Menzel's |
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The following review has been written by Sheffschefs after a visit to the establishment. All visits are made anonymously, as ordinary paying customers. It's a while since we've been to Menzels for a meal, but it is somewhere we've always liked eating. Following the change of hands this month we thought we'd check it out again. It was deserted when we arrived, which was a bit disconcerting, but it did mean that we were allocated a prime spot on the upstairs balcony, overlooking the popular wine bar. We settled down with a glass of wine and the menu and were astounded at how the place rapidly filled up over the next thirty minutes. The best description we can come up with for Menzels is that it has a Medieval feel to it - wrought iron staircases, stone flagged floors and wall hangings that pull you in to the past by several centuries. It's a relaxing place where you can enjoy a leisurely meal, and the staff are very friendly. The menu looks very comprehensive at first glance, but then you realise that they actually have a number of sections for different times of the day or week, each with various items on offer. We studied the evening menu and couldn't help also peeping at the other sections, which caused a quandary, as one of us wanted something from the Sunday lunch menu! However, the obliging chef made an exception for us, as we were ordering earlyish in the evening, before it became too busy in the kitchen. Some dishes are a definite step away from 'ordinary' wine bar fare. And so it was, that one of us started with the well loved dish of Thai Fishcakes with a Chilli Dip and the other was a little more daring, opting for Pan Fried Pigeon with Sage. Both starters were very good indeed and were just the right portion size to whet the appetite, without taking the edge off the main courses to follow. For main course, we opted for one Chicken Rossini and one Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables with Couscous. (Purloined from the Sunday Lunch menu!) Other evening main course dishes included Pork Loin, Rack of Lamb, Wild Mushroom Fricassee and Pacific Rim Seafood, so there were choices for meat and fish lovers and vegetarians. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals, along with the accompanying portion of homemade fries, which were polished off entirely.
Puddings and coffee finished things off for us and we were pleased that the dining experience is just as good, despite the change of management. The only down side was that with ardent smokers downstairs in the wine bar, it did get a bit fuggy upstairs. Maybe this is something that can be addressed during the new look that is planned - if so, the place would have a really winning formula.
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