The Beaumont

Thryth

Good pub grub (but mind the game) 17th February 2009

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We visited the newly refurbished Beaumont for the first time one Sunday evening for a family meal with the “in-laws”. Well aware of its previous local notoriety we were a little hesitant at first but were happy to be greeted by a totally new establishment. Gone was the “flying bottle” of yesteryear and in its place, a warm and welcoming restaurant with a cosy feel, good bar, open fire and friendly staff.
From the minute we walked in the door I was happy with the feel of the place, the staff were lovely and I just felt comfortable. We managed to get a seat by the open fire which added to the atmosphere and the low lighting made it feel old world countryside but with a nice and slightly modern polished finish.
The bar had a decent selection with some lovely ale and a decent wine or two.

Food wise, the menu is mainly “British” pub food classics with a few specials as well, there is also a 2 course starter/main or main/dessert set menu for £10 with some of the favourites such as fish and chips on offer.
The in-laws decided to opt for the 2-course menu, “mum” opting for the soup of the day followed by steak with a peppercorn sauce, while “Dad” went for the Mushrooms to start and fish and chips for main. All was declared “good” and from what I could see it seemed well cooked, honest and a good portion (the battered fish in particular was a brilliant size!). The other half and I decided against a full starter (to save room for dessert!) and instead shared a garlic bread to nibble. For the mains, the lady went for the Lamb shank in what as I recall was a red wine sauce with a selection of veg and roast potatoes. Once again it was given the thumbs up. Although much the same as most “pub grub” places, the lamb was still declared tasty and definitely came in a generous portion. The roasties were crisp but the veg was (as with many places) a little lacking in the freshness and variety stakes.
I decided to move away from the standard menu and order from the small separate (and well hidden) Game menu. Sadly on this occasion I wish that I hadn’t bothered and actually had to make a real complaint. I went for what the menu called something along the lines of, A “Venison Steak served on a beetroot mash with a Rioja and cranberry sauce”, What I actually received was something that I’m still not entirely convinced was actually venison (or at best was a frozen low-grade cut) served atop the days left over mashed potato mixed with carrot and served not with a “Rioja and cranberry sauce” but rather instead with what I can only assume was Onion Bisto. Of course, this insultingly poor doppelganger didn’t go unnoticed and I had to ask for a full refund, which was graciously (and perhaps a little knowingly) given. I really do hope that this “offence” was some sort of unfortunate extreme one-off rather than the normal but I’d rather that they’d have told me they couldn’t produce the dish instead of trying to manufacture a poor substitute.
For dessert we had the Crème Brulee trifle, which although barley perceptible as “Crème brulee” was still what we could all consider a trifle, although it did
Feel a “trifle” manufactured.


Price wise, The Beumonts 2-course menu is good value at £10. The normal menu is O.K, although it depends really on which dish you order (the chicken wing starter I spied for example looked a tad stingy, whereas the lamb shank was plentiful).

My Game disaster aside, the meal went well and the friendly staff and good atmosphere made it a worth while visit.
I’d suggest the Beaumont to families out for a meal, to those looking for an uncomplicated meal at a reasonable price and to those just not wanting to cook that night..
I would revisit the Beaumont but I’d stay away from the game menu and perhaps instead opt for the value on the 2/3 course menu or just maybe just stick to the “safe” bets.