I don’t know where I first got the word on the Bulls Head in Repton, but it’s been lingering on my “must go and visit soon” list for some time. The better half wants to go somewhere new for a Sunday lunch. So it’s off down the A38 (again!) in search of some decent grub.
Repton is our very own Etonian village, with a world-wide acclaimed public school dominating this tiny Derbyshire village. It’s no surprise then that there’s an abundance of quality pubs within it’s domain.
I was really impressed the second I walked through the door. Someone had managed to achieve the perfect fusion of restaurant and pub. The eclectic, antique, brik-a-brak interior is well thought out and I “loved it !”
Unfortunately this is where the essence of the Bulls Head started to go down the pan. Poor bar service, a delay with our table, burnt potatoes, disorganised waitresses, missing cutlery, etc, etc. resulted in a complimentary drink being offered.
When the starters appeared they looked as though the taxi had arrived before they were ready to go out. Nice flavours but scruffy, with no bread to accompany my tasty scallop & chorizo salad (£6.95) or Becs chicken liver parfait (£4.95).
The menu was limited and certainly lacked a chicken option. Two meat, two fish and two vegetarian seemed a bit disproportional to me. I had the Staffordshire topside of beef (£7.95) and Bec had the cinnamon roasted ‘Old Spot’ belly pork (£7.95). Burnt potatoes were replaced with fresh ones, which was the right thing to do, but again they were burnt! The beef was overcooked, but Bec said the belly pork was tasty and tender. We decided to go the whole hog and have a go at the desserts. The lemon curd Eton Mess (£4.95) was crunchy & zingy and well presented, but the sticky toffee pudding (£4.95) was heavy and lacking in expected gooey dates.
I just can’t believe they managed to ‘F’ it up so much. There’s obviously been a massive investment on somebody’s part to create such a slick interior, but yet again when push-comes-to-shove, they couldn't deliver. We could have called in on a bad day, but I can’t believe that so many mistakes could be a coincidence.
“Nice place, shame about the boat race” !!
Food 5/10
Service 4/10
Venue 9/10
Tel: 01283 704422
www.thebullsheadrepton.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment