I dined at here last night as part of a party of about a dozen of us. This was my first visit to a…read moreF&B's and reading the reviews of the Kingswood outlet I was expecting the worst, however my experience was not nearly as bad as I was expecting.
The table was booked for 5.45, and the table was ready for us at that time, although we didn't actually sit down until we'd all arrived and had a drink in the bar area, which was shortly after 6pm.
Most of us chose from the specials menu which offers two courses for £9.95, and a 3rd course for a couple of quid extra, so value for money the menu appeared to be spot-on.
The only disappointment was that they could not provide us with Bruschetta, apparently they were short of onions that night. With this in mind I opted for the Mozzarella & Tomato Salad to start with, and the American Blue Pizza as a main course. Although the restaurant was over 2/3 full, our starters arrived within 30 mins, which bearing in mind the size of our party, I did not feel was particually slow and gave us a chance to chat and catch up with what was happening in each other's lives. Furthermore it appeared that other diners were receiving their orders before us, which to me demonstrated that the kitchen-staff were able to prioritise orders and not let other diners be inconvenienced by our presence.
My only complaint with the meal was that my starter did not have very much salad. This as a non-meat eater, is a common gripe as the dishes I generally choose cost far less to prepare, yet are of the same size or the same price as meat dishes.
The pizza was excellent. The thin base was crispy but not burnt. There was enough tomato base to flavour and compliment the pizza, but not so much that it took over, and the toppings gave a good taste and texture to the meal.
Having a hearty appetite I did opt for a dessert, and chose the Sticky Toffee Pancakes. These were prepared and served quickly, and I found them particularly tasty.
The service was good, and the staff attentive, especially as I earlier noted, the restaurant was reasonably full, and actually became as full as it did in a very short space of time.
Being a chain 'themed' Italian/American restaurant, you are not going to get the authentic taste of Italian food, and to get that you should go to a non-chain/franchise restaurant. For a pleasant dining experience this F&B's outlet did tick all the boxes, and my partner and I will be returning in the near future to try the breakfast menu.
If there was more Rocket on my starter then this would have been a 5* review.
