Entertainments | Restaurant Reviews | Basement Restaurant
THE Basement Restaurant is one of those places I have always meant to visit but never quite made it.
Plenty of people have recommended it, praising the live music (mostly on Sundays) and the genial atmosphere. Time to give it a go then.
It lies in one of Leamington ís busiest eating areas. Approached by steps leading down from street level, it is fairly hidden away but your eye is caught by the large menus on the street and the attractive town house situation. If you like jazz you will love it. Relaxing music (jazz)plays in the background and the walls, particularly at the rear of the restaurant where we sat, were decorated in colourful murals of musicians and diners.
The atmosphere and surroundings are welcoming. The menu looks big and promising but offers little beyond your normal standard good grub fayre. The first two items I requested from the starter menu were not available and so in the end I had a variation on the first item I requested which was ham and eggs on bread. My partner had mussels which I tasted and found to bedelicious.
For the main courses I had steak, in a mushroom sauce, and my partner had duck. The steak, which I requested to be done medium, was a little tough. The duck was pronounced to be not warm enough. We disagreed about the vegetables, my partner declaring them undercooked whilst I quite liked them crunchy.
Despite these quibbles, we enjoyed our night out. The staff were friendly, the service good and the surroundings verypleasant. The prices were reasonable, we paid about £45 for two starters, two main courses and a bottle of house red. The Basement is worth another try. We were a little disappointed by the food on the night but enjoyed the atmosphere.
And it is plainly popular with customers as most tables were full and everyone seemed to be having a good time. ***Sarah Portlock
