A Gamey experience

Review – The Boars Head, Herongate, Brentwood. 21^st October 2011

As we enter the car park of the Boar's Head on the edge of Brentwood, Essex just before 8pm, we assume this newly revamped pub by Chef and Brewer must full as there are just a few spaces available in the car park. However, on entering, there are not many other customers so the excess cars parked outside are somewhat of a mystery?

Never mind. this pub has real character and charm and we love the cosy feeling as we enter. There is now just a small bar area, but large enough to stand and enjoy a pre-dinner drink. It has a nice informal feel about it and you can choose to sit in the bar area and enjoy a meal or a larger more dining room type area. As we are slightly early, we choose a nice table by the bar which although appears reserved, they kindly allow us to keep rather than move to our pre booked table. A nice thought and it's these little touches that really impress.

Now to the menu, or should I say menus! Someone in C&B menu design department has been quite creative here as there are no less than 5 different menus on our table. If you multiply that by four as we were, then we are gathered around a small table nearly collapsing under the weight of menus!

There's an everyday menu which is really quite extensive, a Sunday Menu, a menu for mid-week, a rather nice game menu and of course the Christmas menu, after all it is October.

Finally, we all opt for the Game menu at a fixed price of £15.99 for two courses. I had printed off and bought with me a £5.00 discount voucher, but sadly we are told this cannot be used in conjunction with a fixed price menu. The game menu gives two starter options and I choose the game pate as opposed to the mini venison pie. This arrives with two big chunky pieces of toast, some nice tangy pickle and a small side salad.  Sadly the pate is really quite bland, lacking both in seasoning and any form of gamey taste. It has the appearance of coming straight out of a packet being rather uniform in shape.

I then opt for a main of roast Partridge with leeks and celeriac mash. This arrives nicely cooked and the Partridge is even boned and stuffed, although the apple and celeriac mash is rather lumpy and could be much more creamy and smoother. My guest orders the Wild Scottish Venison and again this is nicely cooked and presented.  The other guests go for the Roast Pheasant with a nice red wine sauce and a rather large portion of sweet potato mash.

We found the service attentive and excellent throughout with the bar offering a good range of drinks to choose from, including some nice cask ales. Drinks when ordered are bought straight to our table by a nice Welsh chap called Roy although his badge simply says "duty manager", rather than his name?

Overall a very pleasant meal with nice service. Sadly, when we check our bill later, we see that we were charged full price for our food, rather than the set price for two courses, which is a bit of a disappointment, especially as we were told we could not use our £5.00 discount voucher.

However, despite this we are keen to return and sample the other four menus, when we have time to read them all, that is.