Plough & Harrow Aldridge — Restaurant in Walsall

Myself, my family and especially my parents are extremely disappointed following our recent visit to this restaurant in order to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. After hearing such positive reviews both online and from friends and family, this unfortunately did not reflect our experience at all!

After a two hour wait from being seated, the quality of food was unacceptable once it had arrived. We sent back a number of dishes due to the fish containing no fish at all (and it containing no more the second time around) as well as cold mushroom starters which arrived back only luke-warm. The steak pies were touch and go with the quality, two being okay and the other being full of gristle. One family member forced it down due to being starving as a result of the wait, and the other leaving the majority of their meal. As well as this, the beef-dripping gravy seemed to contain no beef and a polite request of well-cooked vegetables was ignored by the kitchen (the waitress was accommodating and were observed noting this down on their tablet) The front of house staff were apologetic and as well as the manager, who offered a significant amount off the bill. This was appreciated but unfortunately does not cover the amount of upset and poor memories my parents will hold of their significant anniversary meal. Both during the meal and afterwards several family members have questioned their choice of venue due to being completely dissatisfied. The people surrounding us seemed to be satisfied with their experience, unlike ourselves, so perhaps avoid if you are require a larger party as it seems they cannot accommodate this reasonably.

Despite the poor quality of a number of the meals, it also seemed apparent that the portions do not reflect the price, especially with the starters.

When my grandfather rang the restaurant the following day to express his upset about the whole experience, as well as to inform them that two family members including himself were sick upon their return home, the manager told him it was dealt the previous day and put the phone down. I am more than happy to pay that little bit but extra for good quality food and prompt service, but having waited two hours for such poor meals I am afraid this is totally unacceptable and ruined this ever-so...

Disappointing birthday lunch on Sunday

I ordered a Starter of Sauteed Mushrooms mixed (i.e. a variety of mushrooms) for £7.75. There were only three very tiny button mushrooms and 1-2 slightly larger than tiny button mushrooms on a tablespoon of cold potato mash and not enough sauce which had no flavour. The Starter was tasteless, un-appetizing and disappointing to receive. This was not value for money and a dish that could not be classed as a “Starter” due to its tiny size and lack of variety (mixed) mushrooms. There was not a mix/variety of mushrooms as stated on the menu, only button mushrooms. I was expecting something a little more exciting as there was NOT a variety of mushrooms only button mushrooms and very little of a sauce which had no flavour on cold mash. I notice the mushrooms starter was on the special menu handed to us on entry and not on the Starter Menu on the Plough and Harrow website. This is misleading. The 7oz Fillet steak was again tiny, approx. 7 x 5 cm at the most, again not value for money at £37.90 +VAT. The chips were white, soggy, undercooked and cold. I had not visited the Plough and Harrow for at least 8-9 years and was very disappointed once again at a pub that has been taken over by M&B on the basis of the excellent reputation it had previously as an “independent” pub restaurant, but the quality not being continued on the new ownership. As this was a celebration lunch, I did not ask the other party members about the quality of their food but I could see it was not value for money in any way shape or form. Also, the chair I was sitting on had a stain at the back – it looked like food and I was itching for the next 24 hours because I suspect, mites from the chair. I think that upholstery chairs should be shampooed and at least vacuumed occasionally to keep the dust mites down. With the high prices that are being charged at the Plough and Harrow for food, the quality should be unquestionable and be an enjoyable experience not a disappointment. On arrival all the disabled parking spaces were taken and most had no blue badge...

Nice ambience, but the food turned out to be disappointing and the less said about the service, the better.

Our waitress was pleasant and chatty but she had no idea about the draught beers available or the name of the Sauvignon Blanc.

We ordered pan-fried prawns but the 5 prawns were actually stewed in a spicy, orange sauce and was very messy to eat with your fingers. We received one small bowl of lemon water for cleaning our sticky fingers, which we had to share. The Sticky Chicken was also smothered in a spicy, sweet and sour sauce. Inside the stuffing-flavoured batter was a tiny piece of chicken thigh meat. You'd have expected chicken breast for the price, but I suspect these are also supplied frozen and ready to fry. Someone has already done the financial engineering to ensure it complies with the minimum requirement for chicken nuggets.

The sea bass fillet was small and succulent, but it was served on a pile of boiled vegetables. The Steak and Malbec pie was the tastiest I've tried in a long time, served with extra gravy. The Cod and Chips with peas had been left under the plate warmer for too long and the garden peas had shrivelled up.

We ordered a second round of drinks when our main courses arrived but they arrived after we had finished our meals, in spite of repeat requests to have them brought to the table.

This restaurant could be busier if only there was a restaurant manager. The staff need to be focused on anticipating what diners need. They should also be allowed to try the entire menu. Our waitress couldn't recommend any of the dishes because she had never tasted any of them.

The chef needs to move away from frozen solutions and experiment more with fresh produce and a more honest kind of presentation.

We had an OK meal, but I wouldn't recommend the experience to anyone who enjoys food...