What a miserable effort!

Called in on the off chance as I was passing through Oakham. Never tried this chain before.

Wanted to order a beer and food so asked the bar-lady if I could have a tab and she replied that they couldn't accomodate it. She advised me that on the menu some beers come free which seems a good idea unless of course, you fancy supping a beer whilst your choosing what you want to eat.

Nevertheless I ordered, (and paid for), a half pint and spent a few minutes looking at the menu. I decided on a Rump steak which seemed good value at around £9.00 with a pint of beer thrown in. I checked what came with the steak (chips, tomato, mushroom and peas) so I ordered it.

A short while later the waitress came with the fork, a steak-knife and a napkin. I had to ask her to replace the fork as it was filthy with grease and the remnants of a previous meal on it and she returned later with a replacement which was cleaner. However, when the main meal arrived it immediately was apparent that the steak (although a reasonable size) was not going to be great. I found that my serrated edged steak knife couldn't cut through it. I managed to eat about a thrid of it plus the chips etc.

When she returned later she asked me if I had finished. I replied that I had but was unable to finish the steak as I could not cut it. As I was still hungry and didn't want another steak (or the re-hashed remainder again) I simply asked for a couple of sausages to finish. Apparently this needed the approval of some higher authority but must have been granted as a short time later two sausages (of the chip shop variety) arrived on a side dish with nothing else.

Having been required to pay for my meal when ordering I decided to leave. The one star is for the pint and a half of Doom Bar which were quite good.

Needless to say I shall not be returning.