Table Table The Pentrebach House Review
Table Table
The Pentrebach House
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Reviewed by Lee-Anne McCarthy
So feeling festive in our best Christmas jumpers we made great plans for our day filled with festive frolics; Christmas tree decorating and a lovely festive family lunch at our local Table Table – The Pentrebach House. So after a very busy morning of covering every inch of our tree we were very ready for a good feed.
When we arrived the restaurant it was initially quite quiet. There wasn’t any staff at the reservations stand however they were easily found. Once we confirmed our booking we were immediately shown to our table. We asked for two high chairs as our 2 year old twin boys were just as ready as us to eat. Immediately a member of staff brought them to us and helped us rearrange our table to accommodate our rather large brood. A usual hazard of being a family of 6 including twin toddlers.
The décor in the restaurant was lovely. It was warm and welcoming. The restaurant is split into a number of smaller sections. We had an area all to ourselves which was fantastic for a big family and relatively boisterous children. The Christmas decorations were subtly placed around the rooms making sure we knew and felt like Christmas but not like you were having lunch in Santa’s Grotto. The entire restaurant was clean and well-presented and a very appealing place to eat.
There was a vast array of choice on the menu from salad to pies pasta to steaks. There was also the added Christmas feature dish including a festive burger. I was particularly impressed with the children’s menu that showed good variety and not just the standard sausage and chips or nuggets. The menu really gave the children a number of choices. They also had the added advantage of a junior menu as well as children’s menu. This menu provided choices from the adult menu but in a smaller portion. There were choices like steak. This was particularly appealing for our 9 year old daughter who is a very definite carnivore who loves a good steak but often misses out as many restaurants fail to have the smaller option for the smaller appetite.
Staff gave us ample time if not a little too much time to see the menu and my husband ordered our initially drinks at the bar. We all enjoyed the bottomless soft drinks throughout the meal both ourselves and our children simply returned to the bar for countless refills. We didn’t often wait at the bar for these refills despite the service being a very busy one. Our waiter came and politely took our order and as it was Christmas we did indulge in starter, main and dessert. We didn’t wait a particularly long time for our starters. My husband and I shared a lovely platter of starters that included calamari, nachos, breaded mushrooms, breaded chicken, garlic bread and onion rings. It was beautifully presented and tasted delicious the batters and breaded items were crunchy and crispy. They were really set off by the BBQ and ranch dipping sauces that were provided. The children all too had starters the twins sharing a garlic bread, our other two having corn on the cob and nice cheesy nachos. They all ate the starters a mentioned how delicious they were.
The wait between our starter and main was a little longer but this simply gave my tummy time to make room for the lovely main course I had ordered. I ordered a lamb shank which was served on a bed of mash potato with cabbage. This meal tasted divine. The meat just fell off the bone and the accompanying jus had just enough mint to compliment the meat. The potatoes were light and fluffy. My husband ordered the festive burger. My husband was a little disappointed with his meal. Although his festive burger really hit the spot especially the beautiful succulent meat the side of chips was lukewarm to cold and really didn’t do the burger justice. The children had chicken pops, pizza and steak. The children’s portion sizes were very generous if not a little too much especially for the three boys. Each time the waiter returned to clear our plates he inquired as to how our meal was. The chicken pops were tasty as was the pizza. We were a little disappointed with the steak as we asked for it be cooked to a medium standard and it was a lot more like well-done meaning it was really rather chewy for our daughter.
Between our main a dessert we had quite a significant wait. As our meal was progressing the lunch service was becoming a particularly busy one. When our waiter took our order and when he bought our desserts he did apologise for the delay. We finished off with some lovely desserts; a chocolate challenge, sweetie sundae, strawberry sundae and caramel apple crumble pie. The children’s desserts were fantastic as both came to the table not constructed and our eldest two had a ball deciding how they would both serve and eat their own desserts. The caramel apple crumble pie was a delight in a dish. It could have been a little warmer but I think that would just be my personal preference. My husband’s strawberry sundae looked like real treat with beautiful fresh strawberries as well as brain freezing ice cream, cream and sauces.
Pentrebach House provided us with some appetising meals in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. If I was to offer any area for improvement it would be that even in the busiest periods that staff try to offer a more attentive service. We give The Pentrebach House 3/5.
Rating: 3/5
For more information, to view menus or book a table click here.
