I know I'm spoilt in Manchester. I know I'm a bit of a snob. I know St.Ives isn't exactly the capital of good food. I know, I know, I know.
Anyone who has grown up, lived in, or somehow been dragged to a bar crawl through St.Ives will have visited the Golden Lion, or just the Lion to us locals. One of my close friends and I made this our lunch hot spot a few years ago and would always love tucking into big burgers or overloaded nachos. However, standards seem to be slipping.
The menus and table were super sticky; this seems to be a running theme anywhere I go on a Saturday, after the Friday nighters have had their wicked way. Investment in better cleaning products might be a good idea. When we sat down I noticed that there were about 5 menus to read and this got to me straight away. WHY so many menus? A lunch menu, main menu, specials menu, coffee and tea menu, AND the breakfast menu still out. And there were spelling mistakes. Tsk tsk. The prices and location can't be argued with but the food needs a good kick up the backside.
I opted for a cheese and bacon burger because I needed meat and carbs in my system. Although the meal was tasty, everything was completely meh. The meat was a touch overdone and the bun overloaded with burger relish; I don't even want to think about what burger relish really is, let alone have my plate swimming in it. There were a few strips of lettuce getting soggy in the bottom bun so nothing to add anything to the meal. The chips were tasty but greasy, all one colour, very few crispy bits, and overwhelming on the plate. I know I was eating a beige meal but I also know there are ways to disguise this fact.
The cheese and bacon were, naturally, the best bit about the plate.
Hard to think of how to improve somewhere so well located it will always get business. Just don't sink all the way to the bottom before you realise. read more