Bit of a difficult one to grade this time. Having been here a few years back for a work Christmas…read moredo, had another opportunity to return here for dinner with some colleagues.
We specifically chose here due to my previous experience plus other reviews on here and elsewhere. The menu looked promising enough and it has a nice ambience, so we tried to book a table (online) for a specific time but could only get a reservation a little later. Didn't want to eat too late, but not the end of the world, so we thought the place would be busy with other diners... when we got there it was virtually empty.
The staff were very friendly indeed, really cannot fault their service at all. However, the food we had can only be best described as average. It went down fine, but there was nothing really memorable about any of our meals.
The food that came out was pretty much just what was stated on the menu i.e. a starter of scallops on a bed of chorizo, fried potatoes and salad was literally just that, nothing more. Similar for the mains: beef and ale pie with 'fat chips' turned out to be a pie with a basket of chips on the side that were out of a packet. I know it's being somewhat picky, but you would think a place like this would at least do their chips themselves. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding; as a STP afficionado, I have had a lot better elsewhere.
Don't get us wrong, this wasn't a terrible meal by any means, we all just felt that there was something missing from this particular visit, which is why it's only 3* this time around. I will come back again, see if it was just a one-off, but I won't be hurrying back anytime soon.
Food aside, I would recommend a trip the bar at the front of the place, had a nice feeling to it and a good range of drinks. Downstairs is a lovely private bar area, so it has potential for sure. Just can't quite put my finger on why it didn't really live up to expectations this time around.
