Vintner

Fairman

3rd March 2009

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Best burger in the world?

Had my ups and downs with Winter, usualy with front of house!

But always orderd the burger there and I must say I belive it to be the best one in the world. As I keep exploring the world of burgers I will keep this updated!

FergusM

Go to The Oppo or Lambs instead! 26th October 2008

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Vintners has been in Stratford-upon-Avon for a long, long time and has always been great for a drink or coffee, but a pretty average place for food.

I have been going to Vintners on and off since 1994, but limited this to just a coffee or drink. My early experience with the food had meant I had not eaten anything there this century! In short the ambiance and drinks were great, the food merely average.

Browners’ positive review made me think again... how sorry I was!

I started off slowly by ordering a tapas bar dish, necessary due to my track record and was not surprised. What I ordered looked great, but was so disappointing. It was stale and the micro-waved “cooking” could not take this away. Food 0:1.

Next was a "lite bite" / starter and Sabeen and I ordered a carpaccio and king prawns. The presentation was great and so were the king prawns, the carpaccio however was a huge disappointment. Food 1:3.

As well as the food, the service was a disappointment. No one asked whether the food was good. It seemed that the waiting team felt their only duty was to serve food & drink rather than provide a great customer experience. As if to prove the point these guys then added a 12.5% compulsory service charge to the credit card bill (not the actual bill itself) that we had to ask be reduced to 10% with absolutely no question of why I wanted this taken off. It was the food, buddy!

To summarize:

What I liked: ambiance, cappuccino, draught beer, wine

What I didn't like: food, automatic 12.5% service charge, lack of care from waiting staff, FOOD

So, while Vintners is great for a drink or coffee, if you want something that combines a great ambiance with great food you are better off with The Oppo or Lambs, both a 30 second walk away and still on Sheep Street!

Browners

The Perfect Place for a Post Shakespeare Meal 5th January 2008

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Dad went a bit mad before Christmas. He booked the whole family in for a marathon Shakespeare experience. We spent the entire Saturday between Christmas and New Year sat in the theatre at Stratford watching:

Henry IV i
Henry IV ii
Henry V

Far from being exhausing we emerged at 11pm gagging for supper and buzzing with energy. The performances had been sensational. I'm always amazed that the English language could have been masterd four hundred years ago and has been going backwards ever since!

Henry V was utterly awesome. The 2 big speeches, "Stiffen up the sinews" and "We happy few. We band of brothers" were so powerful I was left shuddering. Gripped by the passion. Inspired to attack France!

In the past we've eaten at the Muck Duck after the theatre. But this time they were full. We were very lucky to get the last table at The Vintner before it closed. The staff were charming despite being in the twilight of their ten hour shifts. They kindly let us eat but insisted we only had one course because the chef was going home.

I chose their grilled lemon sole from a menu where you'd be delighted to eat all of it. My fish emerged looking plump and well cooked. It teased easily away from the bone and shimmered in the mouth after a squirt of lemon.

I was naughty and ordered some chips which were good along with some delicous roasted vegeatables. Suz had a massive burger and Cowie had a main coursed sized scallops with chorizo which looked great. It's just a shame I wasn't given a look in!

We guzzled some cold white wine and relaxed into our comfy seats eagerly discussing our thoughts about the day's drama. What a day. Really impressive alternative to the Mucky Duck if you're going to the theatre.

I can't wait for Henry VI i, ii and iii! Not to mention Richard III.

Nothing like a day sat in a seat watching Shakespeare to get your appetite up!