Our greeting upon arrival on a snowy Wednesday night in February was not the best. I can only assume the waiter had just had some bad news. The word “disengaged” is the best way of describing his demeanor.
We were shown to the seating area on the first floor, as the table before us was running behind and about 15 minutes later we were at our table. We ordered a glass of red (£6.25) and a bottle of Speckled Hen (£4.00) which were served without so much a word, or a smile – I hoped this was not an omen of things to come.
The atmosphere was lacking on this snowy Thursday night especially after the early bird diners had gone us a’la carte diners were left quite alone. The barn upstairs looks lovely on first impressions, but it needs a bit of TLC on the decor and a full rather draft cracks sealing up.
The starters we chose were Duck and Port Parfait with ginger marmalade and toasted ciabatta (£6.95) – the parfait was overpowered by the jam it was too sweet and sticky for this delicate and smooth parfait. David ordered the Brie (£5.95) it was deep-fried, the story ends there, it was unmemorable which is a travesty for any piece of cheese.
The owners of the restaurant talk about local produce, however there is no reference to the provenance of the produce which is infuriating when we have some many great butchers and farms to be proud of within a short distance. Surely, you would be proud and publish your partnerships?
The fillet I had ordered (medium to rare) had good flavour, but this was undone as it had been overcooked. As someone who cook’s a fillet or rump steak nearly every Saturday night I would say this had come straight off the grill without being rested; the meat was dry with no juice. The Rib Eye with Blue Cheese again was flavoursome but too dry . The side of peppercorn sauce (£1.55) which was so so.
When I dine out I want to be wowed. I expect a professional chef to be able to cook a steak to order and to know to let it rest. It might have been the end of a busy service but there was no pressure from the dining room as it was now quiet so no excuses.
Total bill was £70.65 excluding service.
What is interesting is this restaurant continues to be a success in Wakefield where others have failed. All I can think is that the good people of Wakefield have not had a great steak cooked to perfection. For now we will continue to either eat steak at home or dine at Goucho in Leeds.
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