On our last night in Windermere, my dad suddenly remembered that The Lamplighter was on our lodge owner's list of good food places to try in the area. At first we were a little confused because The Lamplighter looked like a lodge guest house, but we quickly realized that there was a separate entrance to the dining restaurant portion of the building (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#ThGBtbyE49smFRKjKtZlVQ). We were given the choice to eat in the room with the bar (which was dimly lit) or the purely restaurant portion (more brightly lit). Since we weren't going to drink, we chose the restaurant room.
Our waiter was very quick and efficient to set everything up (including a slab of stone as a place-mat for each person) (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#vsemIfn9O7ZNy9iY47ht_w) and give us our waters and menus. However, it was the manager/owner (we couldn't figure out what his role was, but he was definitely a superior to the waiters) who came out to introduce the menu and the specials of the day. He mentioned something about the restaurant having their last fresh "flat fish" for their fish special of the day, but we were initially uninterested and didn't pay too much attention. However, after skimming through the menu (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#_DsCh1Kr6PQEt2Yq5mjwBg), my dad decided he wanted to know more about the fish again, and the waiter called over the manager/owner again and he was happy to launch into detail about the fish and how he was planning on cooking and serving it (he was VERY nice and was very eager to make any changes to the dish if we requested it). We decided to go for the fish, St. Clemente's Chicken (salad), and Corn Beef Hash Cake, and when we placed our order, the manager/owner was very polite and even thanked us for ordering each and every dish. Definitely memorable customer service!
Flat Fish of the day (served with lemon and butter with a bowl of salad, coleslaw, and potato salad on the side) (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#hJ_BpvMasz5v_IixNZAEmA) - This was very yummy! We were SO glad we decided to snatch up their last fresh flat fish of the day. The fish was definitely fresh and tender and tasted amazing with the herbed butter and lemon on top! The salad was very refreshing and the dressing was to die for (I'm a big fan of vinaigrettes and this one hit the right spot!). My family was fighting to stake a claim on the last little pieces of this dish!
Corn Beef Hash Cake (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#KCtVTGjrAc_kSpnx1Lx2hQ) - This dish was also very good. The corn beef is served with beans and soaked in a bed of some tomato sauce with a small bed of salad on top. The meat was very tender and flavorful and the tomato sauce complemented it very well.
St. Clemente's Chicken (served with a salad) (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/URxAFUKoT_lEQdRyIzT3Qw?select=KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w#KZeVcUzE6D1JbTy7aKM90w) - This is not your typical chicken salad. There is a unique dressing that rounds up this dish perfectly. There was the perfect acidity and sweetness to the dressing that made the dish light but very flavorful. The chicken was very juicy and tender as well, and my mom was very curious about the herbs they used to make the chicken so tasty.
After we finished eating, we were in a hurry to go to a grocery store before it closed, so I went to the bar to pay for our bill. After receiving our change, the manager/owner rushed out from the kitchen and started apologizing for not checking up on us while we were eating (we ate pretty fast and I guess he wasn't expecting us to finish so early). It was very nice and considerate of him and we left the restaurant feeling like we were very valued customers at this place.
TL;DR: Amazing service (you will be treated like kings and queens here), good food, and a very enjoyable atmosphere! Definitely a recommended place to eat in Windermere! read more