The Crooked House, Gornal Wood

I have used the Crooked house on and off for years, mainly for a drink.

On the 3rd April my wife and I decided that as it was a nice night we would go for a meal out, the first pub we tried was expensive and meant a wait of 30 minutes for a table, we decided to go to the Crooked House just a short distance away.

The last time we were there the place was packed, this time there were 5 people in the restaurant area, that should have started warning bells ringing.

Looking through the menu I got the impression this was a restaurant punching above its weight, there were not many nice basic meals on offer, pigs feet in red wine was my starter and wasn�t really worth the mess or the effort of separating the meat from the bone.

My wife had lasagne and chips that she said was very nice, with her meal she had a glass of red wine this she said was also very nice, but at �2 -75 a small glass I wouldn�t have expected anything else.

The menu was limited in its options, I had pie of the day with chips and peas, the pie was steak and ale.

Everything was cooked fresh there was no doubt of that, my steak and ale pie was delivered to the table in its own dish and was red hot, it comprised of a mixture of meat a few other vegetables with a pastry top, there was no added gravy with the meal this caused the meal to be very dry, my verdict on the pie, it was dry had a vinegary taste, and I have tasted far better.

The Banks bitter was warm and not particularly reflective of a good pint of Banks, it was flat and had no bite to it.

Would I return there? Certainly not for a meal, looking at the number of people using the restaurant, if it was my business I would instantly dump the whistles and bells menu, it�s the wrong one for the area, supply good down to earth basic meals and that place will be packed, steak and ale pie comes with a nice gravy, cod chips and peas, some nice faggots, a curry, these are the meals that will attract custom.

On the plus side the staff were first class, I would love to see them succeed in this venture, sadly the low number of customers is evidence that they are not giving the customer what they want.

Jim of Bearwood

4 Apr 2009 00:38