(Pub Food)
Friday // 17:00
Reviewer: Drew
The Yard
Unit B Espleys Yard
Stafford Riverside
Stafford
ST16 2EZ
The Yard overlooks the river going through Stafford center. Children are welcome, but it’s main selling point is it’s 5 flat screen TV’s, suitable for any sports fan on a match day. On weekend nights it takes on more of a club vibe with a dance floor cleared. Accessible via bridge (with ramps for disabled access), but no on site car parking.
Restaurant: 62/100
Service: 14/30
The venue was fairly clean and the staff ubiquitously friendly. Queue times were virtually non-existent, which was impressive considering I entered at 5pm on a Friday. The staff demonstrated a good knowledge of the menu, even going so far as to suggest a cheaper way to get our desserts - a buy one get one free offer on chocolate fudge cake that was not mentioned on the menu (and I checked, really I did!)
Decor: 12/20
The inside of the pub features a lot of dark woods giving a bit of a rustic feel, but with a modernist style. The location is spacious, offers a lot of comfortable seating and sofas you can sink into. A lot of eccentric artwork on the walls featuring animals with human bodies provided a bit of a talking point, and added to the overall theme of the venue. The only real complaint is the noise level with the music, which was above average and at times we found ourselves having to repeat ourselves as we were getting drowned out.
Drinks: 13/20
They had all the usual suspects you’d expect from a pub chain, with a selection of freshly prepared cocktails and mocktails. The staff didn’t have the greatest grasp of what they had on offer, but was more than adequate for the normal customers.
Value for Money: 17/20
Now, when it comes to value for money, that is where The Yard really began to shine, offering a big selection of offers - Beer and a Burger, two meals for £5.99 and a big eats section of the menu. All the dishes are on the mid to low end of the price spectrum, and you could easily dine for two on a tight budget.
Menu Selection: 6/10
The menu had all of the standard sections you’d expect, burgers, steaks, sandwiches, but mixed in a few more wild idea’s for dishes in a british pub. Notable examples would be a lot of mexicanized dishes, such as Burritos, Mexicano burgers, and a lot of alternatives to normal dishes (though I am, admittedly, a big fan of spice, so the mexican dishes really called to me!
Starter: 59/100
Sesame Chicken Bites tossed in Chipotle Sauce (£3.00)
Taste: 19/30
This dish was really delicious, and I found it very enjoyable. The batter was crisp and dry, no grease at all. The chicken was cooked just right, and wasn’t dry at all. The chipotle had the sharp tangy flavour you would expect, but not enough to overpower the more delicate flavour of the chicken. The salad added a bit of crunch to the dish, but could have done with a little more dressing on it
Presentation: 11/25
The dish was presented in a very simple fashion, the drizzle of sauce created a nice gleam over the chicken, and the salad added a much needed burst of colour. The extra sauce, whilst welcomed, was simply put into a paper cup.
Wait Time: 22/25
From the moment of ordering it took 12 minutes to arrive, which is obviously a very fast turn around.
Portion Size: 7/20
The portion size was adequate for a starter, if somewhat on the smaller side. You can scale it up, 2 starter dishes for £5, but that would likely have been too much for a starter.
Main Course: 41/100
Mexican Rancho Beef Burger - bacon, free range fried egg, guacamole & chipotle BBQ sauce (£6.99)
Taste: 7/30
This is where things went a bit downhill.
The burger was overcooked and dry, and dripping a substantial amount of grease (even for a burger). The bun was un-toasted, limp and lifeless. I couldn’t taste the Chipotle BBQ Sauce at all, and after deconstructing part of the burger it took me some time to find it the extremely liberal spread of it. Even the guacamole was out flavouring the Chipotle, and that is frankly mind boggling. Without the extra bite, this burger may as well have been a breakfast burger.
Oddest of all however, they chose to send it out with a thyme mayonnaise, which ignoring it’s questionable flavour really didn’t match the intended tone of the dish.
Presentation: 4/25
The presentation was basic, and didn’t look especially appealing. The chips were unevenly spread, and due to the greasiness of the burger, the napkin under it quickly became a squidgy mess. All in all, it didn’t look especially appealing on the plate.
Wait Time: 20/25
The dish arrived 15 minutes after ordering, which is on the very edge of excellent.
Portion Size: 10/20
The size of the portion I was given was distinctly average. I certainly wasn’t blown away, but it was quite filling.
Dessert: 53/100
Chocolate Fudge Cake w/o ice cream (£2.99, but reduced to half price - £1.48)
Taste: 17/30
Now things picked up again here. Obviously the cake was bought in and not handmade. They did remember to not serve it with ice cream, as requested, which is always a bonus. Ignoring where it was created though, the cake really did tick all the boxes, extremely rich and luxurious, and incredibly moreish.
Presentation: 4/25
Very basic and no frills, but hey, at least they plonked it near to the center of the plate!
Wait Time: 24/25
Arrived in 8 minutes, which is a nearly flawless response.
Portion Size: 8/20
Whilst it was delicious enough that I’d like to think I could eat another, I think the amount presented was enough so that the flavours didn’t get too sickly, and didn’t feel too bloated after it. I’d have liked a little more, but my major gripe is that nothing was offered to replace the ice cream, so I was left with half a dessert combo for the same price.
Overall Score: 215/400 (54%)
All in all, a thoroughly average meal, in a relatively pleasant pub. The starter and desserts were tasty, but hardly groundbreaking, but what really disappointed was the main course, which simply failed to deliver on almost every level. Certainly, however, the meal was filling and fairly cheap at £11.47 for three courses, running at roughly £15 including a couple of drinks.
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