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One review for The Fat Duck Gastro Pub
1 review in English
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Review from Catherine F.
Guelph, ON
5/22/2010
It's cold. I've been sitting studying for hours, and I can't feel my fingers anymore. My head is inhabited by a swarm of bees (well, cytokines, really, but they sounded like bees) and I don't feel like cooking dinner. His Goatness suggests we try The Fat Duck, and I'm all for it.
The Fat Duck is billed as a gastro-pub, and visions of gourmet foods paired with local craft beers spring to mind. When we enter, the foyer is steamed from all the wet diners entering; the bar is warm, cozily lit with lots of gleaming woodwork and old-fashioned charm. We're seated rapidly in a tall wooden booth with a view of a crackling fireplace.
Something about the old-world ambience of the place puts me in the mood for a whiskey sour... or maybe it's the cold weather. I had noticed Jameson's Irish whiskey on the way in, which I'm fairly partial to, so I ordered. There aren't too many local craft beers, but HG orders from the set available, and is satisfied. My whiskey sour arrives... and is pale green. *Green*. Whiskey sours are supposed to be golden amber, in my experience and understanding, so what the -- ? I taste it and all becomes clear: it's comprised mostly of Rose's lime cordial, with a splash of whiskey. Ewwww. I send it back, and ask for straight whiskey, on the rocks. Note to self: don't repeat this error. (I haven't ordered a whiskey sour anywhere else in Canada; I sure hope this isn't a Canadian thing. Terrible way to treat whiskey. Then again, I'm not fond of Canadian whiskey; maybe the idea is to disguise the taste?)
Still feeling pub-ish, I order the meat pie. The crust is crisp and flaky, and the meat fairly savory, but a bit chewy. It's pub fare; it could be "upscaled" by the addition of wine and herbs, or by being made with a better grade of meat... apparently this is not the sort of gastro-pub I was envisioning. The acid reflux begins almost before I'm done eating.
So: decent service, uninformed bar, limited choices of craft beers (it's been a while since I've been, so hopefully this has changed), and perhaps my choice of entree was not the best thing on the menu. It's a pub. Not a gastro-pub. Would I go again? Possibly so, given another reason besides the food.
