The Butcher’s Tap and Grill — Restaurant in England

Not sure if it’s the covid hangover, the crazy inflation and supply chain issues but something is wrong at the Butcher’s Tap and Grill.

We arrived to find it about 2/3 full, busy but not crazy. We ordered the chicken burger and the classic burger. Two sides of Parmesan cheese and truffle chips. This took 25 min to arrive. Yes, 25 min to rustle up two burgers and chips… other tables ordered after us and were served before us so it wasn’t a busy thing, it was a disorganisation thing. Anyway, we were looking forward to the chips - at £6,50, this was going to be good! Well… they came in a box which was a little weird but okay. We opened the box. French fries with a blob of mayo and some Parmesan cheese grated on top - for £6.50…Maybe some truffle in there somewhere but like a grain of gold in a swamp, not worth looking for. For the price (nearly double that of normal French fries) I was embarrassed for the owners. So, things were bad to begin with but we could only go up from here right? Wrong.

If you look up “bland” in the dictionary, there is probably a photo of these two burgers. Completely tasteless with no seasoning at all, not even salt or pepper. The cheese was processed, like the kind that comes out of a tube. It was supposed to come with roasted onions - er… a mushy paste like mess of what can only be described as fried onions and very little of them, was smeared on the bottom bun. The burger was so bad I could not finish it (and I had skipped breakfast to make room for this treat). The chicken burger was slightly better (which isn’t saying much) and no way was that buttermilk fried chicken. Bland and tasteless, again with no seasoning at all, not even salt or pepper.

To be fair, they are advertising for a grill job at the moment so possibly there is nobody there who knows how to cook. In any event, whoever is cooking needs serious training. How hard is it to screw up a burger? Not that hard, apparently.

It was our first and last time. What was supposed to be a special occasion ended up leaving a bad taste in the mouth. After leaving we went to a coffee shop down the road and bought some decent...

A surprising find on a Friday night.

My Wife and I stumbled upon this place by chance as we were in town for a wedding. From the outside it seems like a generic pub. The menu outside the entrance hints there there is something different - ribs, interesting burgers, and the ability to buy meat to take home; our interest was piqued.

We went in to find the place fairly busy. Not packed, but there were only perhaps two tables available. A moderately trendy vibe without trying to be pretentious. Jeans and t shirt were as welcome as something a little smarter.

We found two seats right next to the kitchen. These were bar-type seating rather than a full table, but were plenty big enough. There was also seating outside.

The staff were friendly, if busy. Ordering was via the till. There was a good selection of beers and other drinks, but the food is certainly the main event.

The kitchen was wonderfully run by two chefs, with occasional assistance from the waiting staff. It was a pleasure to watch, seeing as we were sat right next to it.

We had deep-fried macaroni to start, they arrived as sizeable arancini-like delights covered with fresh hard cheese. The plating was perfect. My Wife had the chicken burger, which comes as a Caesar salad re-imagining with a coated chicken breast, Caesar sauce and garnishes. Mine was a pulled-pork topped beef burger with a lightly picked slaw. Their black pudding add on was wonderful. Although we didn’t partake, the meat counter has a butchers selection of meats which you can purchase to take home, or select to be cooked for you there. This includes steaks.

We spent £60 between us, including drinks which I thought was very reasonable indeed. This was a wonderful local find, vastly superior to the chains further down the high street. The food was excellent and the whole experience was memorable. I would happily seek it out if I am in the area again, and you...

I had a disappointing and unfriendly experience at this restaurant. My friend and I both ordered medium-rare Bavette steaks. However, when they were served, we immediately noticed a clear difference in color and doneness between the two steaks.

I approached one of the staff members and explained that my steak, which I ordered medium-rare, was clearly undercooked and closer to rare, especially compared to my friend’s, which was properly cooked to medium-rare. Instead of addressing the issue politely, the staff member responded by asking, “Is this your first Bavette steak?” — a comment that felt patronizing and made me feel as if I didn’t know anything about steak.

The steak was taken back to the kitchen to be recooked, but unfortunately, the situation only worsened. Part of the steak came back overcooked, while another part remained undercooked. It had clearly been quickly seared on too high a temperature, rather than simply further cooked.

I raised my concern again, and I believe the manager came over. Rather than trying to de-escalate the situation, she chose to defend the kitchen by stating that all Bavette steaks are cooked to the same temperature. However, it was clear from the appearance and taste that the two steaks were cooked very differently.

Overall, I did not feel comfortable being questioned about my experience with steak, and I was disappointed that the staff focused more on defending themselves than on resolving the issue professionally.

I feel that this experience was not typical of the one which they...