Over this past weekend, I helped celebrate one of my closest friend's birthday. To honor the day, we all went out to eat at The Londoner Pub & Grill in Frisco. The company was of course excellent, and good fun was had by all, but the dining experience itself, while certainly not terrible, was a bit... lacking in a few areas.
The place: The Londoner is done up British pub style, with lots of deep colors and dark-stained hardwoods. A few TVs, which were airing European football of course, are scattered across the restaurant. Yet, despite that, it lacks that "sports bar" feeling, which is something I honestly have to be in the right mood to enjoy. British paraphernalia lines the burgundy walls, including a portrait labeled "The queens of England" featuring Queen Elizabeth, Sir Elton John, and Freddie Mercury. Overall, the Londoner enjoys a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere, although I don't doubt things get a little crazy around World Cup time.
What I ate: To begin, I helped consume a plate of their Cheesy Hampton Fries. If you ever go, I highly recommend trying these out, as they are an entire pound of fries smothered in aged white cheddar and applewood-smoked bacon. Delicious, to say the least. Along with that, I was able to order a Belhaven Scottish Ale (which they had on tap!), a personal favorite when it comes to imports. If you go expecting to have a wide variety of beer and spirits from which to choose a beverage, you won't be disappointed.
Now. My entree. As I was in a British-style pub I wanted British-style grub, and as such ordered Bangers and Mash. For those of you unfamiliar, that would be sausage and gravy with mashed potatoes served over a crusty piece of bread called a Yorkshire pudding. The sausage was wonderful, savory and a little spicy, and I absolutely loved the red onion gravy that came with it. And the potatoes were prepared perfectly. The bread, however, was dry, dull, and burnt on the end, so there I was considerably less than impressed.
My thoughts: Overall... I liked the place. Would I go back? Maybe. The food ranged from delicious to just "meh," and our service that night was distinctly lacking in quality. One of my friend's meal must've gotten lost somewhere, because she had to wait an additional twenty minutes for her food to hit the table. I think maybe it was just a bad night for them, or maybe our server was overwhelmed by our group. Despite that, I give the place a tentative 3.5 out of 5. I want to try some of the other entree and appetizer options before I give a final opinion. I guess that means I'll just need to go back one of these days!
Well, thanks for reading. As always, I hope to hear back from you on what you think of the blog. Go forth and eat well!
