I have wanted to try Purnell's for ages but can't afford to at the moment, so when I saw online they have a Purnell's Bistro, I was very excited as the menu is very reasonably priced and they offer a Prix Fix Menu for three courses for £20.00 - which is pretty damn good value! The food isn't Michelin Star standard, it is simpler and more relaxed and the prices match. I met my best friend, Matt after work on a weekday and this is where we decided to eat, I was very intrigued and excited to sample the food.
The service at the bar was very good and we got our drinks quickly and he was very friendly. We were shown to our table and give menus, which was small but it had a few very nice sounding dishes on it as well as the Prix Fix menu which is on a blackboard on the wall at the back of the restaurant, I think this would work better if it was on an actual menu as it is hard to read on the blackboard if you are sat far away. We both decided to do this menu as it is very good value.
The service changed throughout the meal and confused me, it started off very good but almost too good - we had literally been sat down 30 seconds and they asked if we were ready to order, which obviously we were not. Then, when we did order the food, the server asked if we needed more drinks, which again was strange as we had full glasses. But, when we did have empty glasses after our main courses nobody asked us if we needed more drinks and when Matt did order a pint of Carling, it took nearly 10 minutes to come. This was a bit disappointing as the service started so good and it ended up very up and down - they couldn't quite work out when to come over and when not to.
Starter
Rare Beef with Parmesan & Mustard Cream
This was presented very well and it was good, the beef was very rare and tender, I could've had more parmesan on top of this though as I couldn't really taste it. But the dish went really well with mustard cream, it was wholemeal mustard mixed with cream to make a thick sauce. This complimented the beef very well and I enjoyed this starter.
Main
Mullet with New Potatoes & Pea Puree
This was very small, and yes I didn't expect massive portions as Prix Fix menus usually offer smaller portions than the normal menu but this was VERY small. The piece of fish was smaller than my hand, this was disappointing to me. The fish was cooked very well and was flaky but had a crispy skin, the potatoes were very well seasoned with a fluffy middle and a crispy outer skin, the pea puree was more like mushy peas to be honest, it was not what I expected, I thought it would be more sauce like as the description stated. It was a good meal but it really needed a sauce as it was quite dry and the dish would of been a lot better if it had one. I was a little disappointed with this main course to be honest and was expecting more, especially from Purnells Bistro.
Dessert
Black Forest Gateau
After the main course I wasn't too sure how to feel about the next course but, this dessert was delicious. I LOVE Black Forest Gateau and this one was very good, it was moist, gooey and full of flavour. It was the perfect blend of chocolate and cherry and it tasted so good, it did help make up for the disappointing main course slightly.
Over all, I wasn't actually that impressed with Purnells Bistro which was very disappointing as I had heard so many good things and the blogger girls recommend it to me. The venue is stunning, the drinks are very good, the bar service was attentive however, the service at dinner was very strange and up and down, the food was average and it was overpriced. I don't know if I went on an off-day but I wouldn't return in a hurry, at £27 a head with drinks, I could think of better places to go. Sorry but true.
*This review was paid for by me but all opinions are my own, as always.
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