The Fountain Twickenham Review
The Fountain
Beefeater Grill, Twickenham
Reviewed by Sarah Banbury
We had a booked a table for two adults and two children for 12.30pm and on our arrival, although the restaurant does not open until 12 noon, it was already busy with families of several generations dining. The Fountain has a bar area with lounge seating, a dining area downstairs and a large dining area upstairs over two levels. We were shown to our table by one of the managers and our server Anna introduced herself. Before mentioning the food or service, I feel I must mention that we are currently potty training our nearly three year old twins and so certain facilities are currently featuring high on our list of priorities and thoughts!
We were seated and a drinks order taken before we had chance to look at the menus. Twin Dad enquired what draught beer was available and, given a choice of four, went for Stella. I ordered my standard Diet Coke and the Twins got a blackcurrant squash each.
The Twins were given their own menu and a chef’s hat with puzzles and jokes on along with crayons to keep them occupied. The kids menu was varied and extensive; baby food or pasta suitable for different stages of weaning were available as well as the main kids menu for under 12’s. This consisted of a mix and match approach for main, accompaniment and veg. We chose fish fingers and chips, one with peas and one with carrots as despite not being able to decide between mash or chips Twin two was insistent on carrots! I chose a burger and spicy chips from the Grill menu with the Combo topping of Emmental and bacon. Twin Dad asked for fish and chips but unfortunately this was only available on the weekday saver menu. He had noticed other diners having a roast and on asking was given an option of different meats and to Go Large. He went for large roast beef. Our drinks came quickly and we set the twins off making hats.
While waiting for our food I had a wishful look through the wine list and was pleasantly surprised by the variety and prices. Each red, white or rose also gave an indication of what food it would complement. I was shocked to discover the price of my bottled Diet Coke, although nicely presented with ice and a slice of lime. For the same cost I could have had a bottomless draught Diet Pepsi, but was not offered the choice on ordering.
While waiting for food we tried the toilets in the bar area. The disabled and baby change needed a key from the bar to access it, which is fine when needing to change a nappy but not so great when you have toddlers, shouting ‘wee, toilet’ rather loudly so we went in the ladies. They were spotlessly clean and fresh smelling but rather warm. The cause of this was the small radiators in each cubicle that were on full. The twins did not like this so close to their bare legs and refused to use them, they also could not reach the sink as the surrounds were so wide and are terrified of hand dryers so a rather a stressful unproductive visit.
The Twins’ food came first, and was on cold plates meaning we could soon let them eat it. I appreciated this touch as all too often our four meals arrive at once with theirs steaming hot meaning ours then go cold while we stop them getting burnt. The portions were a good size, three fish fingers, lots of veg and the rest of a standard dinner plate full with thick cut chips. Too much for a toddler but they made a valiant effort, polishing off the all the fish fingers with the ramekin of ketchup Anna brought and lots of the veg too. The roast was on an oval plate with three Yorkshire puddings and plenty of gravy; Twin dad declared it alright, which is in fact high praise! My burger came in a toasted bun with chips in a paper lined dish and the side salad in a round bowl all on the plate. It was nice to see a proper mixed green salad, with dressing as well as the obligatory tomato and cucumber. The burger tasted good but was a little dry as there was no sauce at all on the bun before I added mayonnaise from the ramekin I requested. I was also a little disappointed that the cheese was not melted, as being Emmental was just a bit rubbery sat on top of the bacon. I also seemed to have fewer chips than the kids’ meals. There was plenty enough for me and according to the menu they were ‘bottomless’ so I could have asked for more, but this, along with the way it was presented, just struck me as a way to reduce portion sizes.
Once our main meals were finished, the Twins dragged Twin Dad off to explore the restaurant. The server sharing the work station near us, Luke, was great with them as they repeatedly tried to climb the stairs or lay in the main walk way, much to my shame! While Twin Dad then ordered dessert we went to the other toilets at this end which seemed newer and a lot more spacious. Twin one did his best to lock himself in while I sorted his brother. The kids menu included organic yogurt, fruit salad or fruit and chocolate fondue, as well as old favourites like jelly and ice cream. We went for the Mini Choc challenge; chocolate brownies, chocolate fudge sauce, marshmallows and whippy ice cream. Twin dad chose sticky toffee pudding and custard and I had the adult chocolate brownie with cream. By the time we returned from our most recent toilet trip all signs of toffee pudding and custard had been eradicated by Twin Dad so I presume it was given the thumbs up! The Twins smeared chocolate sauce over their faces and competed to see who could fit more marshmallows in their mouth at once. My brownie was suitably chocolaty with scrumptious sticky sauce. Before I could finish the Twins, and Twin Dad, were off for another circuit and while gone I was presented with the bill and assured, perhaps a little too forcefully, that there was no rush to pay.
In terms of value for money, our bill came to just under £50 for the four of us, including one alcoholic drink. The main menu items were reasonably priced, £8.99 for my burger and £9.99 for the large roast. There is a Monday to Saturday day time menu with mains starting from £4.99 and evening version with two courses for £11.99. The kids mains were on the menu at £4.25 each and dessert £1. Having looked at our receipt now though we seem to have been charged £4.29 each and £1.29 for dessert. While this may just be the website menus I checked for writing the review being out of date, we were not made aware of the meal deal that for £5.25 we could have had main, dessert and orange squash or milk, soft drink or fruit juice. We ordered blackcurrant at the start but if made aware would have gone for orange instead of paying an extra 43p each or even treated them to a real fruit juice.
While only small sums of money this lack of offering us a better deal on ordering or making us aware of the Roast dinner, apparently a child’s portion should also be available, does affect the perception of value for money and the level of service on offer. Anna was efficient and polite but appeared rather harassed in contrast to Luke who was cheerful, chatty and seemed to be enjoying his work. The food was acceptable and the restaurant well set up for the numerous families with young children eating there. I saw other serving staff taking out birthday cakes and table behind us had a balloon on it for a party of five. We may well return, it being very near my sister’s house, but would advise anyone else visiting to check what offers may apply when you go and to ask your server for any meal deals or offers before you order.
4/5 for the food quantity and quality
3/5 for the lack of personal service
Overall rating: 3.5/5
For more information, to view menus or book a table click here.
