Not as good as it used to be...
I first went to this branch 2 years ago and had a really good meal, with great service and enthusiastic waiting staff – unfortunately, my visit last week was at best “average”.
We ordered crispy squid to share as a starter, which was not bad, but a very small portion, and the lemon/garlic mayo that came on the side clearly hadn't been covered/refrigerated and had a greasy “film” over the top. We weren't offered bread but I did see it on other tables so maybe I needed to order it off the menu.
I had the ragu tagliatelle (which I believe comes with crispy breadcrumbs, but mine were not remotely crispy, they looked like an afterthought), the food was lukewarm and not presented very well. My husband ordered the burger, which he had raved about on our last visit and was really disappointed, the meat was chewy/grisly and no flavour and the chips looked and tasted like they had been heated up in the microwave, soggy and lacklustre. The rose wine was the best part of the meal, a nice quaffable drop on a sunny day at a reasonable price.
The staff – the first gentleman that I spoke to, just waved us into the restaurant without a smile and we then waited a while for the menus etc., however, the lady who served us was very friendly and clearly busy and running around serving tables, but she appeared to the only person who was, the rest of the staff appeared to be going at their own pace.
It's a shame because, although I wouldn't eat here all the time, I like the idea of a chain of restaurants that deliver consistent, good food at a reasonable price but this just isn't one of them, so we won't be rushing back.