Boyne Arms, Burwarton ? Shropshire Star

Rating: ** Sharon Walters goes home to cheese on toast after a disappointing meal.

It is very rare that reviewers go home hungry after dining out for the purposes of these columns ? but I did just that last Saturday and had to make myself cheese on toast for supper.

What is even more annoying is that my partner certainly did not go hungry with his food choices and could barely contain his smugness.

Let?s start at the beginning at The Boyne Arms in Burwarton, between Bridgnorth and Ludlow.

I called rather late to check if there was a table available and was told they were very busy but if we got there soon after 6pm we would be all right. That was fine and we set off across country from the Corvedale.

We had a table in the lounge bar, and to be fair it is really a dining room, with all tables used for food that night.

I spotted a venison and Shropshire ale pie with blue cheese crust (?9.95) and immediately chose this for my main course. I deferred on a starter as I expected such a dish to be hearty and did not want to leave food on my plate. How wrong I was.

Neil had seared scallops with pea puree and black pudding (?7.75) to start, a dish that was perfect in every way. The scallops had just been shown the pan, the black pudding was a good consistency and the pea puree was fresh and just a little bit crunchy. He was smiling a lot already.

Next he had the local rib-eye steak (?14.25). It was requested as medium and it was just so ? a little pink in the middle and so tender that he scarcely needed a knife to cut it. It was served with home-cooked chips, peas, crisp onion rings, juicy tomato and mushrooms that actually tasted of fungi and not the bland imposters so often passed off as the real thing.

Meanwhile I took one look at my dish and did a double take. It appeared to have been thrown on to the plate with some cabbage and root mash with little care or thought in presentation, unlike the other two dishes ordered. I know dishes don?t have to be artworks on a plate but this one was a little too Jackson Pollock for me.

Inside The Boyne Arms, Burwarton

The ?crust? was so crusty it was burned black and if it had ever seen blue cheese it must have been many years ago. I cut into it to see if anything could be salvaged but sadly no. The venison was tough and I couldn?t even tell if it was meat from a deer. At this point I asked Neil to have a taste to see if I was being too critical because of the dish?s appearance, but no he said he would not have eaten it and continued tucking into his steak.

I like my vegetables al dente but the cabbage was almost raw. A plus point was that the mash was delicious.

Shortly after the dishes arrived the waitress asked if everything was OK. I pointed at the ?crust? and she shook her head and disappeared. I had no chance to mention the other problems. Neil continued to enjoy his meal and the waitress did not come back. Other diners around me were also enjoying their meals and I was miffed.

An almost full plate was taken from the table and nothing was said. Well the waitress knew we weren?t going to be charged but I didn?t and my dismay grew.

When Neil suggested a pudding I gave him a filthy look and said no!

When paying at the bar Neil spotted our drinks had not been added to the bill or my main course and pointed it out. Mistake with the drinks, he was told, and they were added on, while the waitress said chef had told him not to charge for my main course.

Why didn?t someone tell me that at the table and offer to put something together quickly while I watched Neil eat? Not charging was the right thing but not following through was very lacking. Maybe it was lack of training for staff, I don?t know.

It was very bad luck that I got what appeared to be the only duff meal of the evening, it was redeemable but sadly that was not followed through.

ADDRESS
Boyne Arms, Bridgnorth Road, Burwarton WV16 6QH
Tel: 01746 787 214

MENU SAMPLE
STARTERS
Beetroot soup with crusty bread and butter (?4.50)
Confit duck leg with mixed leaves and gooseberry chutney (?6.95)

MAINS
Lightly spiced chicken breast served with butter beans, tomato and spinach on rice (?12.75)
Vegetable hotpot, vegetables braised in Hobsons beer with a potato topping (?11.50)

SIDES
Chips (?2.25)
Onion rings (?2.50)
Side salad (?2.75)

Source: http://www.shropshirestar.com/lifestyle/dining-out/2012/02/06/boyne-arms-burwarton/

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