The new kid on the block
3:29pm Thursday 15th September 2011 in Eating Out
EAT AT: Restaurant 20,
The Kings,
20 Wood Street,
Old Town, SN1 4AB
Tel: 01793 522156
www.thekings-swindon.co.uk
MICHELLE TOMPKINS visits the latest pub aiming to tempt a hungry Old Town crowd
THERE’S a fair bit of competition in Old Town at the moment when it comes to choosing somewhere to eat – new places like steak restaurant El Toro and tapas bar Gusto have opened up, the ever-popular Old Bank and Los Gatos always do a roaring trade, and old favourites like Fabios and Biplob never seem to lose their appeal. So it stands to reason that the places less famed for their food need to try and up their game to stand a chance of drawing in a hungry customer or two.
You might know The Kings in Wood Street as more of a nightspot than somewhere to enjoy a good meal, but think again. While you’ll still find the hotel rammed to the rafters with Friday and Saturday night drinkers, there’s now a new restaurant with a new chef on board, and together they are about to give all those other Old Town eateries a run for their money.
Restaurant 20 has separate lunch and dinner menus, the former made up of traditional British dishes and the latter having a modern European twist. We visited for lunch and were, frankly, blown away by the standard of the food on offer – all for under a tenner – not to mention the presentation and the quantities.
We decided to have some nibbles while we waited for our main course and ordered a bowl of mixed olives (£3.95) and some flat breads with hummus and tzatziki (£5.25). What arrived would have been enough for lunch on its own, with a huge bowl of olives and enough fresh Greek dip to feed four.
I was tempted by the sandwiches (roast beef and chilli jam, smoked salmon and lemon mayo), which all come with vegetables crisps and chunky coleslaw, but thought it would be fairer to order from the main menu. My choice was slow roasted pork belly with red cabbage, mash and red wine jus (£7.50) and I was delighted with it. Soft, succulent pork, fluffy mash, braised cabbage dotted with raisins and a rich, sticky, gorgeous sauce – it was heavenly, if a little generous for someone who had not long filled up on flat breads!
If that was impressive, my friend’s dish of fresh mackerel fillets with chunky chips (£7.95) was even more so. She’d chosen from the specials board, which featured at least half a dozen types of fresh fish, including sardines and snapper, and arrived like a work of art arranged on a black slate. She said it was beautifully fresh with a tasty dressing, although she could have done without the rather strange addition of cooked carrots on the side.
Needless to say we skipped dessert, but we both agreed we’d be back pretty soon to sample the dinner menu which includes such temptations as beetroot gravadlax and potted Cornish crab (both £6.95) for appetisers and slow roasted Moroccan lamb (£14.95) and venison sausages (£12.95) among the main courses.
Restaurant 20 is a joint venture between The Kings owner Chris Piper and new chef Darren Turner, and it’s well worth a look.
If this is the product of some healthy competition among the many restaurants in Old Town, long may it last.
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New for lunch times at The Kings is the ‘pick and mix’ sausage menu, which allows you to choose which flavour you want (eg; beef and mustard, turkey and cranberry), then combine it with
your favourite type of mash (champ, Philidelphia mash, mustard) and a choice of sauces. All for £8.95.
- Those of you who remember The Kings’ legendary roast beef sandwiches will be delighted to know they are back! Roast beef sandwiches with Yorkshire pudding are served every Friday lunchtime, alongside the normal lunch menu, from noon to 2.30pm, priced at £2.95.
