This restaurant review was
undertaken on October 31, 2009
Décor
The Swan in MK Village is a
gorgeous 13th century thatched pub that is so popular, it has
been fully-booked for Christmas Day since August! The pub has a
modern, warm and inviting interior. The main dining room
features an open kitchen which will often leave diners consumed
and mesmerised with its events. It’s always fun seeing your food
cooked in front of you. The menu changes according to the
seasons and the latest menu is bold and varied with some
innovative dishes. The pub has an eclectic collection of
furniture and the booths are extra cosy.
Service
The management are keen to
employ people to work in the restaurant who have a love and
passion for food. This was evident throughout the evening as we
bombarded our waitress Laura with several questions about the
menu. She was incredibly helpful and made the experience all the
more enjoyable through her professional, yet friendly approach.
Looking around the restaurant, it seems Laura is not the only
star. The team look genuinely pleased to serve you and quite
clearly love what they are doing. When a new menu is introduced
the staff are encouraged to sample the food and work out the
ingredients and cooking methods. This ultimately means that
everyone knows what they are serving. If you’re unsure about
what to order or want to know more about a dish before making
your choice, the team at The Swan can easily assist you.
Food
Chicken and leek terrine with
garden herb mayo was my choice to start. This dish was
excellently presented. The terrine had a fabulous texture and
tasted great. The delicious Squid and merquez sausage salad with
spicy cous cous was my guest’s introduction to food at The Swan.
A red spicy sausage originally from the North of Africa lined
with chilly paste is the star of this starter. These cute little
things are bursting with flavour and teamed up well with the
succulent squid and light fragrant cous cous. This dish is also
available as a main course.
Craigs daily pasta with bacon,
chilli and a tomato sauce was an inventive creation for this
weeks specials menu. The chilli was powerful and full of
flavour. The portion was huge and the parmesan cheese added a
tasty texture to finish this dish off. You will be tempted by
many of the main courses - the food is so good here that I defy
anyone to choose their dishes in a hurry. After much
deliberation I opted for the 32 day aged Aberdeen Angus sirloin
steak with a field mushroom, slow roasted tomato, café de Paris
butter and chunky chips. What makes this meal different is the
tasty café de Paris butter. The dish is served with a helping of
butter which is allowed to melt on the steak. This was a
brilliant piece of meat, which I had asked to be cooked medium
rare. The kitchen got it spot on! The chips were super; hot,
full of crunch and were lovely, soft and fluffy in the middle.
Atmosphere We had a wonderful evening that
will live long in the memory and cannot wait to return. Look out
for the area called the snug which is a cosy room to the side of
the bar. We enjoyed relaxing and drinking in this little
hideaway. The Swan has a truly unique feel to it with a buzzing
atmosphere. If you look around, the diners are invariably having
a great time. With an exemplary service, great décor and
outstanding food, is it any wonder? |
