Riverside Farm, Nottingham

Bit of a let down in the end.
The place looked nice enough, & the inside didn�t let us down. Unfortunately we arrived at 21:30, when they had just stopped cooking. (This might be a mistake as the pub is next to a Travelodge hotel, that don�t supply food. In my mind, a bit of a captive audience).

Went back the following day & had a basic Steak & Ale Pie & Chicken medley.
PIE:
1/ I asked the barmaid if I could have a Cup of Tea instead of a Pot. This was accepted � but was still charged for a Pot.
2/ Barmaid asked if I preferred garden or mushy peas. I asked if the mushy peas were �dried/soaked peas or just mushed up processed peas. She didn�t know, & didn�t ask.
3/ When the meals arrived, both my Son & I thought that the portions weren�t that great (despite the advert saying �generous portions of good quality food�. It soon became evident, that the pie & peas had been heated in a microwave oven. The peas were cold, until I got to the centre, where they were quite warm.
The pie had very soft cardboard pastry around a few pieces of rubbery meat & gristle, that wasn�t pleasant to eat. (I don�t usually mind a bit of gristle here & there, it comes with eating meat � but there is a limit).
The � what seemed like � home cooked chips looked alright, but were flaccid & some were raw down the middle.
CHICKEN:
1/ Bread-crumbs were soggy & chicken seemed a bit plasticy. Apart from nasty chips, other parts were just about acceptable.
2/ Orange Drink. Very watery, with only a splash of orange.

Overall:
We had expected a great meal. The place its-self looked nice. There were plenty of kitchen workers (though I have no idea if they were chefs) Not pleasant. Not good. Won�t go again, or recommend it. If this had been one of a chain, it would put me off the whole chain.

A pub up the road of the �chain� variety was totally different. Another basic meal of Steak & Chips was one of the best that I�ve ever had � at any place. If those places can do it, it should be easy for others to.

11 Feb 2012 11:08