The Tasting Rooms is something of a hidden gem. The name implies a relaxed, comforting atmosphere, but with a penchant for nibbles and platters, rather than fine dining. Although I was right in the former, with fat, sink-into-me leather sofas adorning the lower level, the mezzanine that looks over the bar area provides a welcome respite from those there simply for the booze. The Tasting Rooms certainly does booze well, and with over 50 bottles of wine available by the glass due to their bottling technique, it really is a place to indulge your love of alcoholic grape juice. We chose to sample the house red which was simply wonderful; fairly light and fruity which went well with our choice of food, and certainly didn’t break the bank at under £13 for a bottle. We had decided to hit the restaurant for its pre-theatre menu, and were certainly not disappointed by the quality of food, and the price was certainly right, with three courses and half a bottle of wine each for under £25.
The small but sweet menu hit the right spot with the starters, with the perfect size to tease you into the main meal. The battered tiger prawns were succulent and juicy, and my stilton and bacon salad with port reduction hit the right amount of textures and flavours perfectly.
The mains however, felt like an afterthought. Although my pork loin in a cider cream sauce was flavoursome, the sides were plain and boring; overcooked broccoli, undercooked carrots and plain new potatoes. My dining partner felt the same, a gorgeous, melt-in-the-mouth chicken ballotine stuffed with haggis was accompanied with the same dull sides. A swirl of mash dressed up as pomme puree, or even some crispy roast potatoes could have lifted the mains to higher heights.
Luckily The Tasting Rooms redeemed themselves with some seriously tempting desserts, and the sticky toffee pudding had a delicious depth of flavour with a great tooth-suckingly sweet toffee sauce surrounding a dense square of sponge. And my cheesecake of the day was like two desserts rolled into one; the apple and cinnamon flavour was reminiscent of a hunk of apple pie and possibly one of the best cheesecakes I’ve tasted. We left, comfortably full of wonderful food with a smile on our faces. If that was just a taster, I’d love to return for the full menu.
Rating: 4 ouf of 5
