Restaurants in Tarvin

I have dined here several times and experienced a different quality of food and service on each occasion. The pub itself is in a lovely occasion, located roughly on the back corner of Delamere Forest. The interior is modern and very clean but not so modern as to lose some traditional pub characteristics. The food is competitively priced compared to other establishments in the Frodsham area. My first visit, during a weekday evening, was wonderful. We were greeted by the maitre d' who told us the specials and the fish dishes available. We were sat in a modern corner of the restaurant, which was very nice. The waiter placed cloth napkins on our laps and we were served bread while waiting for our dishes. Our meals - lamb shank and baby gammon joint were both excellent. The portions were very generous and the side dishes very fresh. The puddings were also very nice, but I thought not very well portioned compared to the rest of the meal - but alas I was full!! It was definitely a top-notch pub dining experience. The bill for two was approximately £50. For my second visit, which we were very much looking forward to, we sat at the back of the restaurant, which has more of a pub feel about it. This time the service was not up to par with our last visit. No bread on tables and paper not cloth napkins. Our waiter seemed to be over-stretched despite the place not being full. Overall, the meals were good, but a risotto dish was stodgy and the mint gravy on my lamb shank was overpowering. We were sat very closely to the table next to us, which felt a bit imposing with the couple next to use having a good nose at our meals as we ate. This all seemed a bit silly as there were other tables free, but they bunched two couples together. Nevertheless, the overall experience was still more appreciable than other local pubs. On our third visit, a Sunday evening (around 8.30pm), we had no food at all as they had ran out of it! I do not know if this was just an excuse for the kitchen finishing up early or they had genuinely used up all the food. The maitre d?seemed to take delight in telling us how many dishes had been served that day, but to have absolutely no dishes to offer us appeared a bit strange particularly as they know Sunday is going to be a very busy time. This has somewhat put me off from ever returning - my conclusion is: very nice restaurant depending on where your sat, the time you go and always phone beforehand.