David's Reviews

We visited for lunch on 13th November.
The restaurant is open and airy and has a pleasant view over the central lakes and church in the Barbican. We were shown to a table facing the view but had to ask for someone to look after our coats. Water was brought to the table immediately with the menus, I had to ask for ice. There were no specials and no attempt was made to elaborate on the offerings. We opted for the fixed price lunch of £24.50.

My wife ordered winter salad which was attractively presented in a shaped bowl, well dressed in a honey and mustard glaze and ate as well as it looked. The only quibble was that the bowl didn’t provide for a safe place for the knife and fork to lie when not in use so they fell either on to the table or into the bowl. The chef should have thought that issue through.

The potted shrimps, a favourite of mine, were well presented turned out of the pot and lightly flavoured with fresh dill. The butter, not too much, tasted fresh and the small accompaniment of grated dressed celeriac was fine. The portion sizes were spot on.

The restaurant was let down by the main courses. I went for the shoulder of pork with winter vegetables and I did wonder if it had been brought forward from the previous day, Dry on the edges but not really well enough done. To be tasty, and these days healthy, pork fat must be cooked until it has releases most of its fat content and the rind or crackling must be crisp. This failed both these tests but the meat in part was dry almost the reverse of what should be achieved. The vegetables were unremarkable the parsnips even a trifle soggy.

The roast chicken with potatoes and bread sauce was as plain as the name suggests, the chicken bland and uninteresting with the sauce not doing enough to cover the meat’s ordinariness.

We thought the portion sizes were over generous although this may please some. There was a good selection of wines by the glass but only the 175ml size was on offer priced between £4.50 and £6.00.

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