Places to go........ The Pier House, Westward Ho!

New blog feature alert!! I'm lucky enough to usually be able to eat out once a week and lately I've been trying to make sure it's somewhere I haven't been before. Just thought I'd give my thoughts on the places I've been.....

Last week I was in Devon seeing Scott's grandparents for a few days and we wanted to take them out for dinner. We had a scout around online and found The Pier House. 

Now ordinarily I would show you some photo's of the food that we ate, but well....I didn't take any because it was horrible!! I felt embarrassed and initially thought that I wouldn't blog about it but then thought I'd be honest with you - it's just my opinion afterall.

For starters I had Prawn Cocktail (£5.95), it was quite literally the biggest starter ever but the quality left a lot to be desired. Frozen prawns with iceberg lettuce and a blob of tasteless marie-rose sauce on top, hmmmm. I wish there had been less of it (a lot less) and that it had tasted better.

For main course I had Crusted Cod Fillet (£13.50) with braised leeks, new potatoes and a white wine and dill sauce. The "crust" was parmesan and crab. Overall this wasn't too bad. I didn't like the crab and parmesan crust (this is just my preference) but the cod itself was cooked well. The leeks were very well braised and the sauce a strange orangey colour which was off-putting. I didn't try the potatoes.

I think the worst part was watching Scott trying to get through his main. He had ordered the Hake "special" and if by special they meant burnt-to-a-crisp, then yep, it certainly was special!! He didn't want to make a fuss in front of his grandparents but if it had been just us it would have gone back to the kitchen. It was so bad it made him gag. Granny had a steak (she asked for it well-done but what came out of the kitchen you could have used to re-sole your shoes) and Grandad a gammon steak. The portion sizes again were HUGE, so we didn't get desserts.

So what did The Pier House get right? It's in an amazing location, pretty much anywhere you sit you get a wonderful view of the sea and the decking outside is lovely. The service is also great, the waiter we had was attentive. 

Would I go again? Yes, but not to eat! I would go for the location and maybe a low-key dinner like Scampi and Chips (£9.95). I'm not sure I trust the chef there with anything more complex than re-heating frozen food, harsh? Maybe, but fair.

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Love,