak. We had decided to skip starters in the hopes that we would have room for dessert.
I didn't realize how difficult it would be to eat Pheasant, even though it looks like a small Chicken. So I may not have gotten much meat... actually I may have flung a few pieces around, but the pieces I did get were nice. I do wish there had been more of the Blackberry Jus on the plate as it was beautiful! And the creamed cabbage it came with was wonderful as well and loved the cute mini pot it came in. Mr. Snarky's steak looked wonderful, but I didn't get a bite as he devoured it while I was fighting with my Pheasant.
We did end up ordering dessert, however, dessert wasn't as good as our mains, which is why I took a star off. Mr. Snarky had the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding. The desserts looked lovely... very well presented. Mr. Snarky said that he couldn't taste any white chocolate and said it was quite tart, but not very sweet. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was nice, although I think the slice was a bit too big with not enough Toffee Sauce. I didn't like the Rum and Raisin Ice Cream it was served with... a bit too boozy for me. When the waitress came to clear our table, she had asked if everything was ok because I left the ice cream, and told me that we could always ask to change something if we don't like something. This is a really nice gesture as I know sometimes restaurants aren't keen to make any changes, but to be fair I never had Rum and Raisin Ice Cream before, so I didn't actually know I didn't like it.
Overall, it was a lovely dinner, a bit on the pricey side, but worth the price. The service is fantastic... friendly, but also efficient... no staff standing around and everyone is happy to help. No wonder their customers keep returning... and we will be back as well!
