Wizard, Alderley Edge, Cheshire

[Harters]

This place is just up the road from home in Cheshire's "Golden Triangle". Too gastro to easily fit in the "Great Pubs" thread, it draw in a Good Food Guide Cooking 2.

Disappointingly it's a place not as good as it probably likes to think of itself. It has a nice pubby ambiance but this is definitely a place to come and eat, not to come and drink. The menu offers a broad spread of dishes – some fairly traditional, others more contemporary. At lunchtime,”doorstep” sandwiches are also on offer. Most folk would find something on the menu that they would want to eat. But it’s here the problem set in – a number of dishes were “off” or had been changed. So, a starter described as scallops with local pancetta and white pudding had changed into scallops with teriyaki glaze. However, we ordered and waited. And waited some more.

And then a starter arrived. Three king prawns in tempura batter. Some undressed salad leaves and a sweet chilli sauce straight out of the Blue Dragon bottle.

There was then a delay of some 30 minutes. It wasn’t as though food wasn’t coming out of the kitchen. It was. But it was so slow. OK they were doing reasonable business this Monday lunchtime but the kitchen was hardly rushed off its feet.

A main course brought a chicken breast stuffed with red onion, pancetta and thyme. This was pretty good – the chicken moist and the stuffing tasting of its three ingredients. Alongside a few new potatoes and sugarsnap peas. Good gravy.

The other main was a decent enough burger, on ciabatta, topped with good bacon. Came cooked rare (probably the kitchen rushing it out as the outside was a tad burnt) – but this was fine. More undressed leaves and a few chips. OK as far as it went but not a great success.

We didn’t bother with dessert.

Such a shame. Place could have done much better and should have done.