A lovely view of the marina this afternoon in St Ives at Hartford Mill.
This is very much a Hungry Horse kinda place aimed at families, so I was not expecting much. This was a “quality for value” kind of deal. I had the spicy chicken burger and chips for £9.99. This is slightly more than I’d expect at other bargain family establishments, so it was going to be interesting to see how to compared with others.
The service was fast, the views were great, and the disabled access was also superb.
That however, was where it kinda fell apart for me (literally). The thing I find with cheap burgers is that the bun never holds and always makes a mess, ruining the entire experience. I also found a chicken wing in the actual chicken burger, which had a large bone in it, so be careful!
The burger tasted ok, though for a bargain restaurant I’d still consider this a bad deal. This meal could have been justified (IMO) at £7.99 but anything more than this is simply too much. The quality and overall experience just isn’t there when compared to other restaurants.
The only exemption to this would be if you put huge stock into sitting outside by the river (which is something I can certainly respect).
The chips were flat and soggy.
The onion rings were pretty good and quite thick and juicy but unfortunately this was not enough to save the meal for me.
My friend had the roast carvery which seemed to go down much better though I never managed to sample it myself.
This is a restaurant with a big menu and lots of choice. It will be good at satisfying a wide selection of people (like a family), and especially good at keeping the children fed cheaply while you sip a few drinks by the marina in peace, but anyone looking for a serious meal with any real depth or substance, then this clearly isn’t the place for you.
The Cambridge Foodies 