Worth waiting at bustling boozer
SUNDAY scran spots come in all shapes and sizes.
From the tiny country pub where you have to grab a table where you can to the huge venues churning out hundreds of carvery meals, they are all worthy of investigation.
Arriving at this week’s destination – the South Causey Inn in North Durham – I was struck by the size of the place.
The car park was so vast a multi-storey wouldn’t have been too ridiculous. Admittedly, the number of visitors is influenced by the fact the venue hosts wed- dings and one was on the day we visited. But, that said, once inside the main building it is pleasantly bustling, with lots of different rooms to dine in. We were asked if we wanted the carvery or not. As we wouldn’t be allow– ed to deviate from just a Car park................ Kids allowed...................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle........................ Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food............................. Sunday roast main without starters or desserts, we opted against it. As a result, we were asked to wait in the bar until a table became available. As I supped a house real ale and Mrs E a soft drink we awaited for our name being called. After 20 minutes or so we were summoned and seated in one of the dining areas. We were able to order from the “normal” menu, which had a wide variety of pub classics, as well as the Sunday lunches. Sunday included a “roast bap of the day” with chips. Being a traditionalist, I wasn’t tempted – roasts should come with a Yorkshire and veg for me. But I was tempted by the trio of meats of beef, lamb and chicken (£14.45) while She Who Must Be Fed went for roast chicken (£11.45).
The food came swiftly, accompanied by a big bowl of veg to share.
After a few minutes of munching Mrs E asked which was my favourite of the three meats. And I realised none of them stood out.
It wasn’t that they weren’t good, it was that none of them were any better than good.
It was a decent main though, with a big Yorkshire and plenty of fresh vegetables – I just don’t think it had that wow factor.
For desserts I went for an old favourite of sticky toffee pudding, with a “chocolate sundae heaven” for the other half. (Both £6.45)
I reckon that’s quite a price tag for a dessert. In my case it was more or less justified, with a huge wedge of cake with ice cream and butterscotch sauce proving a hit.
The chocolate sundae was less easy to justify. A tasty dessert but expensive.
All things considered the South Causey Inn is worth a visit.
It’s a bustling place in a beautiful part of the region.
And there’s always next time to walk it off in the nearby countryside.