Glazed Lemon Tart
Bell Stourbridge

Bell Stourbridge

Bromsgrove Road, Stourbridge, United Kingdom

Pubs • Meat • Wine • Drinks


"Restaurant was inviting, festive and warm. The online booking hadn 't worked so they didn 't know we were coming, but found us a table anyway. Saturday lunch, so it was quite busy, but I suspect a second drinks order was forgotten until we reminded them. First glass was (when finished) found to be covered in old fingerprint smears and lipstick marks. Food was generally good, the family enjoyed theirs. I had a wagyu burger which admittedly in a British pub is probably expecting a little much, but it was just a burger, and overcooked. It was tasty, but I wasn 't asked how I 'd like it cooked (which I often have elsewhere and seems to be the norm these days) and it was quite dry. Presumably they can 't say it 's Wagyu unless it actually is, but I think the term is used often casually to mean 'super extra special massaged beer-fed cow meat ' whereas in actual fact it 's just a breed of cattle. So it was just a burger. IT came with bacon which was nicely cooked and actually tasted of smoked bacon (rare these days), and sweet potato fries which were really delicious, crispy and HOT (which is how chips should arrive). Condiments are good quality too. The mains took longer than we would have liked to arrive. All in all, I 'd go back because it 's a nice place, the food is good but needs more attention, and the price is on the high side but still okay. Staff are courteous. more aloof than I would prefer, but probably just right for a lot of people who don 't favour staff interaction much."

The County

The County

The County Hotel, NE46 1PS, Northumberland, United Kingdom

Cafés • Steak • Pasta • Bar-lounge


"My wife and I have been to the County Kitchen a few times for their Sunday Carvery. So why, you may ask have I only given the County Kitchen 3 stars and entitled my review as lacks consistency? Well the title does say it all, it isn 't that the food and service and surroundings are bad its just that as a complete package it...........lacks consistency. Perhaps I should explain rather than repeating myself Our table was crammed in with others in the small conservatory/veranda area. It felt cramped as we were against a pillar and so close to at least 6 other diners that it felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming, especially as the rest of the restaurant was empty. Moving on to our food. We opted for starters, followed by the carvery. My wife 's starter crab haddock fishcake, with chive hollandaise was presented nicely and according to her very nice but lacked flavour . Mine was pork belly terrine and chutney my comments mirror those of my wife 's. Lacked seasoning and flavour, but looked nice. I echo Greg Wallace 's thoughts on Masterchef the other day..... ...would rather have something that tastes good rather than a dish that just looks pretty... Now the carvery you have a choice of at 3 roast meats plus vegetables and if you feeling really hungry there isn 't a limit to the number of times you can go back. But for most appetites 1 visit is enough. Being a little greedy I had a couple of slices of port with yummily crisp crackling) and some beef. The carver described the beef as medium rare my preference) but it was more like medium to well done so it was a bit tough and chewy shame as it looked a fantastic joint of beef). That finally put an end to our meal, we paid our bill £59.95 incl bottle of wine, and starters) and left. I have to say that this hasn 't been our experience on other occasions, so perhaps its was just an off day. Will we go back? Probably, but we won 't be rushing back. Its not a bad place, it just.....lacks consistency!"