Bulls Head Meriden Coventry — Restaurant in Metropolitan Borough of Solihull

Pleasantly surprised by this venue. The venue is easy to find and well presented. I was there meeting friends for an evening meal and catch up, the atmosphere was great for our intended purpose. There are tables to suit groups, couples etc as some tables are fairly intimate and cosy. The menu was appealing with some great sounding dishes. Vegetarian options were listed on the main menu and an allergen booklet available. There was also a specials menu, I'm not sure if this was because it was a Sunday I visited or it's a daily thing.

When we were seated we were asked if we were ok for drinks etc and given time to peruse the menu and specials list. Being intolerant to gluten I was advised to check the menu for something I fancied / thought would be suitable then check the allergen information to see if it contained gluten. The allergen folder although easy to read was fairly large with a lot of dishes that were not actually on the menu. Making it more difficult to follow and find the dishes I was looking for.

When the waiter came to take our order he was friendly and pleasant. My two friends had settled on the Venison from the specials menu only to be told by the waiter that they had run out of that dish meaning that an alternative had to be chosen. Disappointed they both once again looked through the menu, in the meantime we ordered our starters.

My friends share the ‘Sticky Platter’ whilst I had the Lebanese-style beef kabobs. The platter was large and quite filling according to my friends. The beef kabobs were a good size for a starter, the meat was a little dry but nonetheless still tasty.

The mains arrived I had the Spit roasted chicken the others had Pork belly from the specials and Lobster and Devon crab fishcakes.

As the last main went on the table we were asked if there was anything else we needed, sauces, drinks etc.

All the dishes were well presented and we soon tucked in. The chicken was served with lemon and garlic confit, fries, a red wine jus, and aioli. To be honest there was not much of a lemon and garlic taste but the chicken was succulent and tasty, the jus was pleasant and the aioli had a nice tang to eat. All in all a nice flavoursome dish. There were no complaints from the other side of the table with regards to their food either and it was soon gone so i’m guessing it was good.

I was the only one to have desert and that was purely because the menu offered something different to the usual gluten free option you generally find. Lots of places offer the same gluten free desserts ‘Chocolate Brownie’ ‘ice cream’ ‘sorbet’ but this menu offered a gluten free sticky toffee pudding! They do also offer the belgian brownie, ice cream and Crème brûlée.

The pudding was served warm and came with a Bourbon Vanilla ice cream which was a great compliment in taste.

So a few downsides to the visit, one annoying that could have easily been avoided:

• If dishes from the menu, specials menu or main are not available then this should be conveyed to diners when seated. (The easily avoidable one)

• Maybe a sort out of the allergen info could be done to coincide with the current menu options.

• The toilet area (male obviously) was dirty and I do not just mean the daily dirt. Vents were thick of dust, beams had dust hanging from them. On top of the daily dirt this let the place down somewhat.

However, despite the three points above we all had a nice time with some well presented great tasting food which was reasonably priced.

The service we received from the two staff that we had dealing with was friendly, polite and helpful.

So all in all I would recommend this venue and if I am over that way again will more than likely dine there...

We visited here for lunch today, I can only hope they pay their chef good money, as the food was the only good point.

I reserved our booking online... brilliant & very easy. When we arrived we had to queue outside, in the rain, due to the 2 meter distancing. No, we don't hold the weather against the proprietors and was pleased to see that measures were being taken to protect their customers from Covid.

Once seated it wasn't too long before the waitress appeared to take our order ... so far so good.

We ordered Freshly Stonebaked Garlic & Mozzarella Pizzette, with rocket & Nocellara Olives, to share whilst waiting for our main meals. The Pizzette arrived with no Mozzorella on, which made us laugh, plus it was nice none the less. The Olives... well they were Olives! nothing fancy and again much enjoyed. We waited for the plates to arrive so that we could start eating the Pizzette, but after a few minutes had to ask for them before the Pizzette became cold. I'm unsure if they expected us to eat it without plates, but due to it dripping we weren't going to attempt it. We were made to feel like a nuisance for asking, but as he wasn't our waiter we overlooked his rudeness and tucked in.

When finished we didn't have to wait too long for our main meals to arrive. We were asked, by the same man that bought the plates if we would like any sauce and I asked for horseradish. Imagine my surprise when a used jar of horseradish with a crusty rim was dumped on the edge of the table, obviously Covid doesn't stick to horseradish! My thought at the time was "why ask if you don't want to give to us". By now I was getting the impression that this man wasn't having a good day, therefore we weren't going to get good service. Thankfully the meal was delicious so we brushed him off and hoped that the waitress would return in time for us to place our dessert order... and so she did.

Whilst clearing our empty plates the waitress accidently knocked over my drink.. it was only a cola and between my wife and myself we were able to stop it from pouring off the table and on to us. The waitress apologized profusely, offered to fetch another and then proceded to take our order... or I should say, attempted to. They had obviously had a busy day as each time we requested a dessert we were told they had sold out, it may have been easier had she said you can have either or!! So we decided against having a dessert and asked for the bill. This came quicker than anything else and I was amazed to see that they were still charging us for the cola that had been knocked over and not replaced. By now I just wanted out of there, so decided to take the plate with the bill and payment on to the cashier on our way out. I found it amusing that the Bill gets a plate even if your starters don't. We didn't leave a tip as I felt the cost of the Cola should cover the appauling service we received. We were thanked by the cashier and exited the restaurant. On our way to the car we heard someone behind us shouting "excuse me", I turned round to see our waitress rushing towards us and thought "She's come to return our money for the drink". No, to add insult to injury she smiled and said "Sorry but have you paid?"

The 1 star given is for...

As a driver, The Bulls Head has lots of parking, we got a spot very close to the entrance. First plus. We made our way inside and were greeted and seated by a friendly, cheerful staff member. Second plus. Ordering and payment were done at the bar, as were "drop ins", chancers if you like, no reservation so we seated in the bar area. This is a plus too, we will call it 'Second Plus a'. Our table was at end of a section, something unexpected for the serving staff, still we were served promptly and pleasantly. Our drinks, Red Wine for Fureya, Aspall Cider from a keg for me. Both of our drinks were delicious mine being served in a frosty glass. Third Plus. Our starters, Halloumi Fries served a Thai chili jam, and Salt and Pepper Squid served with a mayonnaise were the first culinary delights to grace our table. After tasting these we knew we were not at a "Greasy Spoon". I am making each of the starters a plus, so we are now at Fifth Plus. After a decent wait, time enough to clear the table and consult with the kitchen regarding a shortage of a Linguini dish I had ordered, our mains were placed before us. Fureya had ordered Maple Slow Cooked Pork Belly and Pigs Cheek with Scallops, for my self I received Seared Cod with Baby Potatoes. Their presentation and aromas were fulfilling. Their taste, incomparable, I heard from Fureya and made myself, only sounds of approval and enjoyment emanated from our table as we ate. Eighth Plus achieved. Desserts, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Honeycomb Ice Cream for I, and a Trio of Cheesecake Delights (or something similar, it's the morning after doncha know?) for Ma'am, were light, flavourful, tasty, and an absolute triumph in my mouth! Fureya rated the place with the five stars, and says that isn't enough. Eleventh Plus achieved. Great atmosphere and ambience, unobtrusive music, candlelight and low lighting give The Bull's Head is calling me back and to those who enjoy great! food I heartily recommend this Pub! Book first, you get the Dining Room, or just drop in and chance it, either way, you will enjoy your time and the meals served. Make a memory! Twelfth Plus achieved. Until...