I usually spend every Saturday with my mum without fail, and we often try new cafes or restaurants for a bite to eat at lunchtime. We decided to go to the Tickled Trout on Saturday afternoon. I instantly remembered why I hadn't eaten there in years - the service. Don't get me wrong, the staff are pleasant enough but when we were handed our menu's we weren't told the soup of the day or any specials even though we were asked if we wanted drinks as we sat down and were taking our coats off. After ten minutes I had to shout a member of staff over to ask for the specials and soup of the day. Another 5 minutes later our water and soft drink arrived.
The lunch menu is reasonably priced. I decided on a starter of chicken goujons in a sweet chilli sauce which were lovely, and a fish finger sandwich with chips instead of salad - I instantly thought of being a little girl again and decided I had to have it. I wasn't disappointed, I liked it very much. The chips were also good, even though they weren't chunky 'hand-cut' chips, you had to pay extra for them. It's something I think should be a given when dining in a proper pub for lunch. My mum had haddock and chips which she enjoyed, the haddock batter wasn't over done and she enjoyed it. It was under £8 for the haddock and chips, my 2 courses were under £8.
The decor is lovely, although we were quite cold sitting near a window.
Overall, the food was good. I would go back for the food. However we waited about 15 minutes between my starter and our mains, we were never approached by any staff to ask if our meals were ok, and I had to actually wave over a member of staff 3 times - to get the soup info, for another water, and for the bill. I don't know if they're understaffed, but it seems to always be like that. I remember it being the same when I was last there about 2 years ago. Which is a shame really as for the price, the food was good. read more