The Exchequer is part of a chain (Stonegate, formerly Smith and Jones) of pubs and this branch is based on Kirkcaldy's High Street. When I lived in Kirkcaldy I frequently came here for food and a few drinks with friends and family. I know a lot of people can be a bit sniffy about pub chains and sometimes with good reason, but from my experience with The Exchequer, I find that Stonegate and Smith and Jones are both actually pretty good. I have never had a bad meal here, the food's been of good quality and they change their menu seasonally.
On a wet and miserable day in Kirkcaldy, my family and I stopped off for some scran and a few drinks. We ordered a plate of chicken wings and a combo sharing platter with onion rings (lovely beery batter and chunky onion), southern fried chicken goujons(well-seasoned and had a welcome Cajun flavour to them), nachos (spicy!), potato wedges, garlic bread and breaded mushrooms. There was certainly plenty of food to feed all 5 of us, and although it is all pretty standard pub grub fair, it was all cooked well and left us wanting more ('cause we're greedy gits!)
On to the mains! I ordered a black and blue burger (burger topped with bacon, pepper and blue cheese sauce and onion rings, phwoar!), Kris and my brother both ordered a massive Towering Inferno burger (beef burger, southern fried chicken, bacon, onion rings and red hot cayenne pepper sauce - yikes!), my mum went for an all-day chicken roast (half a roast chicken with all the trimmings, served in a giant Yorkshire pudding) and my dad opted for a gammon steak. Everything was very reasonably priced (no more than £7.95 for our mains.) and service was very prompt.
The burgers were arguably the stars of the show; all were served on brioche buns, the burgers themselves were juicy and flavoursome and smokey and the toppings didn't overwhelm the patties. The blue cheese sauce on mine was a fab addition, creamy and rich and enough for a bit of dipping for my chips! My mum was a bit daunted by the sheer size of her chicken roast but she made a valiant attempt, saying that the chicken was well-cooked, golden crispy skin and came with lots of rich gravy. My dad enjoyed his gammon steak as well; it was a great size, was thick and salty without being too much.
Overall, a great experience being back in Kirkcaldy and being back in the Exchequer for some noms! If you happen to be in town, The Exchequer is definitely a safe pair of culinary hands. read more