Small village pubs that are the only game in town tend to be light on culinary passion but offer comfort food that passes muster at least insofar as the convenience is good and the charming setting is seductive.
My father has been a regular here, and when he brought me here recently I had a satisfying dinner, an okay roast beef, good chips, decent veggie, forgettable mashed potatoes. But my dad was vocally disappointed (on the way home) in his crab dish. "No flavor!" he said. "And your roast beef is tough! This place has gone downhill. My last few meals here haven't been good. I'm not coming back."
Me? I thought his reaction was a bit harsh. But the fact remains that the appeal here is probably the lovely setting--a seaside retreat on the edge of a lovely bog--and not the master work in the kitchen. read more