Dinner at the Hare and Hounds

The Hare and Hounds in Bath is up the road from my old school, it used to be a bit rough and ready as far as pubs go but years down the line with a fancy makeover it seems to be quite the place to go for dinner. Mum and I were meeting up with my cousin Luke and Auntie Sue and the Hare and Hounds was suggested. It was pretty busy inside but we found a table in the conservatory area next to a noisy table of ten. The view from the Hare and Hounds is wonderful you can see out across Bath which is rather pleasant whilst you eat.  Luckily the noisy table vacated pretty soon after we sat down, leaving a paltry tip which included coppers, if you are going to leave a tip do it properly and don't be insulting by leaving pocket lint type change.

First things first, what astonished me most was the prices of the food. The cheapest main item on the menu was £12, yes that isn't a lot really in the grand scheme of things but it was for a burger, add £1 for any additional toppings. This is probably where people chime in with, their food is locally sourced, of course this is a good thing but there is a line surely between offering locally sourced pub food at competitive prices and charging high prices because of the area the venue is placed  in.  Lansdown might be Bath's Clifton (house price wise) but still I believe a lot of the items on their menu could have their prices addressed.

All their desserts for example are £6.50, including one described as macerated strawberries and cream, really Hare and Hounds, really? Not to mention £2.50 for a blue cheese glaze to go with your steak. or £12 for a baked Camembert. Anyway prices aside, what did I order? I went for the burger with added blue cheese and mum ordered the beer battered cod with chunky chips and minty pea puree. There was a bit of a wait for the food but being that it was pretty busy this was to be expected.

burger with blue cheese

fish and chunky chips

And now the verdict on my £13 burger. Tasty. Was it the best burger I've ever had? No. Was it worth £13? No. However I would really rate the seeded bun plus the burger patty was chunky, however it could done with more seasoning. The portion of fries was a little scanty for the price but the tomato and chili jam was pretty tasty. Mum's fish was wonderfully fresh and was coated in an ultra crisp batter that was great. I wanted the food to match the price and it didn't quite hit the mark. The service was fairly friendly though so I would recommend it for that.

There is no doubt though that the Hare and Hounds is a nice looking pub with a fantastic view, but maybe they should stop relying on pretty so much and either make the food match the price or bring the price down a notch to match pub food prices. Although it could be that there are some people that think £16 for a pub Sunday roast is a good deal. To check out what the Hare and Hounds has to offer check out their website.