Devon Pub Review: The Fat Pig, Exeter

We went as a family (two adults, a daughter aged 14 and a son aged 12) to the Fat Pig in Exeter for Sunday lunch a few days ago.

It was great!  A relaxing hang out serving some top notch micro brewed ales.  My other half had the Steam Hammer Ale and really enjoyed that.  We were intrigued by all the hanging pictures.  They did tell a few stories as we asked the waitress (owner, I'm not sure) about one and heard a wonderful story about the man portrayed.

We shared a Smoked Garlic with toast to start with.  All four of us enjoyed that.  Like everything, it was  served on a board.  There was a whole bulb of soft and smokey garlic and plenty of toast.  We should have ordered two portions really as we were hungry and there was plenty of grabbing going on! 

For main courses, two of us had the smoked prawns and chips (the prawns were recommended to me by Countrywoodsmoke, a local foodie and BBQ/Smoker expert), my daughter had the Roast Pork and my husband had the Smoked Pheasant.  The pub has recently acquired a new 'smoker' and is making the most of it.

The prawns were smoked, but not overly so.  They were served whole - so we had to peel them but my son loved doing this.  Personally I could have done with a debris bowl or dish as I was quite messy, but this is splitting hairs.  The large quantity of serviettes and finger bowls were appreciated and used.

My daughter enjoyed the Roast Pork - there are some reviews on Tripadvisor to say the Sunday roast isn't great - it was good for her.  Plenty of meat, veg and gravy.  The only weird thing was that the roast potatoes were enormous and could have been smaller - that is a small gripe.  The meat, veg and gravy were all fine.  My husband liked the pheasant - of which there was a large quantity - and when I had a small 'taster', I managed to get the only piece of 'shot' in the whole dish.  Typical.

All four of us enjoyed our meal and we will be back to try lunch on a different day of the week.  I liked the vibe, the ethos, the decor and the food.  The place was very busy by 1pm so it's worthwhile reserving at the weekend.  They have a great system of chalking the reservations on the actual wood of the tables.  I liked that.

I was a guest, but I was free to write what I wished.  

Devon Pub Review: Railway Inn, Honiton

The Railway Inn came warmly recommended from fellow Devon food blogger, Countrywoodsmoke.  After dropping off our lovely huge goldfish, Speedy, at his house (to keep as a pet for his kids allegedly....he'd better not end up in the smoker.....) we went to the pub.  

The Railway Inn is just slightly off the beaten track about 5 minutes walk from the main shopping street in Honiton and we had to ask twice for directions (it's not that tricky but the first lady pointed us in the wrong direction!)

It was a fairly busy Saturday lunchtime but the staff were doing an admirable job.  We were presented with a bottle of filtered water and freshly baked olive and herb bread with a bowl of oil and vinegar within a few minutes of arrival - the very soft, warm dough was beautifully squidgy and we were really hungry so it was needed.  All four of us, two adults and two children, had difficulty choosing the food as there was so much on the menu that we fancied.  And that is quite a result for two children who can be a bit choosy when they want to be (one won't eat cheese, the other won't eat potato).

We chose the pate and a bowl of chips to share as a starter for the table.  Aren't we classy?  The chef is French and he puts a French / Mediterranean twist on some great quality Devon and Somerset produce.

 I chose to have two starters as my main as I couldn't decide between the small Fritto Misto –  and the Fragrant chicken Vietnamese Salad -with beansprouts, chinese leaf, carrots, spring onion, mint, toasted almonds, confit ginger & spicy sesame dressing.

This salad was pretty good but the dressing was a bit too sweet and plentiful for my taste.

My 'starter size' fritto misto had a delicious fishcake, whitebait, a small piece of white fish and plenty of squid.  Loved it.

My son went for the Proper Fritto Misto –Trio of Crispy fried sustainable fish with proper chips (£12.95).  The fish were really well cooked and the batter was delicious, my son loved the King Prawn (or was it a langoustine - it was eaten so quickly it was hard to tell) and the white fish but wasn't so keen on the battered mackerel.  This photo makes it look quite small, but it wasn't!

 The other two had the award-winning pizzas (£10.95) and ate every morsel.  Pictured is the beef and chorizo version.

My personal favourites were the pate, the bread, the fried fish and the chips.  My tiny quibble was just that the chicken salad dressing was a bit too sweet and plentiful.

 We were sadly too full up for pudding, but we were given a handful of jelly babies on the saucer with the bill, which was a parting gift to make us all smile.

Great atmosphere, a chef and staff who know what they are doing with some great quality ingredients in a relaxed, family-friendly setting.

http://therailwayhoniton.co.uk/

The Lazy Toad at Brampford Speke nr Exeter: Best Paprika Pork Scratchings Ever!

It was my husband’s birthday so we headed out for lunch.  My dentist (thanks, Kieran!) recommended trying The Lazy Toad for its excellent food.  It’s located in an incredibly peaceful village, Brampford Speke just outside Exeter just a short way along the A377 Crediton road.  It looks like it would be a wonderful spot for a weekend summer lunch – plenty of brightly painted outdoor tables and no passing traffic.

Inside is all slate floors, oak beams, pine tables, a couple of giant lazy toads, a cheeky dog and a wood burner.

First of all we ordered a snack of homemade paprika pork scratchings to nibble with a pint of Lazy Toad  in front of the fire.  Bliss.  This was an incredibly generous portion of salty, lardy, unhealthy and incredibly tasty nibbles that we devoured.

I opted for no main course (er, but remember that half a kilo of pork scratchings...) and just had a starter of Potted Crab with Sourdough and a Crab Cappuccino (£7.95).  The cup of crab bisque was soothing and tasty.  The ramekin of crab was cleverly seasoned with a hint of tarragon, fresh and perfect for lunch.  

Neil went all out for the Calves Liver with Mash and Pancetta (£10.50).  His portion, sorry, the portion was enormous.  Just his idea of a perfect birthday treat.  He enjoyed every last morsel.

For pudding I chose Mulled Wine Poached Pears with Meringue and Creme Anglaise.  I was a bit perplexed to find it brought to the table with no meringue, and a chocolate brownie instead!  The kitchen swiftly apologised and explained that some, but not all, of the menus had a mis-print.  They quickly brought me out a meringue as well.  Result!  Pictured below is the rather good Cinnamon Spiced Pannacotta with Shortbread and Rum Soaked Figs.  The cinnamon worked brilliantly.

I really liked the atmosphere of this pub.  It’s a gastro-pub but without any kind of pretentious attitude or prices.  The food is great, the staff easy-going and friendly.  Apparently, and unsurprisingly, it gets very busy at weekends and you need to book, but for a mid-week lunchtime treat when you want a kind of archetypal Devon pub with gorgeous grub rather than frozen fodder, this is your place.  They even have a wonky fairground mirror outside the ladies loo, which gave us both a giggle.