Entertainment | Restaurant Reviews | Charlecote Pheasant
The Charlecote Pheasant, Charlecote
What limits set by choice were largely made up for in taste and standard of service at this bustling restaurant set in the leafy surrounds of Charlecote.
Offering both a carvery and an a-la-carte menu, my guest and I decided to split the difference with him preferring the look of the carvery while the slightly wider range of choice on the alternate menu took my choice.
The house wine, a medium-sweet French number, was simply excellent and served just at the right temperature.
The tasty chicken and mushroom soup-of-the-day starter to accompany the carvery arrived at the same time as my chosen starter - a generous serving of prawn cocktail, with possibly the freshest prawns I have ever tasted.
Erring on the side of culinary caution, I opted for the ‘bangers and mash’ from the main menu, which was served on a giant Yorkshire pudding.
But when it finally came, I had serious problems with eating more than half of the large serving due to the starter and the warm weather. It arrived with four chunky, squared sausages on a bed of thick mashed potato in a delicious onion gravy. The Yorkshire pudding, however, was obviously still up in the North as it certainly wasn’t on my plate.
I had been told when ordering that the giant puds had run out, but there would be three ordinary-sized ones instead. Despite an intrepid search beneath the mashed mountain, I found nothing, but by this time I was feeling rather full as a consequence of my ill-fated choice and opted not to enquire about it.
The carvery, on the other hand, was received much better by my companion. As a small eater, the ‘pick-your-own’ nature of the buffet allowed him to make his own choice as to what he wanted, without being put off by the often large portions served by restaurants.
Despite having to wait for a server to assist with the carving and a slight lack in the variety of the vegetables on offer, he went on to thoroughly enjoy his meal, consequently raving about the high quality of the meat.
The starter, dessert and coffee and mints inclusive in the carvery gave good value for money, and soon it was time to meander over to the dessert table, which is also the selection for other diners.
An interesting array of cheesecakes, ice cream and gateaux were available, and both of us opted for the chocolate cake.
Beautifully made and excellent to taste, it was surprisingly light and was offset superbly by the cream. A superb end to our culinary trials.
The staff and service were excellent despite the bustling atmosphere and really added to the occasion. The food as a whole, though perhaps limited by choice, was well-cooked and tasted good.
Our rating: 3/5 (Reviewed in August 2001)
