Sands at Bleak House is on the Chertsey Road, I’d been past it loads of times before and wondered what it was like. Today, a Sunday, we just happened to be hungry and in the right location and decided to give it a go. I had no preconceived ideas about Sands, it looks like a large Pub/Motel from the front and I was really after a tuna melt or something light. However, as we walked in I realised it had more of a restaurant feel and thought that perhaps we were in for a more substantial lunch than we had thought. I was also worried that I might be looking a bit scruffy having just been to the Household Waste facility at Martyrs Lane!
The Conservatory at Sands….Mum pulling one of her faces!
When we asked for a table for two they asked if we had booked, there were plenty of reserved signs on the table so I thought we might be out of luck, but no, we were shown to a very nice table for two in the conservatory, looking out onto the outside eating area which was also very pleasant.
We were situated right by the staff station and I couldn’t help earwigging into their conversation, I realised that we were termed a ‘walk in’ as opposed to having booked. I’ve never been called a ‘walk in ‘ before but decided that this boded well as it seemed they are popular enough to be heavily booked on a Sunday lunch time. Mum also noted that there was no salt or pepper on the table and remarked that they must be very confident of their seasoning as only the best restaurants don’t have salt and pepper on the table!
The menu on a Sunday is Roast, Roast or Slow Roast so I went for the Slow Braised Shoulder of Lamb, Savoy Cabbage and Bacon and Gravy £13.50. Mum went for the Slow Roasted Loin of Pork, Rosemary Sage and Onion Stuffing, Honey Glazed Parsnips and Gravy £11.50. There were some delicious looking starters on offer but we decided that we didn’t want to indulge too much. We also chose a couple of wines. I had the unoaked Chardonnay and mum had the Pinot Grigio.
Floral Touches at Sands
While we waited for our meal I had a quick look round. The décor is a tasteful beige/ grey with colourful floral touches to relieve the muted colours. It’s very boutique hotel. There are two large dining rooms and a bar and a little conservatory with two tables which is where we were sitting. There is also a lovely outside seating area for sunny days.
Our wine arrived first and I was very impressed. I love my white wine and always choose an unoaked chardonnay if it’s on the menu. Oaked Chardonnay can be too’ oaky’ and spoil the taste of the grape but this particular Berri Estates, Australian unoaked chardonnay was delicious. The della Venezie Pinot Grigio was good too. The Sands were off to a good start.
Roast Lamb
When the food arrived we were not disappointed. It was a huge plate of food with very generous portions. They were served with roast potatoes and carrots green beans broccoli and cauliflower. My lamb had a wonderful flavour and the accompanying vegetables were perfectly cooked with THE most delicious Roast potatoes. Crunchy on the outside and delightfully fluffy on the inside, I was in seventh heaven and polished off my Roasties and half of mum’s. The Savoy cabbage and bacon was also beautifully flavoured and had a hint of cinnamon flavouring which worked surprisingly well. It was a delicious feast my only criticism being that I didn’t think the lamb really needed the cabbage and bacon and I effectively ate my lunch as two courses, the lamb and then the cabbage and bacon.
Roast Pork at Sands
Mum’s Pork and stuffing was equally good. The roast parsnips were plentiful and tasted delicious with the honey coating. The stuffing was also very good . Mum’s only criticism was that there was no crackling. As we finished our meal I heard the two blokes behind us saying how much they had enjoyed their meals and how generous the portions were. I had a quick chat with them and they said their previous visit was equally good.
While we were waiting for the bill I had a look at the daily evening menu. There were 4-5 starters with about 4 mains and 4 desserts together with their ‘favourites menu’ of their most popular dishes such as burgers and posh fish and chips. The menu is also changed regularly. My guess is that the food benefits from not having too many menu options so that the dishes they do offer are well cooked and fresh rather than having an extensive menu where the quality is hard to maintain.
We finished off our meal with a very good cup of coffee. The service had been very good, the food delicious and overall we had a very good dining experience. One thing I ‘d like to have known though was a little about their name. Sands at Bleak house sounds very sombre and it would have been nice to see an explanation of the origins of their name on the menu or literature. I had a perfect Sunday lunch so I’m going to give Sands a Double Thunderbolt rating, Very Good. Here’s the link http://www.sandsatbleakhouse.co.uk/home.aspx
Double Thunderbolt Rating
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