Restaurant: Loch Fyne

Whatever was on in Guildford tonight, it took forever to drive into town, and nearly as long to find parking. But we eventually did, and headed for a couple of drinks at the King's Head, a pleasant, oak-beamed pub not far from Loch Fyne restaurant, our ultimate destination.

You had better be fairly in charge of your faculties at Loch Fyne - there are steps up to the dining area, and more up to the toilets. We were seated in the corner of a pleasant, red-brick-walled room, and served in short order. The service was excellent throughout, somewhat helped by the fact that we had pre-ordered.

I had the soup - butternut squash - which was delicious. The others also enjoyed their starters, although there was some confusion as to whether the tempura had been meant to come with dips, and the fact that the salmon, with brown bread, actually came as a paste, which had not been clear on the menu. The bread, by the way - some of which also accompanied the soup - was excellent.

For main course, I had the steak (sirloin - medium), which was perfectly cooked. I didn't need a steak knife - just as well, since I wasn't offered one. It was accompanied by a dish of pepper sauce, which was spicier than average, but quite tasty - although I reserved it for the chips that also accompanied the dish, and were lovely and crispy. The "garlic" mushrooms that completed the dish had no trace of garlic, and were few in number, but also tasty. In general, we enjoyed our food, although there was a complaint that the fish pie was rather small (it looked it), and the person who ordered it said he'd have the steak if he came back..

For dessert, most of us had the crème brulée, which was crispy on top, as it should be, and rounded off the meal nicely. The bill, including drinks (I had wine, most others had beer, there were a couple of soft drinks and a couple of bottles of water) came to about £25 per head, which I think is perfectly reasonable. In summary, a pleasant venue (I've used that word a lot in this review, haven't I?) and we were well fed, but I wouldn't rush back. Anyway, we made the station, which is walking distance from town, in good time for the train back to London. We had a great night, but it was more the company that made it than the food.

So, back to Ireland for the weekend, and I'm heading to the ballet version of Carmen on Saturday, in Glór arts centre in Ennis, my mother's county town. (Glór is the Irish for voice.) Nice venue, pity they don't have more on when I'm back and can go..