Belmont (BLM)

 This time ‘B’ is for Belmont

The California, Belmont (Google photo)

This week Keith, Anthony and I visited the California at Belmont.

This is the first pub that we have visited that was fairly full at lunchtime

One thing the three of us have noticed is that many beers now come in colourful, branded glasses and the pub is all the more cheerful for that.

Keith and Paul

There were special menus so you could choose a starter from one, a main course and dessert from another without any problem.  This ability to chop and change worked well and offered good value for money.

Anthony declined a starter then had beef lasagne and apple pie and custard. In fact, we all decided on apple pie and custard.

Beef lasagne

Apple pie

 In recent times we have tried to have our pie and eat it but it doesn’t appear on many menus and apple crumble does not quite cut it.

Battered mushrooms

Ham egg and chips

Keith straddled two menus with beer-battered mushrooms as a starter from one and ham, egg and chips from another, finishing, as I said, with apple pie and custard.

Calamari

Sea Bass and chips

I had a calamari starter from one menu and sea bass and chips from another.

Again, my dessert was apple pie and custard. Only one glitch when we were told that we had ordered only two apple pies but that was quickly put right.

We decided the food was 8/10 (vv good) and Keith actually gave it 9/10 but his peas were nearly cold.

The pub is part of Mitchells and Butler (same owners as Toby Inns) and branded Ember Inns. It has a reward card and a coffee club, something which again pulls customers in.

As I said before this pub had plenty of patrons and the food didn’t cost the earth. Perhaps that is the answer, good food, value for money and a nice atmosphere.