written by on 20/06/2011
Saturday 18th June. This is an old building, very pleasant if a little cramped and dark. A nice warm welcome from staff, who seated us in fairly comfortable chairs for 15 mins while the table was made ready. We were presented with a large bowl of delicious home made crisps, olives and fresh peas in there pods. As we waited, the bow tied owner/manager greeted the many people coming through the doors as old friends, which they may well have been. We were disappointed to see that the set price menu meant that we would be charged for all three courses, when we would normally only have had two. The wine list for the more expensive wines (£45+) was very extensive, but there was much more limited choice for the less expensive wines. We were seated well,but the lighting was very poor which meant we had some difficulty in seeing the food, which for us is part of the joy of eating. The wine we chose was taken away from our table and we had to ask for a top up, which is not good. We ordered the same starter of prawns, and they came very elaborately presented on a bed of salad (which my partner was a bit disappointed with, but which had a nice dressing) but the prawns were not well cooked and tasted like they had been boiled then fried in something which was quite difficult to identify. In short the dish was disappointing. We chose the steak chateaubriand, which was very well cooked with nicely cooked veg. My partner felt the meat was not very well flavoured, but to me I thought it tasted good. The puddings came on a trolley and there was lots of choice, and what we had was good, but they weren't fine dining sweets, by any stretch of the imagination.Tasty enough though. They brought a little dish of sweet things to finish our meal off, but we were too stuffed by them so the manager kindly wrapped them to allow us to take them away. A nice gesture. In short I think this is an average restaurant purporting in its prices to be a fine diner.The experience is expensive, and the food not always well cooked. The house wines are few, and on that occasion we had no choice but to have all three courses. The welcome is warm enough, but I've had better service. And the total bill with tip and an inexpensive wine was over £120 for two. Nice enough evening but worth the money? Not sure I'll be back soon.
written by on 06/12/2010
Although our party of 4 had a good night at the Punch Bowl I cannot help thinking that the price was extremely high for the quality of food served and service.
The home made crisps during pre-dinner drinks are a nice touch. However a single G&T at £5.50 and small larger at £3.50 I thought it was a little over priced. The menu was varied but we were not told and it wasn't clear that it was a set 3 course for I believe £45 for Fri & Sat night, as there are no prices visible on the menu.
My parents are unable to eat much so when I told them this the response was 'well you have to pay the full amount so may as well order a starter' I felt this was rather unaccommodating. The food was OK but not worth the price tag (we had to send two steaks back due to being cooked incorrectly) with no apology! Plus the main course came with fried potatoes and small amount of over cooked veg on the plate. The wine list is impressive and endless and the dessert trolley appetizing but overall the waiting staff didn't seem overly happy to be there and the food definitely didn't live up to its price tag. Having previously visited the punch bowl for special occasions I felt a little let down on this visit and won't be going back anytime soon.
written by gastronomy on 15/03/2010
Restaurant perhaps becoming over complacent about its popularity.
Last visit in March 2010 slightly disappointing. Unlike previous times, gone were the complimentary champagne sorbets and little tasters from the kitchen.
Varied menu. House wine a safe bet for those daunted by the long wine list.
Quality of food- vegatables overcooked. Dishes genearally OK, but nothing special.
Value for money- Overpriced. Slightly surprising to find no prices on menus.
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