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Roll out the barrel for a good pub meal
THURCROFT'S Double Barrel faces a few challenges in pulling in the punters for pub grub.
Its location, on Woodhouse Green, is pretty much hidden from most traffic travelling through the village.
And, just across the road, is the award-winning and well-known, but pricy, Consort Hotel.
So the Barrel sets out an alternative, aiming its tried-and-tested menu squarely at the ‘value for money’ market.
Keeping the menu simple, there are a handful of starters, none above 3 and then maybe a dozen main options.
Lighter alternatives are offered to all the meals, which is clearly a popular option with senior citizens and families out for a bargain meal.
To start, I went for the Yorkshire puddings (2). There were two, of reasonable size, and plenty of gravy.
It has always been something of a tradition at home, to have a few puds as a starter on a Sunday before a roast dinner. But it is a starter you don’t see often enough on restaurant menus for my liking.
The prawn cocktail starter (2.90) was something of a meal in itself. A healthy portion was accompanied with just enough sauce – with salad and bread and butter.
The Sunday lunch options were beef or pork, and there were a few specials jotted on the blackboards next to the bar, meaning plenty of choice.
And the light option of the roast beef (4.50) came with a selection of lovely fresh vegetables, and roast and mashed potatoes. It was the meat itself that was something of a disappointment here.
Rather than carvery-style slices, it was just a couple of fairly small cuts which failed to capture the imagination. Eating out for Sunday lunch, you expect something more.
‘Combo’ grills have become something of a popular feature on menus at the moment. It’s a great ploy to pin down customers, like myself, who would otherwise still be scouring the menu and trying to make a decision close to closing time.
The promise of a bigger variety of tastes plus the possiblity of it being a bigger meal equals an attractive choice on the blackboards.
I went for the scampi and chicken fillet combo, at a very reasonable 8.20. Both were tasty, but the highlight of the meal was the homemade chips.
The Double Barrel is a very friendly place, with smiling staff and great value for money. Living in the shadow of a much bigger establishment just a few yards across the road can’t be easy, but it puts up a decent fight.
If anything, the thing lacking at the Barrel is a unique selling point, a signature dish, or something else that would stick in the memory and ensure that word of mouth did its business.
But we had an enjoyable couple of hours there, and after finishing our meal, managed to catch the end of the Grand Prix on the spacious bar area’s big screen TV.
by Gareth Dennison
star rating HHH
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Weather for Worksop
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
