"Good food but...."
A review of The Volunteer by PhilM - Friday 5th of September 2003
Five of us had a meal at the Volunteer on a Thursday evening.
The Volunteer used to be a pub, but is now a pub given over to a restuarant like so many pubs these days. The bar is a prominent feature, but is clearly not for leaning against.
The menu is original with some interesting mixes of flavours and textures, and choosing was difficult. The food was beautifully presented, it was hot and most enjoyable.
However, my test of a good restauant is always 'would I go there again'? I think that we all agreed that teh answer to that question had to be no, because the prices are, in our opinion, too high for the ambiance.
Although great effort has gone into installing good tables and chairs, and using big plates and attractive presentation, it still has the 'eating in the bar' feel about it, so main courses starting at £11.80 and going up to £18, with vegetables etc. as extras is not on. The house red, a reasonable Australian Shiraz coming in at £13.95 (the £10.95 bottles had run out) was also more than I am prepared to pay a second time around.
So, the bottom line - Good food, at a high price in an environment that lacks identity.
|
