Cheap but not nasty
3:31pm Thursday 4th August 2011 in Eating Out By Michelle Tompkins
EAT AT: Beefeater Grill, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UY.
Tel: 01793 881490. www.beefeatergrill.co.uk
YOU don’t have to be a beef eater to eat at one – veggie-lovers get a pretty good deal too.
On a hot and humid day, I couldn’t stomach the idea of a heavy, meaty meal and wondered what on earth I’d find to eat at a restaurant chain renowned for its steaks.
What I got was a surprisingly tasty, extremely light, spring vegetable and thyme risotto, strewn with parmesan shavings and served with garlic bread – totally unexpected and just what I wanted and, best of all, a bargain at just £6.99.
Beefeater has just launched a new daytime value menu, available from Monday to Saturday before 6.30pm. The selection of 14 dishes starts at £4.99 for hand-battered fish, rising to £7.99 for a 10oz rump steak, and also features three approved by The Vegetarian Society. Many come with ‘bottomless’ chips, which basically means gree...errr, hungry... people can ask for as many top ups as they can eat.
''My risotto was liberally dotted with broad beans, courgettes, peas and rocket, and drizzled appetisingly with olive oil.''
- Michelle Tompkins
I expected small portions and questionable quality, but what we got was very tasty food, beautifully presented, and more than enough of it to fill us up without resorting to second helpings of chips.
My risotto, for instance, was liberally dotted with broad beans, courgettes, peas and rocket, and drizzled appetisingly with olive oil. It was fresh and full of flavour and I’d order it again in a heartbeat.
My husband was also feeling hot and bothered and, uncharacteristically, ordered a salad (also £6.99). The man-sized plate arrived with loads of chargrilled chicken and bacon sizzling on top of the dressed leaves, and he tucked in approvingly.
But most impressive of all was our son’s chicken burger, piled high in a ciabatta bun and held together with a skewer laden with a gherkin, a silverskin onion and a cherry tomato. It looked amazing and must have tasted as good as he wasted no time in demolishing the lot, getting to the bottom of those chips in no time.
The daytime value menu allows you to order starters and desserts for an extra £2 each, so it seemed mad not to try a couple of puds.
Caramel apple crumble and chocolate fudge brownie came and went quickly – and we still had change from £30.
Not many people seem to have discovered the daytime menu yet. At 2.30pm on a Thursday afternoon, we were the only customers in the restaurant and only two more families arrived during the course of our meal.
Once word gets out, I can’t imagine it will stay that way for long.
