Hickory’s – The Power of a Picture… #Review

Briony Wilson
3rd August 2018

One of the best things about this job but sometimes one of the hardest, is spending most of the day looking at pictures and menus full of amazing food (I’ll pause for a moment of pity, tehe). Well yesterday Hickory’s really exemplified the power of a great Instagram and Tegan and I just couldn’t face a limp lettuce salad for lunch after checking out their latest lunch deal!

The deal – 2 courses for £10, and wow were we impressed. As this was a rather spur of the moment decision, we hadn’t booked but decided that it was worth the chance to take the short walk across the bridge and hope that they could find a table for us! We were in luck, there was a short wait, so we took the chance to have a drink at the bar whilst we waited for a table. I enjoyed the ginger mint and lemongrass iced tea and Tegan the cloudy lemonade, both were packed full of flavour, refreshing and ideal for this weather.

The restaurant was very busy, so we took a seat and enjoyed watching the many dishes fly of the pass to the many tables both inside and out. If we hadn’t already studied the menu (as we do) and practically decided what we fancied before leaving the office, the dishes going out would have certainly have turned our heads.

We were soon seated outside, which was much appreciated as inside the restaurant it was rather warm, we had a great seat to watch all the boats on the river and we nearly forgot that this was supposed to be a quick work lunch. Soon came the warm popcorn and water, which is one of those fabulous extra touches that I love about Hickory’s. After a bit of time perusing the main menu our server came to take our order, we already new what we wanted to order off the lunch menu but hadn’t received a copy so got an extra few minutes before ordering.

For starters Tegan opted for the Tennessee Glazed Pig Butt Burnt Ends and I went for the Wood-Fired Garlic Mushrooms. The Glazed burnt ends, came in a hot fajita pan, they were full of flavour and had a decent amount of fat on the meat, giving extra flavour, that meant they were more moist than expected as well. The glaze was a sweet BBQ with just a kick of spice from the Cajun rub. This starter was full of flavour but personally it could have been a little crispier for our taste. My wood fired mushrooms were delightful they came on top of a toasted brioche hot dog bun, with a parsley pesto and crispy onions. All elements of the dish had great flavour and the different textures only enhanced it. The presentation was beautiful, but as with the burnt ends it was a very generous serve and that alone I could have enjoyed for a normal lunch.

A short while after we had finished our starters and they had been cleared away our mains arrived, it was perfect timing despite the busy restaurant that your first course had settled without wondering where our food was. For mains Tegan opted for the Magic Dusted Crispy Catfish with a caper & parsley dressing and served alongside skin on fries. Again, the portion was very generous with two large pieces of catfish with a stunning crust and dusting of spices, which provided a great flavour. The sauce was a wonderful compliment to the fish with the capers providing some bite but mellowed from the parsley, making it very refreshing. Need I even mention the fries, skin on fries a personal favourite of mine, are always great and super crisp. The fish was very well cooked but unfortunately the batter could have been crispier for me personally.

I, on the other hand went for the Barbecue Vegetable Skewer; courgette, peppers, onions and corn, topped with grilled halloumi, served with dirty rice & slaw. I wasn’t quite expecting from the menu, but it was a pleasant surprise that the skewer actually came coated in a sweet barque sauce, rather than it just being the way of cooking. For me the corn really stole the show, not the easiest thing to eat in a graceful fashion, but the corn was sweet, and the sauce added a kick of spice. The vegetables were cut rather large, but perfectly cooked and the grilled halloumi on top was a great addition. For me the dirty rice was a bit much, a little dry for my liking and with the size of the portion it was a tad over facing for a lunch, but for those with a bigger appetite than mine, it is the perfect dish. It wasn’t until we had finished that I realised that I had opted for the two vegetarian options on the menu (very unlike me), but the Instagram pictures were just so persuasive. Neither of us managed to finish our dishes but we left very satisfied, for those that still had some space to fill you could add unlimited frozen custard for £3.50, I know a lot of people that can’t finish a meal without a sweet treat, and this looked delicious.

With it being the summer holidays and Hickory’s being very busy our lunch date didn’t quite fit into the 1 hour we usually allow for this series, but with Hickory’s American Roadtrip theme, maybe that is just innkeeping with the theme. We had a great lunch and can’t wait to return, next time hopefully to enjoy some of their wonderful cocktails.

Ratings:

Service 7/10       Ambience and Setting 7/10       Food 6/10        Value for Money 9/10               Total Score: 29/40