Occasion: Lunch
Party Size: 2
Overall Rating: *** Very Good
Date Visited: November 2012
Price Per Person: £10.45 2 Courses
Price Per Person: £10.45 2 Courses
The Calverley Arms is a traditional pub located on Calverley Lane in Pudsey. This is a lovely pub set alongside an impressive landscape and with 2 private car parks and plenty of outside seating areas (ideal in the summer). This pub is part of the Vintage Inns chain which are renowned for their sunday lunches and ambient settings.
The Calverley Arms did not disappoint. As soon as we walked in, the warmth from the roaring fires greeted us. The pub itself has a large bar selling a great selection of drinks, wines and bar snacks (crisps, pork crackling, nuts etc) The furnishings are classic with a great mix of neutral colours, earthy textures and wooden floors, and traditional carpets. This place keeps the rustic charm of a pub whilst being modern and welcoming at the same time.
The staff behind the bar served us quickly to say it was a Sunday and rather busy. We then went to the dining area expecting to wait for a table as we arrived at peak hours - 1.30pm but we were lucky to be seated straight away. The menu had a good selection of traditional classics; Burgers, Steaks, Pies, Fish and Chips etc with prices ranging from £9-£15 for mains. Starters again were traditional with dishes such as Breaded Garlic Mushrooms, Prawn Cocktail and Soup of the Day to name a few; these were priced from £4-5.
On a Sunday they do a lunchtime menu priced at £10.45 for x2 courses. This set menu was impressive with a selection of 4 starters, 5 mains and 4 desserts with 3 of the starters being suitable for vegetarians. However, the mains selection only had x1 vegetarian option.
We both ate from the lunchtime menu and both ordered the Beer Battered Mushrooms to start. These were served with a generous helping of garlic and parsley dip (mayonnaise). The mushrooms were fresh and well cooked, they were a decent size and the portion was ideal. The side dip was full of flavour – quite heavy on the garlic but it did go well with the mushrooms.
For my main course I went for the Sunday Roast – Turkey & Stuffing, this was well presented and served with fresh roasted parsnips, roast potatoes, carrots and a medley of peas, green beans and broad beans all of which were cooked perfectly and served with just the right amount of gravy. There was plenty of turkey, which was succulent. To compliment the turkey there was a good heap of stuffing and a good selection of vegetables. My only criticism was the Yorkshire Puddings were not the best I’ve had – they came out very uniform in shape and had the dry texture of those that are cooked from frozen, but even still they were ok and didn’t spoil the meal.
My friend had the Mushroom, Leek and Cashew Nut Suet Roly Poly (V) which was served with all the trimmings as mentioned above. The portion of the Roly Poly was just right – not too large and very tasty. For a vegetarian option it was good to see a different dish to the usual “Nut Roast” that tends to grace most menus.
Overall we were impressed with the ambience; the service was great and it was nice to order at the table rather than the bar. The food was well presented, cooked very well and perfectly sized. We could not fault the set menu as it was such good value for money. The Calverley Arms is ideal for those looking for a good country/traditional pub lunch. The menu would definitely appeal to all and the roasts come highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment