Eating out

The Highwayman in Yateley

January 18, 2010

Having been invited to the newly refurbished Highwayman pub and restaurant in Yateley, Lance and I sadly could not make it as that was the night the snow fell heavily and we were unable to travel from Aldershot through the blizzard.

A second attempt failed but finally on a slightly better Saturday evening we ventured out and slowly made our way through the snow and thank goodness we did as the experience of dining in the fabulous restaurant at the Highwayman was one not to be missed.

The landlord, Hugh Asher, has recently taken over the pub and restaurant and he and his staff offer a wonderful, friendly service.

The pub serves well kept real ales and a selection of lagers, ciders, spirits and wines at pub prices. They pride themselves on being not a gastro pub but a 21st century version of “the local”.

You can just pop in for a relaxed drink in the bar and have a snack during the day when the lunch menu is on offer or eat in one of two dining rooms, the Monty Room (named in memory of the old Monteagle Arms), which seats up to 40 diners and has a lovely feel to it with its tall windows, wood flooring and paneling, or the Lanes, which is a self-contained area of the pub/restaurant seating up to 50 people.

It boasts its own bar so it can also be booked for private functions from business lunches to family gatherings including small weddings, funerals and special birthday parties.

Perhaps you may like to relax in Poets Corner, a quiet corner of the room where you can sit back, read the paper and take things easy in a stress free snug.

From the outside, the Highwayman looks very impressive indeed and offers ample parking for its customers.

Once inside, Lance and I were warmly greeted by our waitress and shown to a table in the Monty room.

Considering the weather, the restaurant was busy with lots of talk about the lovely snow outside. We ordered a drink then looked through the mouth-watering dishes on offer on the A la Carte menu, which incidentally will be changing soon.

The chef has done a wonderful job with the choices of food on offer, the starters comprised of sharing platters for 2 to 3 people to individual starters of deep fried mushrooms with garlic aioli, crispy whitebait with tartar sauce and lemon, warm goats cheese tartlet with cherry tomatoes and pesto and mussels mariniere steamed in white wine, cream and garlic to name but a few.

A choice of salads are also available as a starter or main course as well as a choice of pasta dishes, fish dishes (seafood Wellington, beer battered cot, goan fish casserole), from the stove or grill section (lambs liver and bacon, Thai style duck supreme, baked vegetable dauphinois, 6oz fillet steak), curry corner (all served with rice and a combination of sauce) plus a daily specials board.

Lance and I decided to order a sharing platter, the Highwayman platter which consisted of torpedo prawns, potato skins, chicken liver pate, crispy mushrooms, garlic bread and dips. This arrived with some hot crusty rolls and butter and the whole platter was delicious.

For anyone with a small appetite, it would be perfect as a main course.

After a respectable break, our friendly waitress placed our main courses in front of us, beef stroganoff with rice and a green salad for me and braised lamb shank with mash and vegetables for Lance. The presentation was superb and the taste was to die for!

The meat in both dishes was so tender and delicious we thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful.

To finish our meal we opted for just a coffee as we couldn’t manage dessert although from looking at the menu, it was very tempting!

The menu is suitable for vegetarians and is also starred with many dishes that are appropriate for people who are coeliac’s and are therefore, gluten free.

There is also a children’s menu on offer and set menu’s for private functions plus a Sunday lunch menu.

Bookings will need to be made if you wish to dine in the restaurant but cannot be taken for diners eating in the bar area.

The extensive lunch menu, available from Monday to Saturday, offers such dishes as dish of the day, hearty shepherds pie with rooftop mash and veg, double bacon, egg, sausage and chips, a choice of omelettes, Maryland crab cakes with chips and green salad plus a selection of sandwiches and toasties.

The Highwayman also have live music every Sunday from 4pm – 7pm with different singers and musicians each week singing or playing jazz, swing, Latin and much more.

This Sunday, 17th January, John Pearce, a piano player who has played for everyone from Ray Ellington to Billy May and Ronnie Scott will be performing so don’t miss out.

Or perhaps you may prefer to exercise your brain, if so, every second Monday of the month, the pub hosts a quiz night.

Or then again, if you are feeling a bit thirsty and energetic, how about the Highwayman’s darts room for all those promising Phil Taylor’s!

Whatever you decide, whether it is just a quick drink and a chat or a full three course meal, the Highwayman is an ideal venue to unwind and Yateley has a lot of history attached to it as it is linked to Bonfire Night.

All information regarding this, menu selections, events and special nights are available on their website www.highwaymanyateley.co.uk.

The bar is open from Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm and Sunday and Bank holidays 12 noon to 10.30pm. Food is available from Monday to Thursday 12 noon to 2pm and 6.00pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturdays 12 noon to 2.30pm and 6pm – 9.30pm and then on Sundays and Bank holidays from 12 noon to 8pm.

All in all Lance and I had a fantastic evening, fine dining with a warm atmosphere and waitresses who were extremely helpful but never intrusive.

Hugh and his staff made our first visit a happy one and we can’t wait to return. Why not give them a try, as the Highwayman says, ‘stand and deliver’ and deliver is what they definitely do!