Okay this place is not terrible, but there are a few irritating things about it. Firstly we were in a large party - but should that mean the food is not that good? The starters are... not great. If they were cheaper (they are approx £7-£8) then perhaps you would not feel as disappointed, but the portions are very small which again might be okay if they actually tasted better. The menu is very limited also on the a la carte which is disappointing. The starters were... okay... but thats about it.. - the duck for instance no nice crispy skin and pretty tasteless. The presentation is good, but if the actual taste is lacking then its pointless. The steaks were however very good in some instances but very fatty and cooked wrongly in others. They also charge extra for sauces! The portions of sides are very small / tight fisted and everyone generally whilst not feeling oh that was completely horrible just left a bit deflated and disappointed.
The fact that we were in a large party also meant that they required a deposit of £5 per head in advance, which whilst not a fortune is just a bothersome issue to have to deal with. But the most annoying thing re the visit was the fact that we were there for three birthdays and a member of the party had left in a cake beforehand. When said cake was about to be adorned with candles and lit they promptly announced that it we wanted to eat it on the premises we would be charged £20. Again, a fair notion if we had not been ordering desserts, but we ended up having a debate with them during the meal as to which it was! We thought it was fair that we would eat it and have desserts but the waitress had to disappear and consult with the manager as to whether that was acceptable!! How odd... and rude to simply not mention it when the cake was originally brought in which would seem the appropriate thing to do.
Anyway to be fair there are good points too - the decor /ambiance is nice and the service (apart from the odd cake quibble) was good. Its also BYO but this is somewhat off set by the high prices. I think its the fact that the main negatives are the not particularly good food and then the over pricing which just leave you a bit irritated and well I would not rush back!
Its not an awful place - just not the best and tehre seems to be a rather unhealthy tight-fistedness which leaves a bad taste. read more