Phone: +442870344848
Address: The Lodge Hotel, BT52 1NF, Coleraine, United Kingdom
City: Coleraine
Dishes: 4
Reviews: 67
Website: http://www.thelodgehotel.com/romanoffs-restaurant.aspx
"Difficult to score this fairly and meaningfully, as it so often is with restaurants, because we all have our personal preferences for the style of establishment and our favourite types of food. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” is a bit extreme, but it will have to do to cover this point – we DO vary considerably! In this case, it is also a little difficult to know exactly where one is eating WITHIN an establishment that has several different eating areas with varying menus for each . . . I know we were eating at the Lodge Hotel but I only THINK we ate at “Romanoff’s Restaurant. The room we ate in was the one I used to know as “The dining room/restaurant” but I don’t recall any indication that it was signed as “Romanoff’s Restaurant” and the reception staff had verbalised our directions as “Go down there to the restaurant”. So identification remains unsure. We had visited specifically to try the Friday evening (5pm 8pm two course buffet at £14.50 each. The waiting/serving staff were notably friendly and very attentive throughout – absolute top marks to all the dining room staff. Selection of food: We elected to have starters and main course. The starter selection was varied and my choice of creamy brie wedges with cranberry apple chutney was very good. Starter orders are taken by serving staff and came very promptly. Top marks there. The hot buffet had a pretty fair selection of dishes but you don’t just help yourself as I had expected – you inform the (very friendly gentleman behind the counter as to what you want and HE puts it on the plate. This is OK but I would much prefer to help myself at a buffet, so that I get exactly what I want, exactly the amount I want and put it exactly where I want it on my plate. Also, none of the dishes are in any way identified, so you have to ask about every single one of them. I really dislike that – so much more useful to have a clear label adjacent to every selection and then no time wasted in having to enquire into every dish. After half a dozen discussions, this becomes quite tedious and, particularly if other customers are waiting, actually becomes embarrassing. I am almost vegetarian but there was only one vegetarian option on display a “Three cheese vegetarian crumble”, which I had some of. It was OK, but a little nondescript. They advertise that vegetarian options are available, but I didn’t feel like placing a special order when the whole idea of a buffet is to quickly help yourself and not have to wait or hold up your companions. I also tried a fish and bacon dish as the least “Meaty” option. But, frankly, I cannot understand why any establishment elects to put meat in their one and only fish option! Lots of people avoid meat but will eat fish, so why on earth disqualify the one and only fish dish from their very limited options – sorry, but that is absolutely crazy. Sadly, the bacon flavour overpowered the fish and I found several horrid lumps of solid bacon fat lurking in the sauce and, to me, that is stomach turning. The side dishes were absolutely fine, but could not compensate for how I felt about the fish having that horribly fatty bacon in it. So to repeat, extremely difficult to score this experience FAIRLY. More traditional/conservative eaters might well have scored it four or five star. Unfortunately, for what was available, I thought it rather overpriced and not to my particular taste. So only three stars and, a couple of notes to “Norma W”, Don’t take this too badly – you can’t please all the people all the time! But, please, seriously consider at least having one fish dish that isn’t ‘adulterated’ with meat. :"
All prices are estimates.