Reviewer’s rating **

On a bitterly cold winter evening the Old Bell stood out like a beacon as the perfect respite from the weather and the chance to dig into some traditional pub fare.

I have walked or driven past the pub on a number of occasions and have always fancied giving it a try given its close location to the town centre and welcoming ambience.

So when my girlfriend Alison and her friend Leanne, who had come to visit, searched for somewhere to dine out for the evening we decided to finally put it to the test.

It was a Friday night and we hadn’t booked in advance but we had no difficulty in getting a table.

The bar area was busy although relaxed, with people either enjoying a wind down with a drink or a meal to start their weekend.

We were given the option of eating in the bar or the dining area on the other side of the pub.

We decided upon the latter, probably for fear my attention would be distracted by a sports channel on one of the several TV screens.

Until relatively recently the Old Bell looked a tired and shabby pub, but following a revamp it has been completely transformed.

Inside there is now contemporary furniture, historic pictures and canvasses on the walls and a totally different layout.

Guided to our seats, I was surprised to see only a handful of tables in use on an evening you would expect would be one of the busiest of the week.

Unperturbed we sat in our seats and began to scan the menu. I have to say none of us were exactly blown away by the variety but there seemed to be enough to satisfy.

Now I should mention here that Leanne is a vegetarian and I was worried that she may be even less spoilt for choice. There was a roasted vegetable tart as a main course, but unless you fancied that, options were a bit thin on the ground.

The young waitress who served us took our order for drinks and advised us to check out the specials board for inspiration for main courses, with offerings such as lamb shank, salmon and pork dishes.

For a starter I fancied something light and tasty and opted for the soup of the day, which was tomato and basil with croutons and bread. Leanne joined me in choosing the soup while Alison chose tiger king prawns cooked in garlic butter and served on a bed of mixed lettuce.

We didn’t have to wait long for our starters to arrive but instead of enjoying a nice crusty bread roll to accompany our soup we were served triangular shaped pieces of bread.

Maybe it was an apologetic gesture to make up for the inferior replacement but the fact the bread came with a rock-hard slab of butter didn’t make it go down any easier.

To be fair, the soup was enjoyable and offered a pleasant kick provided by the basil. Alison said her prawns were succulent and flavoursome, giving her encouragement for her main course.

I had really liked the sound of the 8oz Balmoral rib-eye steak but was left disappointed after hearing that they had sold out because “everyone” had chosen it.

I instead chose the 8oz sirloin steak, which I asked to be cooked medium to well done. When it came it was nicely cooked, retaining its tenderness and was served with chips and a small portion of salad.

A mustard-based dressing used for my salad and the one accompanying Alison’s scampi main course left an unpleasant after-taste.

But the biggest let down has to be Leanne’s carbonara. Given the limited choice of vegetarian options she had asked for the Italian favourite but without the bacon.

The waitress said this would be no problem but returned to say there were no mushrooms left and the chef was concerned she would be serving just tagliatelle and cheese sauce.

Instead she recommended an alternative dish of tagliatelle in a tomato and basil sauce, which Leanne agreed to.

She said it was okay but the fact she left half a plateful told me she was either simply being polite or just fed up of tomatoes.

By the end of our mains we were beginning to feel full. The waitress came to collect our plates but didn’t offer us dessert. We learned that food is not served after 9pm at The Old Bell.

On the whole,the pub serves decent food in fair-sized portions, but the lack of choice and the fact some of the dishes could not be served because ingredients were in short supply was very disappointing.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters – Soup of the day (£3.50); Mushrooms and Stilton (£3.95)

Main courses – Homemade carbonara with house salad and garlic bread (£7.95); Steak burger with red onion, cheese and side garnish (£6.95); Roasted vegetable tart with goat’s cheese served on a tomato and basil compote (£7.50)

Desserts – Chocolate fudgecake (£3.95); Treacle pudding (£3.95)

ATMOSPHERE

Warm and friendly

SERVICE

Average

DISABLED FACILITIES

Disabled access available and wheelchair-accessible toilets

Contact

The Old Bell, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury – telephone (01743) 357547.