This particular restaurant I've always wanted to try, I've been to most of Paul's 'Lovely Pubs' but I've never been to The Boot, even though its only down the road from me! Jayne and I decided to go for a late dinner after Jayne finished work. We didn't get there till about 8.15 and they were so busy, we asked for a table for 2 and we got the last table in the place! The waiter explained that we could experience a wait for our food as they had a massive party out the back, that was okay with us so we looked at the menu whilst the waiter got our drinks. The menu was SO nice, all the choices sounded so good-it was very difficult to decide. They offer up to 15 starters, 10 mains and up to 7 desserts-SO much choice.
We decided to go for one of the sharing platters to start.
Baltic Board: crayfish cocktail, smoked salmon, rollmops, potted smoked mackerel, celeriac remoulade, lemon, crostini
£15.95
We decided to swap the rollmops for extra smoked salmon, as neither of us like rollmops. The presentation was very good, food always looks good on a wooden board! I felt for the price for a starter, there could've been slightly more food but I understand at these kind of restaurants, portion size isn't important. However, it tasted delicious. The crayfish cocktail was very good, I love crayfish anyway, it tastes between lobster and crab, they are nicer than prawns though and they work so well with the cocktail marie rose sauce. The smoked salmon, was as expected to be honest, I don't really like salmon but smoked salmon is SO good-very oily fish so therefore very good for you and incredibly tasty. The potted smoked mackerel-mmm so good! Its mackerel pate mixed with cream and chives and sometimes horseradish, it was so tasty and goes so well with the crostini bread-perfect starter. Every part was delicious and we ate it all!
10/10
After our starters were taken away the waiter told us the main course could take a while but we were happy to wait as the starter had filled us up slightly.
Confit of free range pork belly, BBQ glazed cheek, charred leeks in a sweet and sour onion sauce
£15.50
Side: Honey & Mustard Roasted Carrots
To be fair, the portion size this time was actually a reasonable size and really well presented. The meal looked so tasty, the way it was placed on the plate and the different colours, especially the carrots and parsnips too. They looked very vibrant. All the sides The Boot has to offer sound so yummy but we both love honey roasted vegetables so this side was a must! The taste itself was also delicious, as you all know I LOVE belly pork-my favourite and this one was no exception, it was tender in the middle but the outside was crispy as it should be. The BBQ braised cheek was unusual, I had never tried a pig cheek before and to be honest I wasn't very keen, I know its very under-rated but I don't like braised meat in general so I don't know if it was the actual taste I didn't like or the fact it was braised. But it was a nice touch with the meal and I'm glad I tried it. The charred leeks with the meal were yummy, I love leeks anyway, very oniony taste and they were extra nice as they were charred, so tasted almost BBQ-like. The sauce was also delicious, it went very well with the pork belly, my only criticism is that there wasn't enough sauce for me, but I do love my sauce! The carrots and parsnips were delicious, honey roasted vegetables are the best, especially when its carrots and parsnips. YUMMY! They went very well with the pork too. Very good meal, not a cheap main course but worth every penny.
9.5/10.
We decided to share a dessert as we were quite full.
White Chocolate Tart with Eton Mess Cream
£5.75
Very small dessert for the price, which I found annoying. There is no excuse for a small dessert especially when it wasn't cheap! It was presented very well though and looked good. The taste, wasn't exactly amazing. the tart was okay, I felt the taste was a bit plain and bland and could've had a bit more flavour. The Eton Mess cream, sounded very nice but in fact was very bitter and actually not very nice and didn't go very well with the tart I felt. It was an average dessert.
6.5/10.
Very happy I've finally tried The Boot, this is one of my favourites of the 'Lovely
Pubs.' They are so hard to define as they are very similar but this one was very good, lovely setting, really nice decor, good service and yummy food. What more do you need? Just slightly over priced but I would go back again.
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