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This restaurant review was
undertaken on February 6, 2009.
One year after reviewing the
Slug & Lettuce in the Theatre District, we were back to visit
Chad and his team. The Slug and Lettuce concept has changed from
being a bar to focusing more on the restaurant and the quality
of food they serve.
Decor
The large glass windows allow
lots of light into this restaurant. At night, the first thing
that catches your eye when you walk in is the large bar which
dominates the back wall The restaurant consists of a mixture of
high tables and stools, and conventional dining tables with
curvy leather arm chairs.
Service
Mike was our smiley waiter for
the evening. He had a good knowledge of the chain and the menu.
We did not know that the Slug and Lettuce was part of the same
group as the Ha Ha Bar and Grill. Both equally serving quality
value for money dishes.
Food
To start my guest and I shared a
portion of Tempura Prawns (£3.95). Four large king prawns, in a
light tempura batter, served with a sweet chilli jam, seasonal
salad leaves and a herby oil dressing. Served piping hot, these
were a delicious choice and not too filling.
For mains I chose the Chicken
Carbonara (£8.25). Wide tubes of pasta in a creamy four-cheese
sauce, with char-grilled chicken, bacon and Parmesan. The sauce
was indeed creamy and warm. Extra chicken would have been
welcome. I also ordered a side of Ciabatta bread strips and dip
(£2.95). The bread formed a perfect accompaniment to this dish.
My guest claimed it was the best garlic bread he had ever tasted
- a bold statement! They had opted for the 21-day-aged 8oz
British Sirloin steak (£12.75). Grilled and served with a skewer
of red onion, mushroom and vine cherry tomato, with fries and
wholegrain mustard. Add sauce for £1. The steak was cooked to
perfection and was of a very good quality. The dish was neatly
presented with the thickly cut fries in a separate pot on the
plate. I would recommend a sauce to ensure the meal is not too
dry. You can choose from Peppercorn, Shropshire blue cheese,
Madeira wine & Porcini mushroom. I felt incredibly full but Mike
persuaded me to try the Bramley Apple Pie (£4.45). Made with
British Bramley apples and served with hot custard or vanilla
ice cream. My guest sided with the White Chocolate Cheescake
(£4.45). A creamy white chocolate cheesecake with winter
berries, served with vanilla ice cream. Again, neatly presented
the dishes looked yummy, however, the cheesecake tasted like it
had just been taken out of the freezer and was still slightly
frozen. The apple pie was piping hot (as it should be) and the
pastry flaked away from the succulent apple slices.
Atmosphere
The Slug and Lettuce stop
serving food at 9pm at the weekend as the bar becomes busy with
the Friday & Saturday night crowd. The atmosphere was of a
typical bar on a Saturday evening - noisy and crowded. I was
pleasantly surprised by the food and service at the Slug and
Lettuce and would recommend this restaurant to anyone wishing to
taste tasty, well presented food in a lively, warm and inviting
atmosphere. |
