A pleasant visit to Stables Restaurant, Crowne Plaza #Review

Gaile Wundke
5th August 2016

This was a pleasant return visit to the Stables restaurant, having previously reviewed it in May 2015.

We were welcomed by Fiona an outstanding waitress with a smile for everyone. She showed us to our table and brought our menus, the a la carte and specials. There was a note on the a la carte that for £42.99 per couple, diners could choose a starter and main course from the specials menu and both receive a glass of house red, white or rose’ wine.

The a la carte has a racing theme to tie in with the restaurant’s name with headings such as The Parade Ring, Starting Stalls, The Main Event and Finishing Straight! The two menus offered something for all tastes, including vegetarian options.

For starters we chose Mussels in a chilli and garlic cream sauce with crusty bread and Chicken Skewers in a coconut, lime and chilli marinade with pineapple salsa. The mussels were well cooked and the sauce rich with cream, although it could have done with a little more chilli and garlic. The bread was served separately with a bowl of warm water for messy fingers, but there was no bowl for the empty shells.  However, as soon as we mentioned it, it was swiftly resolved. The chicken skewers had generous pieces of moist chicken breast and the flavours of coconut, lime and chilli were evident. The pineapple salsa complimented the dish well, although perhaps a little too sweet for some tastes.

For our main courses we chose the Stables Steak Burger (chicken or olive & mozzarella were also available) which came with homemade coleslaw and seasoned fries and a Mezze platter which is one of two sharing plates on the menu, but our waiter told us that is was quite often ordered as a main course for one. The burger was described as “up there with the best” and the reason for such a description was that the meat was really flavoursome and well seasoned. The fries were crisp and tasty and the coleslaw rich with mayonnaise. When the mezze platter arrived we could see why it was more often shared – it was huge! Thick slices of home cooked ham, chorizo sausage and salami with pots of sweet peppers, balsamic glazed baby onions, hummus and piccalilli served with three types of bread. It was excellent and I would certainly recommend it. For non-meat eaters who like ‘picky’ food, there is an Antipasti platter which I noticed two people on the next table to ours were sharing and it looked equally good. During our starters and mains, check backs were made.

The portions in The Stables Restaurant are generous and so we decided to share a dessert. We could have chosen from dishes such as Lemon Possett, Chester Mess, Blackcurrant and Almond Bakewell or Toffee & Choclate Brownie Sundae, to name but a few. However, we couldn’t resist the sound of Profiteroles with Butterscotch Sauce and Chantilly Cream. The profiteroles were perfect, filled with cream and drizzled with the most delicious sticky, butterscotch sauce. A wonderful end to a very enjoyable meal!

Our last visit to The Stables left us feeling a little disappointed, but no so on this occasion. Well done to all concerned. It started well with Fiona’s lovely cheery welcome and just got better. I think that they will soon find a few more diners ‘racing’ their way as this is a hotel that serves very good affordable food in a really nice environment.