Quick, friendly service, top value and fab food

Jan 16 2009 by Lady Who Lunches

Quick, friendly service, top value and fab food

WITH the credit crunch taking full effect, the girls and I have foregone our usual January jaunt to the Harrods sale and have opted to stick closer to home. And in trying to find a handy place to eat outside of Perth with an elderly relative, we came upon the Wheel Inn.

Formerly part of the Brewer’s Fayre chain, the Wheel Inn has had a bit of a revamp since it changed owners. It is now modern, bright and comfortable, with a lot of space and it feels a bit more individual and less cookie cutter franchise.

Elderly relative and I sat in the “kid free zone”, which was much appreciated after a morning’s shopping in town, and perused the extensive menu, which had light lunch bites and full main courses, as well as an ample range of starters and puddings.

I opted for a steak and onion baguette with chips, while relative chose a baked potato with haggis. We happily nattered away while we waited for the food, elderly relative (herself a lady who lunches) regaling me with stories about her and her gal pals.

“We decided to drive up to Arbroath,” she told me, and when I asked her why, I was told, “for Smokies. I’ve started a list of foods named after places and I plan on going to the place and eating the food.”

After suggesting a Singapore Sling, Philly Cheesesteak and a Manhattan, her list had grown and I could see her mentally planning a food trip around the world.

The food looked great when it arrived. My baguette was packed with steak and onion, and there was a fair amount of chips and salad, which looked lively and not limp and old. Elderly relative’s baked potato was also a hit, with her complimenting it on having enough of a filling, and that the haggis had stayed moist and not gotten dry. (In her mind a sure sign that it had been served straight after cooking and not left to dry out under heat lamps).
 
And, as it’s the start of a new year and new resolutions, we both managed to stay strong and opt not to have dessert.

The service was quick and friendly and it was a real shame to see the place quite empty.

And in an even better stroke of luck, it turned out that 20% had been taken off our food bill as part of a credit crunch busting promotion, which husband definitely approved of!