9:30am Thursday 4th March 2010
By Adrianne Maslen
LUNCH at the Bull Hotel in Bridport was a refined affair – but it needn’t break the bank as I discovered on my visit there.
We walked into the restaurant of the East Street hotel and thought lunch would be out of the question as it was so busy.
But the friendly waitress found us a table in the light and modern restaurant and brought over the menus immediately.
The menu was extensive, with many different types of food for all tastes and budgets, including a deli board, sandwiches made with homemade bread, salads, and simple lunches.
I chose off the main menu and had tomato and garlic soup to start with, served with two chunky pieces of bread and plenty of butter.
The soup arrived piping hot and I thought the garlic was a good twist on your average tomato.
For my main course I chose the Tuscan chicken served with thyme-roasted potatoes from the simple lunch menu.
The plate arrived beautifully presented in a rustic style, with moist chicken served on a bed of roasted peppers, tomatoes and onions and dressed with pesto.
The two small potatoes would have been a disappointment on a dinner, but as this was lunchtime, it was perfectly adequate.
My friend chose from the Two For £10 menu, which gave the choice of three starters and mains, and two desserts. She opted for a starter of Welsh rarebit with poached egg, and although it was delicious, she felt the portion was quite small.
But the main course of moules mariniere more than made up for the small starter with a plate piled high with mussels, served with a bowl of thin fries.
She described them as plump and juicy, served in a delicious sauce, and quite simply the best mussels she had ever had. She was certainly full by the end of it and was happy to pay only £10 for both courses.
My only criticism would be that the main course arrived within seconds of finishing the starter – but I would rather it come too quickly than too slowly.
The highest praise must be reserved for the staff, who were attentive and friendly and made us feel very comfortable.
The Bull Hotel is often seen as an upmarket venue in Bridport but the prices don’t just suit deep pockets. While you could splash out and have a £15 steak, you could also go for a sandwich, or a meal off the simple menu, which would set you back around £5.50.
Overall, we enjoyed our lunchtime treat and given the extensive menu, a return visit is in order to sample more of the tempting dishes.
My Bull Hotel bill
Tomato soup: £5.50
Tuscan chicken: £5.50
Rarebit and mussels: £10
TOTAL: £21
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