Sunday 22 November 2015

Review - Beefeater Christmas Menu


I was recently invited to try the new Christmas Menu at the Eureaka Park Beefeater, Ashford.
Not wanting to eat alone and to fully experience their menu I invited a friend her children along too.
The moment we arrived we instantly felt the Christmas spirit. The restraint itself was decorated well and little touches like Crackers on the table it was difficult not to get drawn in.  


When seated we were giving a highchair for one of the children and both myself and my friend commented about how brilliant it was. Sturdy, safe using great straps that would comfortable fit; some restaurants seem to use some flimsy chairs for children which always worries me with how secure and safe they were, in this instance it settled our fears instantly.
As well as the festive menu for food there was also a festive drink menu. As this was the reason for being invited I took the opportunity to enjoy a Festive J2O!

 
For Adults there is a good range of meals within each course on their festive menu which runs alongside their regular menu.
For Starters:
Chicken Liver & Herb Pate
Prawn Cocktail  
Pulled Beef & Yorkshire Pud slices
Crispy Flat Cap Mushrooms/Breaded Mushrooms
Both my friend and I chose the Pulled Beef and Yorkshire Slices. I will tell you that the meal started perfectly, I could have eaten the Pulled Beef in a Fig Chutney for every course. With each spoonful of beef placed on the cleverly ripped Yorkshire pudding made each slice divine and very moreish. My only concern was that I wanted more Yorkshire slices to place the juicy Beef on; however, as my guest reminded me, this was still the Starter and in that sense it was perfect in portion size!
With the starters finished it was time to try and get into the Christmas spirit more. Time for Crackers!


Although, unknown to me, my friends thought it was a good idea to wear the pink hat. Even worse was that due to my massive head it didn’t quite fit! I wasn’t best amused, despite my friends finding it amusing!


Quickly came time for the Mains:


Festive Double Steak Burger
Fillet Steak Rossini

Veg-Out Burger - vegetarian option

Baked Veggie Enchiladas - vegetarian option

I chose the Festive Double Steak Burger.


It was quite big and I have to admit I did wonder if I could eat it all. That being said I rose to the challenge; even if it did keep me quiet for a bit!
On top of the burger was Cranberry Jelly; which at first I was unsure and hesitant about. Personally, although it still tasted brilliant, I found it slightly sweet for my pallet. However, it still tasted nice and worked well with the steak and bacon.
My friend had the Steak Rossini.

The most important part here was that the steak was cooked perfectly to how it was ordered and with that the additional Dauphinoise potatoes served alongside balanced the whole meal nicely.


For the Children’s menu:
Mr Noisy's Bangers and Mash
Chargrilled Chicken

3oz Steak Burger
Mr Small's Little Cod Bites - vegetarian option


The mini Burger, Sweetcorn and Chips was the ideal portion size and I can see this being a big hit for children to enjoy; especially as it was quickly eaten!
 

I will admit here though that the Cod bites did not seem to be a big hit and on inspecting and tasting them ourselves we did think that they didn’t taste as nice as we expected. However, the Waiter and Manager were absolutely fantastic!! The moment we told them they instantly came and produced a meal, from our choosing, to replace it.
They were quick and courteous to our needs and enjoyment; something that we all appreciated!

The Pasta was a massive hit and like the mini Burger it was eaten quickly. 
It got to the point of the meal when we were craving the dessert that was coming. I have to admit that there were some delicious sounding options:
Orange Match Maker Sundae
Chocolate Melt in the Middle pudding - vegetarian option
Apple and Cherry Crumble
And for the Kids:
Ice Cream Sundae
Mini Chocolate Challenge


Decisions, decisions, what would I have? I was so torn so I went with a favourite of mine, as did my friend, Apple crumble.
 
This was delicious and very rich. It did start off quite sweet but the more you went through it became less; perfect ending to the courses. However, I must try the other desserts some time as they sound too good to miss out!

Like this delicious Sundae! 
(Image from Beefeater)
The Kids Mini chocolate challenge was chosen and to be honest I was quite jealous of that too!

It was fantastic to be invited to try their festive menu. On the choices where I might have been slightly sceptical actually worked brilliant and is definitely a recommendation to go their for a Christmas meal. This combined with the helpful and pleasant staff made the whole experience a great night out.
With December being a month for indulging and enjoying good food with friends and family then the Beefeater is a great place to start with lots of options available for all to enjoy. We had a great time and I am sure many of you would too.
Importantly, for this old scrooge who struggles getting into the Christmas spirit this definitely helped me along the way!

(I was given this meal and experience for free to review. My opinion, tastebuds, and glutton ways are my own and I am under no obligations to give a positive review. Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of my blog)


4 comments:

Kim Carberry said...

It looks like you had a lovely meal!
That Pulled Beef and Yorkshire Slices looks and sounds amazing!

Martyn Kitney said...

It was Kim! And that pulled beef I could have eaten that all night long!

Natalie Streets said...

I haven't been to a beefeater in years, this makes me feel tempted! lol

Martyn Kitney said...

Do it! Haha! The food was lovely!