Speckled Hen Cottage Pub — Restaurant in Reading

Who's down for some good ole' fashioned pub food? The Food Hounds were uber-excited to kick back and enjoy a GREAT little treasure in Reading, Pennsylvania called The Speckled Hen Cottage Pub and Ale House. The overall vibe in the 'Hen' is laid back; perfect spot to go for a drink or a bite to eat. If you are a beer drinker, they actually change up their taps on a weekly basis - so it's always a bevy of fresh new flavor for their clientele. Now, if you are drawn to the sound of music like Lush and I... you'll be ecstatic to know that they have open mic night on Thursday's! It happened to be Thursday when we stopped in; but since the entertainment normally starts later in the evening... we missed out on getting in on the fun. The ambiance of the place is dark and romantic, perfect for college kids seeking an inexpensive spot to hang out, a first date or an older couple looking to head out for a night cap.

On to the food... Starters, we tried the Classic Scotch Egg - WHOAH... first time ever sampling the taste of this bad boy! This sucker is just so ridiculous that it works... a hardboiled egg, enclosed in a pocket of seasoned ground sausage and then FRIED!!! This egg is slammin' and served on a spicy grain mustard sauce. The Char Grilled Pub Burger sported a 6oz slab of ground sirloin doused with cheddar cheese (Mmmm CHEESE!!!) and bacon... Bacon... BACON! Add the delectable fries and POW... a great meal for the guy on the go looking for a quick bite. The Baked Braided Pretzel with Crab Cheddar Au Gratin was a VERY unique creation. A large homemade pretzel drowning in cheddar and huge chunks of tender crab... Mmm CHEESE! The WIN for me was quite simply the Cottage Sheppard's Pie. A hefty portion entombed in a small crock-pot of love. This is comfort food at its finest; seasoned ground sirloin topped off with buttery mashed potatoes... Off the hook! I could eat that all night long... it was like buttery heaven on my tastebuds! They have a lot to choose from at Speckled Hen, make sure you stop on in and try them on for size, you certainly won't be...

The atmosphere is very cozy, but my fiance and I ended up waiting an hour for our food. There are no starters that accompany a dinner entree, so I wouldn't recommend going there if you're already really hungry because you're going to wait. I wouldn't say the prices are high, but my fiance ordered the shepherds pie and the dish it came in was tiny (maybe 5" by 3") and he left hungry. I ordered the home made mac and cheese with seafood, the dish was slightly larger but in no way was this mac and cheese. It was more like oily noodles with dried out baked cheese on top of the pile of oily noodles. And I still can't figure out why this took an...

This restaurant can do a lot better, and has. Tonight I was disappointed. Vegetarian korma was a plate of undercooked (ie, crunchy and flavorless) chopped vegetables (microwaved, I suspect, in some line cook's hurry to send it out). It had no cashews, and a spicy sauce without cream that didn't resemble korma sauce, but would have been OK had it been hot, at least. Chicken Tikka Masala had the exact same spicy sauce, which wasn't tikka masala sauce, either. I know, I know: why order vegetarian and/or Indian food at a cottage pub? But I wonder: why put it on the menu if the kitchen is just...