Imbibe

First impressions: a nice spacious place with a mix of wooden tables & chairs and comfy chairs/sofas with low tables for those with drinks only. Unadventurous but appealing menu with sausage & mash, baked salmon, seared tuna, steak, etc plus some sandwiches. Not feeling in a very meaty mood I ordered a baked halloumi sandwich and a side of fries. I felt like I was intruding by interrupting the continuous conversation the barmaid was having with a customer (it went on for the whole time I was there) but that said, she was very friendly and helpful (and very cute - I love the gap in the teeth) and I found ordering and paying at the bar very convenient, though she did offer the option of table service and paying at the end.

Being a bit of a cider snob I was pleased to see they had bottled Weston's Organic, very nicely chilled. The sandwich was generous and tasty, packed with halloumi and unctuous caramelised red onions. The accompanying salad was also a healthy portion, nicely dressed but with the ubiquitous lollo rosso (I can't bear this bitter leaf that most eateries seem obsessed with) and some very wilted leaves well past their best. The fries weren't what I was expecting - not frites as such, more skinny chips but delicious.

I was up for dessert but of the three listed, the one I really fancied - orange pastry tart - was unavailable, so why keep it up on the blackboard? The board, by the way, didn't seem to be for specials as it featured many of the dishes on the printed menu, but they weren't completely the same, so I'm not sure what the deal was there.

I'm not often in the area but when I am I would probably go back. There were a few things that needed ironing out but the food was good enough to warrant a return. At 7pm on a Tuesday it wasn't very busy but I can imagine it must be popular later in the evening and at weekends.
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Backdrifter - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, October 16, 2008

My food review relates to a bbq that I had at Imbibe a few weekends back. I organised my brother's 30th there and they laid on the most delicious bbq. We fed almost 120 people - no one went hungry! There was something for the boys and the girls. Burgers and sausages were plump and juicy and the array of salads and trimmings for the girls was terrific for those yearning to get into their skinny jeans this Summer. It was a real feast and at an incredibly reasonable price.
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George Williams
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

My food review relates to a bbq that I had at Imbibe a few weekends back. I organised my brother's 30th there and they laid on the most delicious bbq. We fed almost 120 people - no one went hungry! There was something for the boys and the girls. Burgers and sausages were plump and juicy and the array of salads and trimmings for the girls was terrific for those yearning to get into their skinny jeans this Summer. It was a real feast and at an incredibly reasonable price.
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George Williams
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

My food review relates to a bbq that I had at Imbibe a few weekends back. I organised my brother's 30th there and they laid on the most delicious bbq. We fed almost 120 people - no one went hungry! There was something for the boys and the girls. Burgers and sausages were plump and juicy and the array of salads and trimmings for the girls was terrific for those yearning to get into their skinny jeans this Summer. It was a real feast and at an incredibly reasonable price.
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George Williams
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Generally a pleasant enough place to quaff the odd lager (proper beer is not on the menu), one of the few places in the area with a substantial outdoor area. I recently paid a visit with a friend, Q, of a gloriously sunny Friday lunchtime, joining the throng already availing themselves of a cooling sluice. The service was friendly but inefficient, taking some time to accept an order from the surprisingly extensive menu. My own choice was a barbecue chicken arrangement with various peripherals which was executed acceptably for the £8 or so cost, although I would argue against the automatic condimentation of the fries; in such circumstances salt should be applied to customer taste, I feel, by the customer.

Q however opted for what should be, he assures me, the "safe" option of sausage and mash. How sadly mistaken. The mash had apparently been mixed with brown winsor soup during preparation which resulted in a semi-liquid sludge of highly unpleasant aspect. The three sausages had areas of dry chewiness which can only be the result of repeated heatings. No other foodstuff sullied the plate.

Q manfully struggled through half the dish but really could only register great disappointment and suffer continued hunger. To further add insult, when the condition of the meal was brought to the attention of waiting staff with, I may add, courtesy and good humour, no refund, discount nor even apology was forthcoming. The perverse logic contained within the statement attributed to the cook that "it must be OK because he (Q) ate some of it" baffles the sturdiest of minds as much as it irritates the believer in natural justice.

I shall, due to the aforementioned outdoor area, almost certainly return to Imbibe for the odd drink in the sunshine over the summer. I may even venture to order the odd chicken-in-a-bun when hunger encroaches and other options are unfavourable. Q, I suspect, will not be accompanying me.
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mchumph
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, June 13, 2006

This place just gets better and better! A great place for a decent lunch with excellent freindly service. I recommend anyone in the area to try it!
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Alan
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, May 18, 2006