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I have walked
past ha ha many times before and for some reason I have never
been tempted to go there for a meal. After hearing some good
reports I thought I should find out what everyone was
talking about.
I booked a
table for four at 8pm on a Saturday night. My partner and I
arrived slightly before our guests and decided to order
cocktails at the bar whilst waiting for them.
I love watching
cocktails being made and the end result is usually pretty
impressive. We ordered the following:
Woo woo with a
twist
The colour of
this cocktail is so pretty, it’s a beautiful vibrant pink and is
served with a fresh strawberry on the side of the glass. The
peach puree definitely added a refreshing twist to the taste of
a classic woo woo.
Key West Cooler Another
eye-catching cocktail, orange in colour with a bright red top.
Very refreshing on a hot summers day, served with plenty of ice.
Our guests
arrived and chose drinks from the extensive menu and we were
shown to our table.
Décor
As you enter ha
ha through the American style revolving doors the bar is immediately
in front of you with the restaurant situated behind. There are a
small number of tables in front of the bar for people that
aren’t dining and they also have a terrace outside.
The design of
the restaurant itself doesn’t take your breath away but it is
spacious and comfortable. Most of the tables are booths which
enhances the atmosphere when you are dining in a small group.
Food
There are 10
starters to choose from and it was nice to see some diverse
options.
Pan – fried
Somerset goat’s cheese – served with dresses seasonal leaves and
plum tomato drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.
Usually I find
goats cheese quite heavy but this was nice and light, the cheese
had a lovely creamy texture and I still had plenty of appetite
for my main course.
King prawn &
Scottish smoked salmon cocktail - served in baby gem leaves and
cucumber, drizzled with a cocktail sauce and garnished with a
lemon wedge.
My guest chose
the above and had at least ten good sized prawns with plenty of
beautiful smelling fresh salmon on fresh leaves. The plate was
left empty.
Chicken satay
skewers – grilled, marinated chicken fillets served with a pot
of peanut sauce, coriander and dressed seasonal leaves. I
asked my guest for one word to describe this dish and she
replied
“succulent”. The chicken satay sauce which is served on the side
was smooth in texture rather than lumpy.
Haddock gratin
– Smoked Scottish haddock, baked in a creamy sauce topped with a
herb crusted and served with ciabatta.
My guest
thought this dish was quite salty but mentioned that he liked it
that way. It came piping hot and had a powerful cheese flavour
and crunchy topping.
The menu has an
impressive selection of main courses. One of my guests is
usually quite fussy but managed to find a handful of dishes to
choose from, I guarantee there is something for everyone’s taste
buds.
Chicken breast
with Parma ham – Farm-assured chicken breast, topped with
melting mozzarella and crispy Parma ham, served on seasonal
potatoes and green beans, in a rich tomato sauce. I asked our
waitress if I could have dauphinoise potatoes instead of the
seasonal potatoes and they were delicious. The chicken and Parma
ham were tasty but very dry, I realised afterwards that I should
have used more of the rich tomato sauce to moisten the chicken.
The green beans added crunch.
16oz British
T-bone – this fabulous steak for meat lovers offers the best of
both with fillet steak on one side of the bone and sirloin on
the other. You don’t see T
bone steak on many menus so my guest couldn’t refuse this dish.
Served as requested medium rare, we asked to try all three
sauces with the steak. The Blue Cheese had an enjoyable strong
flavour, the Firecracker Chilli added that extra spice and be
warned; the Peppercorn Sauce was surprisingly hot in flavour. The skinny
fries were crunchy and piping hot.
8oz British
sirloin
This was
similar to the dish above although suitable for the smaller
appetite. Also requested medium rare we thought this steak was
undercooked, luckily my guest didn’t mind and thoroughly enjoyed
it.
Chicken chorizo
– Farm-assured chicken breast and spicy chorizo, pan-fried with
a fresh tomato & garlic sauce, tossed in tortiglioni pasta and
grated parmesan.
Although ha ha
is a bar and grill it was nice to see an assortment of pasta and
risotto on the menu. This dish had large tubes of pasta and
tangy tomato sauce, the chorizo sausage had an intense smoky
flavour.
As usual we
were stuffed but it would be rude not to have a dessert. We
indulged in the lemon and raspberry cheesecake, pecan tart and
crème brulée.
My guest orders
crème brulée quite often and stated: “this is a good one”. The
cheesecake was tangy and light and the pecan tart was gooey and
rich in flavour and savoury. All desserts are served with cream,
crème fresh or a rich organic vanilla ice cream.
Service
We had no
complaints about the service but we found it a little
inconsistent. Our starters came out within five minutes of
ordering which I thought was a little too quick and then we had
to wait quite a while to receive our main courses and our
desserts arrived at separate times. Our waitress was polite and
friendly, always checking to see if we needed anything.
Atmosphere
The restaurant
has a relaxed atmosphere, separate from the bar area
which was quite busy. Music is played in the background and was
turned up quite loudly just before we left at about 11.30 pm.
I was impressed
with the quality and selection of food served at ha ha and I
would definitely recommend a visit. |
