Quite Simply French - Restaurant with Rooms — Restaurant in Lancaster

I had high expectations for this place, but unfortunately, my experience didn’t quite live up to them. I had dinner there and ordered a variety of dishes: chorizo chipolatas with sausages and bacon, prawns in the shell, fried goat cheese, frog legs, and mussels with chips.

To be completely honest, my favorite parts of the meal were the chips, the olivada (olive sauce) that came with the goat cheese, and the mussels' sauce. However, the quality of the ingredients didn't align with the price, and the portion sizes were also a bit disappointing. Of course, if the quality had been better, the price and portion size would have been more reasonable.

The prawns were a major letdown. I’m used to fresh seafood, and these prawns were clearly frozen, possibly reheated—they were tough, chewy, and lacked flavor. I’ve honestly never had prawns that bad. I didn’t try the frog legs, but my partner was okay with them. The goat cheese was decent, but I wasn’t fond of it being deep-fried. I also thought the plate could have included more salad or greens to balance it out. The walnuts, too, were too sweet for my taste—almost sugary, without any caramelization. The chipolatas were good for the price. I only had the chorizo, which was tasty, but I really would have appreciated some bread with it—it felt a bit plain without it. I had been excited to try the mussels, but unfortunately, they weren’t the small bouchot mussels I prefer. While the flavor was good, I wasn’t sold on the larger ones they served. The chips that came with the mussels were excellent, and the cheese tartlet was a pleasant surprise. I just wish there had been more chips on the plate.

The highlight of the evening was definitely the service and the atmosphere. Though it did get quite busy and there were only two servers, they did their best to keep up. They did forget to ask if we wanted dessert, but I understand how difficult that can be during peak times. The ambiance was relaxed, and the decor was lovely.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll return anytime soon, as food quality is an essential factor for me when dining out, and the meal didn’t meet my expectations. That being said, I might give their Sunday roast a try, as it comes highly...

Viewers of the following review are warned:

I like French food and the European style of dining. I adore seafood and good wine. Creative recipes and new combinations of flavours excite me. It was a special event.

This review is in danger of being gushing...

So all that aside let me first state that if you live in Lancaster and have never been to QSF (Quite Simply French) on St George's Quay you should go, go soon, in fact book now. If you are thinking of visiting Lancaster and want to eat good continental fare, then QSF should probably be first on your list.

Quite Simply put this is a really excellent place to eat. The food is always wonderful. The whole of the menu is prepared on site using the freshest ingredients sourced from good local (or small business) suppliers. The chefs are talented and enthusiastic about the flavours and this shows in the brio they put into creative menus that change daily.

In regards to presentation the food always looks good. If I were to be critical (which I do not really want to) I would say they often try to hard and need to restrain and think of the whole picture not the component parts when assembling a dish. But we shall have that criticism bunny shot now, as it doesn't matter, it tastes great.

The wine list is chosen well, as always there is the restaurant-tax of marked up prices, however the wines on the list are not common supermarket fare so have been selected with an experts palate. Even the house wines are worthy.

We haver visited QSF regularly (we often hold Christmas Parties there) and it was a simple choice to go for an anniversary. This time I used the new online booking service which was simple, painless and precise. As a reward for that we were treated to a complimentary cocktail.

One matter to be wary of. The food at QSF is cooked to order, there is no large racks of pre-prepared microwave meals so you will have a wait between courses and when they are busy. However the fresh baked, and complimentary breads, help to fill the gaps and also you can digest between courses and quaff a little more of...

Honestly, what an exceptionally amazing hotel this is. Where do I even begin? If you’re thinking of paying a visit to Lancaster and you are needing somewhere to stay, Quite Simply French has to be the one. Trust me, there are so many amazing things I can say about this hotel and its kind-hearted owner Robert Mason. Not only did Rob give up his hotel for me, he also accommodated other doctors and nurses who had to leave their homes in order to help our great NHS. I feel so lucky and blessed to have been given the opportunity to stay in this beautiful hotel for absolutely NO cost at all for 3 months during the covid-19 pandemic and I have to say this has been the best room that I have ever stayed in! If only I could take this room back home with me! There are no words to describe how much I have enjoyed my stay here at the amazing QSF.

The room, well WOW! Beautifully decorated boutique style, an extremely comfortable bed and the way everything just fits into place is just simply perfect. Even the simplest of things like the pillows and the duvet were so luxurious that meant after long stressful shifts and seeing countless patients, I always looked forward to having a beautiful sleep every night. The added bath was a beautiful bonus. The images you see online only give you a partial glimpse of reality as you really do need to see it to believe the sheer opulence that the hotel reflects.

Even during lockdown, room service still continued. The hospitality that Rob and his team showed was truly heart-warming. He always made sure that throughout the stay I was always comfortable and ensured that clean linen, towels and bedding were cleaned to hotel standards.

If anyone out there reads this review, and your mind is unsure, just go for it. Not only will you be guaranteed to enjoy your stay, but you will be supporting a local business that has definitely been there for our beloved NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you so much Rob...