Frome Flyer Beefeater Review
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This week I visited The Frome Flyer Beefeater to check out the refurbishments and try some dishes from the meaty menu. I’ll be honest – I’ve not eaten at a Beefeater Restaurant for quite a long time. We had a not brilliant experience at the one closest to us a few years ago and not been back since. So when the opportunity to review the newly refurbished Frome Flyer Beefeater came up we decided it was time to give the well-known chain another chance and sample some of the dishes on their menu.
Frome Flyer Beefeater Review
The interior of the restaurant feels modern yet cosy – with the recent refurbishments being particularly evident in the clean and refreshed look of the place – it’s definitely going for a more upmarket feel! The tables don’t feel too crowded together and we loved the big tartan cow on the wall as you walk in. We were actually a little disappointed not to be seated in a booth as we love how cosy they feel – especially for a couple eating out together on a date night,
Our table wasn’t ready when we arrived (disappointing as we had booked and were a few minutes late due to traffic) so we headed to the bar to grab some drinks. We were surprised to be told there was no regular Pepsi, but Pepsi Max was available so we ordered that instead. My husband and I don’t really drink much alcohol, particularly when out for a meal, so for us it’s always nice to be able to order refillable drinks. We also liked that these were table service and we didn’t have to get up and refill them ourselves.
Frome Flyer Beefeater: The Menu
On scanning the main menu the first thing I noticed is that they served Duck Pate. I bloody love Pate and as Seventies retro as that may be, I was instantly sold. The other starters were much as you would expect for somewhere with a heavily meat influenced menu, chicken wings, ribs, kofta kebabs and meatballs were all on offer, along with the odd veggie option. My husband actually took a while deciding on what to have as there was so much he wanted to try but eventually decided on the potato skins with bacon and cheese.
The main menu has a heavy focus on steaks, the majority of which are served with the usual steak trimmings and bottomless chips – although how anyone could eat any more than that what they are served with is beyond me – we were so full after our mains! There is also a section on the menu I would probably refer to as barbecue – which features Ribs, Brisket, Short Rib and chicken. Other mains included pub classics such as fish and chips and burgers with a few dishes being influenced by European flavours such as the linguine, meatballs and risotto. I did notice the the menu lacked vegetarian options, I think there were just four in total, which in my opinion is a bit limited.
The Food
The starters came out and they looked really good. The portion of potato skins was really big and could easily have been shared between two people. It was also really nice and light – potato skins can sometimes be a bit greasy and heavy but these were really crispy (I may have sneaked one or two bites while hubby wasn’t looking!)
The duck pate was obviously not homemade but still perfectly adequate. There was plenty of it – actually too much for the three slices of bread given – I’m sure if I had asked for more the staff would have obliged but I didn’t want to fill up as I was so looking forward to my main course.
For my main course I chose the beef duo – a combination of Brisket and Beef Short Rib. We’ve recently returned from a trip to the USA where I had some of the best Brisket ever so I was hoping this would live up to my expectations. It’s also nice to find somewhere in the U.K serving these popular American dishes. The duo of beef was actually really good – the Brisket could have done with more of a smoky flavour but was very tender and tasty.
The star of the show was the beef short-rib which just melted in the mouth and was absolutely delicious. Having both of these together was a huge plate of food for me so it would be nice if they were available on the menu separately, as individual dishes. I must say presentation of my dish wasn’t great – especially for the price of almost £20!
My husband chose the ribs and chicken combo which he really enjoyed. The ribs were actually better than in some other well-known chain restaurants (I think my husband considers himself a bit of a rib expert!) and weren’t too smothered in BBQ sauce. They were very tender and falling off the bone which is how they should be.
For pudding, we shared a cookie dough Sundae. It was nice but there was so much cream on top in dropped off all over the table as soon as it was put down making a huge mess! Serving the Sundae on a plate may have help to avoid this. That said, it was delicious and more than enough to share between the two of us after our huge main courses.
Overall Experience
All in all we had a very good experience at the Frome Flyer Beefeater. The food was hot, tasty and plentiful and the service was good – although drinks refills did take a long time to come (we ordered them at the same time as dessert and we’d received and eaten all of the desserts by the time they came)
While I do think the main menu is quite pricey (the rib-eye steak is £3 more expensive than my local country pub!), especially for a chain restaurant, there is a set menu available in the evenings that does counteract this – so you could definitely spend less if you wanted to. This menu offers two courses for £12.79 or three courses for £14.79 and includes Burgers, Steaks and chicken dishes. If we returned to the Frome Flyer Beefeater we would definitely give this menu a try as it looks like it offers much better value for money.
There is also a lunch menu where everything is £5 – again this would certainly tempt us back through the doors for a tasty lunchtime treat.
If you’re looking for somewhere to go for a relaxed family meal then I don’t think you will be disappointed if you choose the Frome Flyer Beefeater – the portions are huge and the food is decent quality.
I love the musical notes on the bird its gorgeous