We reached a site visitors’ island a few miles west of Lichfield. I left for Walsall and immediately went on to Shrewsbury. My partner had a moment to think about the idea. “If we turn left, we’ll reach The Boat Inn,” she stated, pointing to a route that could take us miles away from our path. 15 minutes later, we were sitting in the location’s high-quality fine dining bar, smiling for the first time in a morose and unrewarding evening. We ordered a starter and dessert – a mini dinner for 2 if you want – enjoyed appropriate carrier, the quality of local, seasonal produce, and relaxed in convivial surroundings. Bliss.
This isn’t always, of the path, a review about The Boat Inn.
We’ve ticked that field earlier this year. And we stand with the aid of a recommendation that billed it because of the high quality of this facet of Birmingham. Nights like Tuesday, however, did remind us of the gulf in elegance between that and others. It’s the first time in this corpulent lifestyle that I’ve visited eating places in a single night. Three gigs in the nighttime, yes. Multiple international locations in a day, that too. But restaurants? Don’t be silly. Stomachs weren’t made for that.
Nor, however, have humans been designed to be underwhelmed or glad when things aren’t as much as a scratch. And that brings us smartly to this week’s eating place: McKenzie’s in the City. We’d selected it because of a first-rate online profile, which advised high standards and gastronomic experience. I wager we ought by no means to judge a book with the aid of its cover or a restaurant by its online profile. For McKenzie’s become mired in mediocrity. Service turned negative, and the food changed into so-so, even though the room became exceptional.
It’s no longer a place we’d select to revisit.
Lichfield has a burgeoning reputation for decent food. In addition to the wonderful Boat Inn, there’s the fabulous Larder, which has an exquisite effect. Nearby Swinfen Hall is continually reliable, while there are various first-rate independent eating places, including the ever-generous little gem that is Pizza By Goli. McKenzie’s hasn’t kept up with the Joneses. Ours was a worn-out and unloved night characterized with the aid of errors and indifference. The restaurant is positioned in Lichfield’s stunning former Corn Exchange building, and the form of the building is its greatest characteristic.
Oh, and it’s properly branded. Delightful. A stag’s head sits underneath a delightful, elegant font that suggests something considered and stylish. Our food became whatever but. We’d booked a desk for two early inside the night and were simply the second desk to arrive. A waitress confirmed us to our desk, although she seemed disengaged and supplied no reassurance that we’d have in our evening. First impressions count, and while she came back quickly after with our drinks, we mentioned they had been the wrong ones – she’d no longer been listening while we located our order.
A unique waitress returned with the right order and apologized for her colleague’s mistakes. The liquids, in truth – placing to one side the delightful architecture – had been the best part of the evening as my accomplice enjoyed a lemony gin cocktail, an exciting manner to begin. And that changed into the highpoint – earlier than the meals had arrived. Aside from boasting a grasp of first-rate eating places, Lichfield is surrounded by productive countryside.
Numerous manufacturers in the vicinity harvest excellent meat, fruit, and greens – and plenty of that finds its way onto the menu of places like The Boat Inn. If you’ve not yet eaten their Lichfield Raspberry tart with elderflower custard, then get thee there. Whether or no longer McKenzie’s has a comparable sourcing coverage is past my comprehension. Its online proclamation studiously avoids readability and reads like so: “The merchandise that we supply is from associate suppliers who have an interest in generating the best nice and then caring for it in a manner that allows us to deliver the best quality merchandise to your desk.”
