Proving it disheartening trying to book somewhere for our first anniversary..my other half found this place.
I had never heard of it apart from the one in Anglesey so after pulling up some reviews I soon got excited.
We rang ahead on the day to ensure there was a table available; despite it being the middle of the week the venue looked small and intimate.
Table confirmed we strolled around narrow cobblestone streets from the Firswood tramstop (8 min walk).
On entering I loved the ambiance...golden soft light emanating from candles and fairy lights..brown soft leather seats and sea themed abstract art.
We were greeted and asked to sit anywhere. I chose the window seat it being cooler. The waitress provided the menus stating the asparagus wasn't available or lagers and the special was chargrilled lemon sole.
The drink menu consisted of some tasty craft beer and various bottles of wine and fresh juices. I swiftly ordered a juicy IPA and a large house white to accompany the main. Himself had a beautifully made flat white.
Okay the menu.. starters averaged £8 including mussels, prawns and squid etc. For this I selected the oysters..himself the tiger red prawns with sour dough bread.
The oysters were nice..however pricey for 3...the prawns looked lovely however I personally never understand the reasoning behind cooking/serving in its shell..soon as you messily dissect it all the flavour gets discarded with the shells..the bread was like a giant crouton..soaked in the garlic oil..hmm overall okay ...better value than the oysters.
For mains . These averaged around £20.. from halibut, steak, fish stew to cockle spaghetti. I almost went for the stew but monkfish is my weakness..here they served it in a tandoori style along with pickled cabbage and chargrilled baby gem lettuce for £22.
Himself had the chargrilled lemon sole which didn't come with any sides..surprising for £19..so some £3 skin on fries were added.
Mine looked pretty but the star of the show was physically overshadowed by the cabbage. There was very little monkfish especially once I removed it from the bone..tasty though. Himself didn't use the overly powerful parsley sauce..the fish was tender but lacked the lemon...
Finally dessert. Now these were reasonably priced at £6 each. I decided on the raspberry creme brulee..himself the pistachio chocolate brownie.
Mine was light and tasty however I imagined raspberries to be in the creme brulee not as a coulis on top..his brownie was the winner though..hands down the best brownie I've had in ages...
Overall this was a one man show..i.e one lovely lady working her butt off taking orders. Serving food and drink..the food came out at a good pace and the place had a lovely ambiance to it.
Will I be back? Despite enjoying ourselves the bill was pretty steep for what we got.. I personally think they need to readjust their prices and provide more value for money. read more