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This
restaurant review was undertaken on Saturday April 25, 2009.
 With the Grand
Union Group looking to expand, it was no great surprise to see
them acquire The Three Locks in Stoke Hammond, just a short
drive from Milton Keynes. They celebrated their grand opening
during the Easter weekend and after our initial visit proved so
enjoyable, we were back on a busy Saturday evening to review
their food.
We decided to
take our drinks out to the beer garden whilst having a look at
the menu. My partner opted for a glass of Pinot Grigio Del
Veneto and myself a pint of lager. Whilst wine is available by
the glass or the bottle, only small glasses can be ordered. I am
not sure why a large option is not catered for; but it does mean
that if like me, you’re drinking a pint, you’ll need to drink
quickly or you will forever be back at the bar ordering one
drink at a time. The Pinot itself is one of the nicer varieties
we have encountered and with gorgeous surroundings; we were
immediately in the mood to chill.
Décor
The restaurant
is tastefully and stylishly decorated. The dark colours and
velvet curtains ensure your dining experience will be a cosy
one. A fireplace forms the central feature of the restaurant and
there is an open kitchen to the back. We were impressed with all
the attention to detail, including horizontal brass bars on the
window which gave you the impression you were on a boat. A lot
of money has been spent on this establishment and it shows.
Food
I started with
the Scallops of the day (served with bacon and sundried tomato
on a bed of rocket) £7.95. There was a slight question mark on
whether this was slightly too expensive for a starter but I
found out that you do get what you pay for. I’ve always felt
that serving bacon with scallops is a brilliant combination and
so this proved. This was an incredibly tasty dish, full of
flavour and the plate was left squeaky clean - a fabulous
starter. My partner opted for the Char-Grilled Skewered King
Prawns in garlic and chilli butter served with a sweet chilli
dip £6.95. These might have been new on the menu, but they were
outstanding. This is a picky and messy dish (getting the shells
off) but once you’re ready to go, these are delicious!
Talking of
messy, I was in the mood for some ‘fun’ food and opted for the
Rack of slow cooked BBQ ribs smothered in sticky bourbon sauce
served with char-grilled corn on the cob, French fries and GU
fiesta slaw. I’m not sure the fiesta slaw went with this meal
but the ribs were a delight. I would have liked more sauce but I
really enjoyed this course.
I was
surprised when my partner opted for the 6oz fillet steak medium
to well done (£19.95) as she is normally incredibly fussy about
steak and how it is cooked. This dish is a 28 day aged fillet
with thick chips, roasted field mushroom, vine tomatoes ad
béarnaise sauce (you can also choose from chilli and garlic
butter, blue cheese or peppercorn). The first thing to note here
is you receive thick chips – always a better option with steak
than French fries. It’s almost refreshing to see a restaurant
that is not lazy and serves both varieties – banishing
immediately the thought of tonnes of chips pre-prepared and
thrown onto the plate.
As for the
steak, it did not take long before I looked up and saw it had
all gone. This was juicy, very meaty, tender and flavoursome. If
you enjoy a good steak, The Three Locks must be sampled. My
partner also raved about the sauce and was very complimentary
about the dish in general.
All the
desserts are priced at £4.95 and it’s probably fair to say that
these are not to the standard of the earlier courses. They’re
not bad, but they lack the wow factor we had experienced with
earlier dishes. The open cheesecake was satisfactory, as was my
fudge sundae. Both desserts were quite heavy and the sundae will
certainly not disappoint chocoholics.
Service
The team have
settled very quickly and are already knowledgeable about the
food they are serving. I very much liked the fact that the
waiting staff were able to stand by the kitchen yet also keep an
eye on the restaurant to see if anyone needed their assistance.
Not only was your food brought to you as soon as it was plated
up, but not once did I need to call on anyone for anything. We
were well looked after by the attentive staff who were always on
hand but never intrusive.
Atmosphere
There was a
gentle buzz about the restaurant which was complimented by the
busy and noisy bar. This is a fun place to eat out but it also
proved a very relaxing experience. This is an excellent venue to
celebrate a birthday or dine with friends. With a lot of passing
trade, you’ll find a good mix of people out to have a good time. |
