Opening just last week, the Overlee opened where Clark & Sons (and the Rascasse before that) used to be. I don't know what happened to Clark & Sons, it seemed to close pretty quickly and then stayed closed while it got refitted to become part of the Belhaven group of pubs.
On first impressions, I like what they've done with the decor and layout. There's still a separate bar area from the restaurant, and the dining spaces are more split up now so it doesn't feel like a huge big dining area. There's some nice chandeliers and decor on the walls which shows they've put quite a bit of effort into it.
That's until you get to the menu. I'm not even sure it rates as standard pub grub - it is pretty uninspiring with options like buckets of wings, 13 different burger options (yes, 13) as well as standard mains and steaks. You can order certain mains at £10.99 for two, or they have two rump steaks and a bottle of wine for £19.99. I opted for a sirloin steak with garlic mushrooms (£12.70 all up). You need to order at the bar but they do have table service if you go to the bar to order drinks (which makes me wonder why they can't just do table service).
I felt like we waited ages for our food, but there was a group of 6 of us and it was relatively busy for a Monday. It was probably at least a 30 minute wait, if not 45 minutes. My steak arrived with chips, tomato, peas and mushrooms but without the garlic mushrooms I'd ordered. They came separately in a bucket and were breaded, certainly not the garlic mushroom sauce I'd expected but the menu is pretty vague on that point. The chips were soft and mushy and bland and needed lots of seasoning. We were sharing a portion of onion rings which were also soft and bland. My steak was overcooked (I'd ordered medium rare, it was well done) and again - bland. I slathered on seasoning and sauce and got through it - the cut of steak was fine but I really don't enjoy my meat that well cooked!
This pub is very family friendly. We were seated in an area with lots of kids, where the parents were letting them run around the restaurant and our table. There's loads of seating though so perhaps they could have a separate family-friendly area.
There's a good selection of beers including Anchor Steam, Brooklyn Lager, Sam Adams, Twisted Thistle, BrewDog, Williams Bros and West. I really couldn't see that I'll return for the food, but I'd head back for a drink in the bar area. read more