Having been passed Ballyrobin so many times on our way to and from the airport over the years it was finally give it a go before flying out recently. The eateries at the airport are (as with many airports) comfortable above average pricing for the what they offer and equally as comfortably below average in terms of quality, so a change of plan was long overdue.
I phoned ahead that morning just to make sure there was a table and there was no issue securing a table over the phone, although this wasn't surprising as we were eating at a pretty early tea time as dictated by the time of our flight. From the get go the young lady on the phone was great and I got a good vibe from that point. So we arrived (a full half an hour before the time I'd booked as we're a nervous lot when it comes to airport punctuality) and found there was ample car parking right next to the door. In reception I quickly apologised as I was worried our being there 30 mins ahead of schedule would be a problem but it absolutely wasn't. We were shown through to an area around the back that was just inside the conservatory area, which was good as it was a pretty warm day by N.Ireland standards and the conservatory was pretty warm. The whole place is a series of smaller rooms which all seem pretty cosy and some would lend themselves quite well to a summer day like on our visit, and equally some would be cosy on a winters night. On arrival there was only ourselves and one other party there. We were waited on very proficiently by 2 or 3 staff members who were all lovely and very personable. So the food.... Very happy with it. I got the fish and chips and after a small amount of initial worry when it came out due to the size of the portion (I thought they were going for quantity over quality) I was pleasantly surprised with a lovely creamy fish texture and light crispy batter with well-cooked chips and mushy peas. I had a little of the lasagna that my wife ordered and it was top notch too, as was my mums chicken dish with peppered sauce. It probably helps that the 3 dishes ordered were pretty much my top 3 favorites found on most menus.
So all in all this was top notch across the board, service, food and environment. We were there early as I said so kitchen and service staff were not under pressure in any way which may have helped the quality of the food and service, but I get the impression they would try to keep that standard up during busy times too, I'd be more than happy to go back as a busier time and see for myself...... not least of all because if I'm there again it would probably be because I'm off on my holidays again! read more