REBRANDED as Tide Mill, Wootton's landmark pub (formerly The Sloop) is as popular with families as it ever was and, with its straightforward offering, we can see why.
If you are not in the mood for a carvery or pizza, there is a selection of pub standards.
We chose turkey from the trio of meats and loaded our plate with an abundance of vegetables, including carrot, cabbage, peas, French beans, three types of potatoes (mashed, roasted and herbed roasties), plus cauliflower cheese.
Our enthusiasm for the latter was, alas, short-lived, as we had inadvertently scooped the 'stalkiest' portion onto our platter.
Barely any florets and, to be frank, an unexpectedly tasteless cheese sauce.
This blandness applied to all of the vegetables.
READ MORE:
-
Matt and Cat find "inventive menu" at charming Sandown seaside cafe
-
Matt and Cat left impressed with no-menu meat feast experience
-
Zero rating from Matt and Cat for cafe after dismal lunch experience
The meat was the highlight of the meal — moist, lean and pimped up with a decent enough gravy, which provided the bulk of the dish's flavour, along with a spoonful of peppery horseradish sauce, which did some of the heavy lifting.
Our hand-battered fish and chips looked impressive.
Served with a choice of peas, plus tartare sauce and a fresh wedge of lemon.
Alas, the (unspecified) fish had been cooked slightly beyond the advertised 'golden perfection'.
The batter was crunchy, almost hard, and the fish had retreated into the depths of this crunchy shell.
The chips were good though and the peas were lovely.
The XXX cookie bubble waffle sundae was quite literally a load of waffle!
We'd rather have had more of the creamy vanilla ice cream, soft sweet cookie dough nuggets and chocolate sauce, with considerably less of that spongy lining.
The highlight of the meal was Bramley apple crumble.
The Tide Mill's version of this classic pudding was really enjoyable. The fruit was tasty and the topping, pleasingly crumbly.
Stonehouse has done a good job of the make-over. There's plenty of room for both solo diners and couples, up to larger groups.
Although fairly generic, the menu is good value for money with just enough choice to please most tastes and budgets.
For us, the desserts had the edge, but if you want a roast without the bother, you will get a fair amount of meat and a vast choice of vegetables.
Dollop on some horseradish and a ladle-full of gravy and it will all go down nicely.
Share