Eating Out

WHEN a restaurant closes down for four months, then reopens with a new name and image it has to be investigated.

The last time I was at the then-named Roeshot it had an old-fashioned traditional feel. This time as I approached I was greeted with garish yellow and red signs featuring an historic innkeeper brandishing knife and fork and declaring it to be Toby Carvery. The plaster walls between the new mock-Tudor cladding are a hideous salmon.

I took an instant dislike to this misplaced imposter from Disney World.

Remembering the adage never to judge on appearances, I ventured inside. Expecting a plastic purgatory, I was truly pleasantly surprised to find that there had not been undue upheaval. It feels cosy with floral upholstered chairs, banquettes and curtains. The furniture is genuine wood with no attempt to hide the tables under cloths. With imaginative use of partitions the large dining area, which can probably seat 100, still has an intimate feel. We were in good company with Barbara Windsor, Norman Wisdom, John Cleese, the Two Ronnies, the Beatles . . . OK so it was only their portraits on the walls.

And there are hundreds of other knick-knacks displayed, ranging from plates and jugs to cartoons and pic-tures of old Christchurch. The back-ground music from the Sixties featuring Dusty and Cilla was subtle enough.

So, satisfied with the atmosphere, how about some food

Starters include the usual prawn cocktail, soup or melon, all under £2. Most promising of the nine choices looked the Combination Platter for Two at £5.25, including four dishes.

The onion rings had the texture of toasted toe-nails and the batter jacket of the mushrooms promptly fell off at the first dunking in the garlic mayo.

This was quite acceptable on flavour but it must be possible to cook them so that coating and filling don't part company. The regimentally-cut chicken goujons were OK and helped along with a ketchup dip.

With the preamble complete, we were invited to join a queue for what it's all about - the carvery at £6.45.

A cheerful chap suitably attired offered a choice of three roasts which stood gently bubbling on the stainless steel hotplate.

We thought it would be a good idea to taste as many different dishes as possible, so asked for a mixture of turkey and beef. "I'm not allowed to refuse,'' he responded and sliced off two pieces from each.

On our second plate we took a Copperpot Special. Then it's help yourself to as many vegetables as you want. The beef and turkey lived up to expectations in quality and taste. While neither was outstanding they had been competently cooked and easily digestible. Similarly the veg. But The Yorkshire pudding had an elasticity which would catapult our friends from the North into fury. The herb-crusted haddock which held such promise was an utter disappointment. The fish had absolutely no flavour although it did benefit from my gener-ous sprinkling of salt and pepper. And the herbs were as dry as could be. Desserts (around £2.50) offered various ice creams, crumble The Toby toffee apple pie, being a house exclu-sive, demanded attention. Yes! Mum did make one like this - and that is a compliment.

From a wine list of 13 I enjoyed a large glass of full-flavoured Australian Hardy's Cabernet. With £6 on drinks we spent £29.65.

You know exactly what you're getting at Toby - standard food, generous portions and efficient service, but it's all to a formula everywhere from Plymouth to Perth.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.