Star rating: *** Good hotel restaurants can of course have the edge when it comes to fine dining, yet their bar menus should not be ignored.
You can still enjoy their food, but at a cheaper price. You need not book, just wander in, find a free seat and table and peruse the menu at leisure. I could describe it as being fast food, yet perhaps “fast food with enough time to enjoy eating and digesting it properly at a table” could be more apt.
On deciding that we fancied a bite to eat early last Saturday night, Simon and myself drove across town to the White House Hotel at Muxton. An ever-popular and privately owned venue, it has a good reputation and lies in a good position.
It offered a lounge bar menu which was comprehensive, tempting and had good value prices.
An important thing to note however is that you have to get there early as they finish serving the bar meal menu at 6.30pm. I can only assume this must be to encourage you to eat in the hotel’s Oscars restaurant during the evening.
The lounge bar looked as if it had been recently redecorated in contemporary style and it was clean and comfortable. I was impressed at how friendly the staff were - they seemed to smile at you even if you were just there for a quick drink. And it was a no-smoking venue - a real plus when you want to eat in the lounge.
From the bar we ordered a large glass of red wine for me (£3.45) and a pint of Carling (£2.50). My wine was dark, full and satisfying. There were no complaints on the lager.
For starters I was delighted to choose my firm favourite - moules marinire. At £4.95 it was properly priced as a starter dish. Simon ordered a crayfish salad, again well priced at £5.95.
For our mains we ordered one eight-ounce sirloin steak (cooked to your liking, served with tomatoes and mushrooms) at £10.95, and a supreme of salmon (with Hollandaise sauce) at £7.95.
We did not have long to wait for our starters. They came beautifully presented. Simon’s crayfish were fresh and tasty and laid on a circle of what looked like avocado, with a salad garnish. It was an ample serving and he was absolutely delighted with it. It was not long before it disappeared off the plate.
My mussels were fresh and well presented. Some of the mussels had already been removed from their shells and dropped amid the shells and garlic sauce. The dish had a salad leaf garnish and was of a good portion and the sauce was tasty.
However, I would have preferred them to be hotter. They were warm but not piping hot. Also I was not given a bowl in which to put my empty shells, or a spoon to scoop up the sauce. While Simon went off in search of a spoon, his empty starter plate became home to the empty shells.
Yet there were to be no complaints whatsoever about our main courses. We were both delighted with them.
Simon’s steak looked good. He said it came as he ordered - medium - so it was not “running with blood”. It was also “easy to cut and chew and was tasty.” His mushrooms and tomatoes were given the thumbs up, as were his vegetables and chips. He was happy with the portion.
I was very pleased with my salmon. It was a big enough fillet of salmon; hot, tasty and it had a satisfying crunchy topping. The accompanying Hollandaise sauce was nice and yellow, of a good consistency, hot enough, and it went well with the dish.
For our vegetables we had both been served chips with their skins on, a chunk of swede, broccoli, carrots and peas. These were all hot, fresh and tasty.
By now we had no room for a pudding. Yet the bar menu does offer a good choice, which I have been told changes daily. I would imagine that they would be home-made, given the kitchen’s hotel status.
All in all it was a satisfying bar meal, at a fair price, in a pleasant setting.
contact details
Wellington Road, Muxton, Telford
Telephone: 01952 604276
MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Soup of the day (£2.95)
Home-made chicken liver patŽ (£3.50).
Main courses
Loin of pork glazed with mustard and brown sugar; Cajun chicken; (£7.95/£6.95).
Sides
Portion of chips (£1.95)
Desserts
Chocolate orange bavarois; home-made nutmeg custard tart with raspberry purŽe
and vanilla ice-cream (£3.95)
ATMOSPHERE
Relaxed in contemporary surroundings
SERVICE
Efficient and friendly (smiling) staff
DISABLED FACILITIES
New disabled toilets and access
SMOKING POLICY
No smoking throughout
Share this article:
What are these?