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			Restaurants.

Royal Bangkok Thai Restaurant.


	35 Mill Bank, Stafford, ST16 2QT, Tel 01785 258206 LOCATION!


	Stafford 247 Says:



		The menu is quite extensive but we decided to stick to our original plan of the 3 courses for £10 & check out the V.F.M! I let Steve choose the wine as he usually picks a good one! The waitress bought over a bottle of Willowglen Semillion Chardonnay at £11.50 & after a little tester I gave it the thumbs up!


	One of Stafford’s gastronomic treasures, the Royal Bangkok offers traditional Thai food in cosy surroundings. We decided to try their “Special Night Time Menu” at £10 for 3 courses. We were given a friendly welcome & shown to a table. It was very quiet but as it was early on a Wednesday evening we didn’t take it as a bad omen!

Time to order the food!!
For starter I went for Taud Mun Pla- deep fried Thai spicy fish cakes blended with red curry. The texture wasn’t what I was expecting, they were chewier than fish cakes that I’m used to, but they were tasty & spicy without numbing my mouth!
Steve chose the Ka-nom Pung Nar Moo-deep fried minced pork on toast served with a sweet chilli sauce. These were also delicious & the sweet (but not sickly) chilli sauce went with it perfectly.




	On to the main courses! After much deliberation I decided on the Gang Kiew-wahn Gai- Thai Green Curry with sliced chicken, chilli, sweet basil & aubergines in coconut milk & to accompany a portion of egg fried rice. The servings appear quite small initially (served in neat little bowls!) however, this dish was packed with flavour! The chicken was moist & the green curry sauce was delicious & very moreish! Along with the generous chunks of aubergine it wasn’t long before I was full! Steve went or the Gang Dang Naw-mai Gai-Thai Red Curry with sliced chicken & bamboo shoots in coconut milk. This was a spicier dish but just as flavoursome & again the egg fried rice soaked up the sauce nicely!


	As usual we had no room for dessert so I settled for a coffee instead! At £10 the food was top quality & the portions just right, we weren’t rushed & the atmosphere was relaxed & friendly. Stafford247 would like to say “Kaub Koon” (Thank you) to the Royal Bangkok Thai for an excellent meal!


	Palmer’s Bar & Restaurant


	Crabbery Street, Stafford, ST16 2BA, Tel 01785 605605 LOCATION!


	You may remember some months ago our brief review of Palmer’s Bar & restaurant? Well as promised we returned recently to sample the food on offer! Formerly The Surgery & The Noah’s Ark before that, Palmers is a stunning building, & it’s main claim to fame is that it once housed Dr William Palmer “The Rugeley Poisoner” & also that Queen Elizabeth II visited & (possibly, depending on what a queen’s tipple is!) supped some ale there!




		We were given a friendly welcome one weekday lunchtime & after ordering a couple of drinks we checked out the lunch menu. For light lunchers there are sandwiches from £3.45 for Cheese & Tomato, all served with potato crisps & side salad on a choice of white or brown bread, or Soup of the day with crusty bread at £3.75.

Just for a change I knew what I wanted straight away & went for the Welsh Rarebit with Red Onion Marmalade & salad at £4.95. Steve just loves his salads & made a beeline for the Warm Black Pudding & Bacon Salad with Cumberland Sauce, which also £4.95.
One thing that’s for sure they don’t skimp on the portion size! There were two large slices of Rarebit on my plate along with a nice fresh & crisp salad (leaves, peppers, cucumber, radish & dressing) plus a small dish of the Red Onion Marmalade. The rarebit was delicious, fresh from under the grill & slightly charred around the edges-just how I like it!! The marmalade was an excellent partner-tangy & sweet!

Steve eagerly tucked into his salad meanwhile! Copious amounts of black pudding & bacon topped off with a perfectly poached egg! As usual it wasn’t long before he was stuffed & had to give up gracefully! I on the other hand was as stubborn as ever & cleared my plate!
Depending on your appetite there’s also a small selection of side orders to choose from- Chips, Veg, House salad & Boiled potatoes all £2.00. If you’re feeling particularly hungry how about a dessert? Choose from Warm chocolate brownie with Vanilla ice cream or Summer Pudding amongst others all £3.50.
The food is also locally sourced where possible which is always good to see!
The lunch menu is available from 12pm until 3pm, Monday to Saturday. The restaurant serves evening meals from 6pm until 9.30pm, Wednesday to Saturday.
Upstairs is still The Surgery hosting live music & the bar is open from 9pm until late.
Stafford247 Verdict: Palmers definitely has the potential to be a good “all rounder” with good & drink, good music & a good atmosphere!


	Café Davide.


	201 Trentham Retail Village, Trentham Gardens, Stone Rd, Trentham, ST4 8AX, Tel 01782 657783 LOCATION!


	Stafford 247 says:

	On our recent visit to Trentham we had trouble deciding where to eat, there being a great deal of choice. After a lot of pacing we finally decided on Café Davide whose claim to “serve classic dishes with a contemporary twist” sounded too tempting an offer to pass up!



		I decided on the Soup & Sandwich Combination-for £8.95 choose any sandwich & add the soup of the day, today’s being Mushroom. My sandwich of choice was Flaked Tuna with Watercress, Shallots & Mayo (single price £6.25) served on multigrain bread. The sandwich was generously filled & delicious but it was the soup that really impressed me! The flavour & texture was superb & it was probably one of the best I have tasted! Served in a coffee cup there was just the right amount too!



		The Shire Horse.




			Inside Café Davide is a cosy brasserie with smartly dressed, friendly staff. We were shown to a nice romantic table for two in the corner & given menus. Our drinks order was taken (a Magners Cider & an orange juice & soda) then we were left to check out the menu. The lunch menu alone is quite extensive with a good choice of sandwiches, salads, tapas & platters plus a “Soup of the Day” & a “Hot Dish of the Day”!



	Steve just couldn’t resist & went for his favourite-a Chicken Caeser Salad at £7.25. Crispy Cos lettuce, anchovies, crunchy herb croutons with tender chicken breast & bacon lardons. Again the portion size was generous with quality ingredients & excellent flavours. Café Davide also offers a fixed price menu served from 11am until 9pm, 2 courses for £12.95 or 3 courses for £15.95 & a Patisserie menu with a mouthwatering selection of cakes! We felt that Café Davide’s food & service was excellent & we thoroughly recommend it-I have to go back & try the Carrot Cake!!


	1 Hurricane Close, Stafford, ST16 1GZ, Tel 01785 270700 LOCATION!


	Stafford 247 says:

	The Shire Horse is part of the Chef & Brewer chain of pubs & is a great place for family meals or a quiet pint! Situated just off of junction 14 of the M6, it is popular with people coming in or out of town. We turned up on a busy Bank Holiday Monday for a family get together & being fairly regular visitors to The Shire Horse we were sure of a good afternoon! A full menu is available all day plus a specials board & dessert menu.


	Steve is a fan of their burgers so no prizes for guessing what he went for! At £8.50 the burgers are made with 35 day matured beef & he chose a topping of cheese & bacon for his. It was thick & tasty with plenty of chips to accompany it-so top marks from Steve!






		Dad surprised us all by going for something a little different! He chose the Free Range Pork Loin with a Herb Crust with Provencal Vegetable Ratatouille & British New Potatoes at £10.50. The Pork was very good & he quite enjoyed the Ratatouille, all that was left at the end was a few potatoes!



		Our plates were cleared away & the waitress asked if we would like dessert. Mum & I did have a quick look at the menu but decided that we didn’t really have enough room-shame!!


	I chose the Breaded Breast of Farm Assured Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, & Asparagus with Tagliatelle at £8.95. The chicken was excellent, tender & moist with a lovely crunchy coating. The veg was equally as good but, sadly, the pasta was quite cold & bland which was a real shame considering that the rest of the dish was piping hot & full of flavour! I mentioned this to a passing waitress who offered to take it back for me but I declined as I was very hungry & didn’t want to wait for a replacement. I did, however, ask her to pass on my comments to the chef although I didn’t receive any feedback on the matter!



	Mum played it safe & had the Sausages & Mash with Red Onion Gravy at £6.75. The sausages were good quality on a bed of lovely creamy mash with lashings of rich gravy. The verdict was obvious from the clear plate!!


	Apart from the disappointing pasta the rest of the food was fine & I doubt it will stop us returning!


	Frankie & Benny’s.


	The New Hough, Lichfield Rd, Stafford, ST17 4LL, Tel 01785 236940


		Stafford 247 Says:

	The Stafford branch of Frankie & Benny’s opened late last year & has quickly become & popular place to eat! The building was once used by GEC for entertaining guests & was hidden from the public eye for many years. Now it’s been given a new lease of life & is entertaining again! Frankie Giuliani & his pal Benny took over the family business from his father in 1953 & with it’s mix of traditional American & Italian food seems as popular today as it was back then!

The menu at Frankie & Benny’s is extensive to say the least! For starters choose from Soup of the Day served with crunchy Garlic Ciabatta croutons at £2.95 or Mushroom Alfredo at £4.25-fresh button mushrooms baked in a rich cheese sauce topped with melted Mozzarella & served with garlic Ciabatta. The choice of mains is mind boggling & I defy even the fussiest eater not to find something they like! For carb junkies like me there’s a mouth watering choice of pasta dishes, from a traditional Spaghetti Bolognese at £6.95 to Pasta Marinara (seafood) at £8.25. If pizza is your passion how about an American Hot topped with pepperoni & chillies at £7.65 for a 10inch & £10.95 for a 15inch. There is also a range of House Specialities including BBQ Chicken & Ribs-for £11.45 you get 1/4 chicken & baby back pork ribs with coleslaw, corn on the cob & a choice of Herb potatoes, House Fries or Jacket Potato.




	The singing had to stop however, as our food had arrived (that & the fact that we didn’t want upset the other diners!!). To call my choice a sandwich could be considered an understatement, but if you’ve been to the U.S. you’ll know that a sandwich there is quite different to a British butty! The Chicken Americano consists of a whole chicken breast topped with pepperoni & Monterey Jack cheese & then smothered in BBQ sauce & Mayo all crammed in seeded bun! Before I started I cut it in half, it was obvious this was going to get messy! Messy but delicious, the chicken was moist & the pepperoni & cheese made it feel like I was eating pizza in a bun!


	We arrived on Saturday lunchtime & were given a friendly welcome before being shown to a table. Our drinks order was taken & we were left to peruse the gargantuan menu! After much deliberation I decided on a Chicken Americano Sandwich at £8.75 & Steve went for a Classic Hamburger at £7.95 & a side order of Onion Rings at £2.75. There is music playing constantly, mainly 50’s & Rat Pack stuff but it’s played at a volume that doesn’t intrude. I was rather enjoying it & found myself singing along much to Steve’s amusement, although he did join me on “Fly Me to the Moon”!!!



Meanwhile Steve was enjoying his burger! The beef was good quality, thick & not overcooked & tasted just as you would want a good burger to! The onion rings were fresh & the spicy coating gave quite a kick! Now the House Fries are something special! Some friends of ours who had come to Frankie & Benny’s a few weeks before had raved about them & we couldn’t wait to try them for ourselves! I don’t know what they do to them but for fries they are delicious, really crispy on the outside & fluffy inside, maybe they coat them in something but whatever they do they are fab!!

As well as their main menu Frankie & Benny’s offer separate brunch, lunch & dessert menus & they also cater for parties. There is a cocktail menu too but it was a bit early in the day for me!
As our plates were cleared away the waitress asked if we would like a dessert. I declined; all I really wanted was a little nap!
The service is good, the staff are fairly attentive & we weren’t rushed. We felt that for a restaurant chain the food was of a very high standard, & if their sandwiches were anything to go by you get a great deal for your money! It’s going to take a fair few visits to get through that menu-it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!!


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