(Pub Food)
Wednesday // 15:00
Reviewer: Drew
The Picture House
Bridge Street
Stafford
ST16 2HL
The Picture House first opened its doors as a cinema in 1914, and continued on as a cinema through to the 1990’s, after which Wetherspoons bought it and converted it into the venue it is today.
Now it is a sizeable venue with a beer garden overlooking a river. Set at the end of the main road through the town center it is an easy location to find, however car parking anywhere near before 6pm can be a hassle.
Restaurant: 65/100
Service: 10/30
The venue was not as rigorously clean as many of the venue’s I’ve been to, but still the tables and bar were cleaned regularly. No big queues to get served, however the main issue I had was they were a bit lacking on clearing plates away, once they were clearing away my plates as they brought the next course. Several times rather than walk around the table we were asked to pass plates down across people. The staff however, were fairly friendly.
Decor: 14/20
Due to the historical nature of the venue, the walls have many posters from the movies of yesteryear proudly displayed on the walls. What remains of the original archetectural stylings are suitable impressive, however it could use a fresh coat of paint and some of the ceiling fixtures were displaying prominent cracks.
Drinks: 13/20
All the usual suspects present at pub chains were present and accounted for, and a selection of local brewery beverages available. Plenty of non-alcoholic options were available, but lacking mocktails.
Value for Money: 17/20
Of course, been a Wetherspoons, the value for money is there. Plenty of deals to get your food cheaper if you are there with a friend, beer and a burger deals, and special menu nights all serve to keep a little bit of your money in your pockets.
Menu Selection: 6/10
Again as a wetherspoons it was very vegetarian friendly offering many dishes with vegetarian options. Steaks, curry’s burgers and the usual pub favourites were on offer, but lacking in any locally sourced produce.
Starter: 56/100
Southern-Fried-Style Chicken Strips (£3.60)
Taste: 17/30
The batter was firm and crisp, the chicken well cooked and juicy, this was a delight to eat, the bit of peppercorn in the batter adding a little bit of complexity to the flavour. What let the dish down a little however, was the sauce, which lacked any real defining flavour, and wasn’t mixed well as the bottom of the pot was mostly unmixed (what I assume was) mayonnaise.
Presentation: 9/25
Neat and tidy, but a bit over simplistic, as it is merely chicken strips thrown onto a plate with a pot of sauce
Wait Time: 22/25
It took around 10 minutes to arrive, which isn’t bad going for a starter.
Portion Size: 8/20
Ample sized portions, and just the right amount of sauce. I would perhaps have liked another strip, but perhaps that’s more to do with how tasty they were!
Main Course: 55/100
Reggae Reggae Chicken Wrap with sliced chicken breast (£5.30)
Taste: 11/30
Let’s start with the positive on this one, the chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, damn fine chips all told. The chicken was well cooked and juicy, and the sauce was plentiful and had a nice gentle taste to it. The wrap itself however was dry and cracked - usually a sign it’s past its best. As you can see, one of the wraps bases was entirely cracked, making it really awkward to try and eat.
Presentation: 15/25
The plate was neat set out and warm. A little bit of thought had gone into the presentation, the way one wrap was pinned up to display it’s contents at a slightly off angle to the other rounded the plate out well.
Wait Time: 22/25
The meal arrived after 11 minutes, which for a main course is extremely fast turnaround.
Portion Size: 7/20
The size was adequate but felt a bit lacking after I had finished, certainly it left me wanting to eat more, which for a main isn’t ideal. Perhaps a small side salad would have made it a bit more of a meal.
Dessert: 48/100
Belgian Waffle with maple syrup - no ice cream (£2.60)
Taste: 11/30
A bit overly sickly, but still I would have like a bit more syrup as it tasted a little bit dry. The waffle itself was bordering on overdone. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t terribly impressive
Presentation: 8/25
Plain neat, no frills, but not a lot of effort required. At least the bowl was drip free!
Wait Time: 25/25
Arrived in 6 minutes. I can’t fault that at all.
Portion Size: 4/20
Distinctly underwhelming and not filling in the least.
Overall Score: 224/400 (56%)
A fairly average and reasonably priced outing ( £11.50 + drinks). Truth be told I have a bit of a softspot for the venue due to it’s history and architecture. A fair meal for the price paid, and the venue doesn’t play music so it is an ideal place to eat and talk with friends.
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