| Ambiance: |  (3 / 5) |
| Service: | (3 / 5) |
| Value for money: | (4 / 5) |
| Toilets: | (3 / 5) |
As a final send off before my trip to Italy and my cousin’s trip to Thailand, my grandparents took us out for lunch. The Boathouse has been in Salisbury for as long as I can remember. Located in a brilliant venue, on the Avon riverbank and next to the coach station, it can also rely on a good footfall. However, despite this, it never seems to be busy but since its change in management two years ago, my family have really rated it so having not gone in a while, I was looking forward to seeing if it’d maintained its yummy food and service.
Something which never changes about the Boathouse is how cold it is! One side of the restaurant is made up of french doors, so you can get a lovely view of the weather, but it doesn’t seem to keep its heat very well as I was shivering throughout the meal. Either that, or they may need to invest in more powerful heating. We’d reserved a table by the window so we benefited from the riverside view and were presented with the menus. I was surprised to see that the menu had changed again, and it was one of those menus which had a lot on it, but nothing that appealed as a lunch-time choice. There weren’t any salads or lighter options, making the decision making process very slow for the four of us. There was an incredibly cheap 2 course lunch option for £9.95 too but I’d had the intention to try and eat less so i asked for a main size portion of the mussels in white wine sauce.
Bread and Dips
We shared bread, olives and dips to start and I opted for tap water – at least I was attempting to be healthy! Joe went for the pollo eleisi, which has been on the menu since the restaurant’s changed management but I’ve never been tempted so I was interested to see what this house special was like. Granny had the lamb cutlets off the ‘grill selection’ and Pa had one of my favourites ‘fish and chips’. Our waitress didn’t speak the best English so it made some of the ordering a little complicated but somehow, all the food came how we expected it!
Pollo Eleisi
The bread and dips were a generous size, but despite being nice, it was an odd selection of dips – an olive tapenade and some acidic tomato dish. These are things you’d usually expect to see on bruschetta, but they went down well! Our main courses were also hearty portions and they all looked yummy. Unfortunately my mussels were overcooked, which is something I also worry about when ordering them, but the garlic and white wine sauce was yummy, especially when mopped up with the Boathouse’s deliciously salted chips. It is a shame though because the last time I’d gone to this restaurant, the mussels in crab and creamy sauce were among the best I’ve ever had. Ah well, don’t cling onto the past and all that I suppose!
Despite my meal being slightly disappointing, everyone else was very happy with theirs and we were all so full after that we didn’t need pudding, even when pushed by Granny.
Recommendation
I’d recommend going to the Boathouse when it’s slightly warmer so you can sit out by the river, or for an evening meal when it’s busier and the atmosphere is livelier. The food is very good value and there’s a good selection of wine and beer too.
Extra Information:
Address: Mill Stream Approach, Castle St, Salisbury, SP1 3TA
Phone: 01722 414782
Website: http://www.boathousesalisbury.com/
NTK: If you’re going on a cold day, make sure you pack a warm jumper!
