Dukes Head

Revisited April 2007

This oldie world pub/restaurant is situated on the A3057 just north of Romsey heading towards Stockbridge. The main front door leads into the bar area with separate dining rooms to either side, and an outdoor patio area at the rear. The old fashioned décor is nice however wheelchair access would be difficult due to small steps around the bar and dining areas.

Having booked for 7.30pm on a Bank Holiday we were slightly surprised that the pub was not crowded when we arrived. We were also surprised to find that the head chef was off duty on a Bank Holiday; he used to be at The Ship in Distress in Mudeford and is a sea food specialist so was one of our main reasons for visiting.

After an unacceptably long wait at the bar, (our presence was not even acknowledged and a couple behind us gave up and walked out), the staff were apparently in another part of the building, we were eventually served our drinks but unfortunately the order was not correct. A little while later we decided we had better ask for menus and our order was taken at the bar. We were disappointed to see that the only Fruits De Mer available now was priced at £40 per head!

Sitting down at our table in a small side dining room we were presented with complimentary olives and very nice Ciabatta bread. For starters we chose Creel Caught Scottish Langoustines with Garlic Mayonnaise, Smoked Salmon Parcel with Poole Crab Meat with Rocket Salad, and Pigeon Breast, Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Terrine. They were very nice and our lady diner even found difficulty finishing the Salmon Parcel as it was so filling!

After a fairly lengthy wait we continued with our main courses of Stir Fried Tiger Prawns with Shitake Mushrooms, Pan Fried Diver caught Scallops with Garlic, and a Whole Cracked Isle of Wight Crab all washed down with two bottles of very agreeable house Pinot!

Having decided we still had enough space and could do justice to desserts we chose a Lemon Posset with Raspberry Coulis, a Vanilla and Strawberry Crème Brulee, and an Iced Pear Parfait with Poached Comice Pear with A Red Wine Syrup Spiced with Star Anise. These did not last long! We declined coffee and asked for the bill which we then had to go to the bar to wait for while it was added up manually from a number of tickets! The total was £130 for three diners which included drinks of £37.

Cost: £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £

Yummy Factor: The food we had was very good, if a bit pricey, and would have had a yummy factor of 8/10 or possibly more but it was let down by the poor service (there did not appear to be any management) so we generously gave it 7/10

Guest Report: HC

Visited June 2006

This restaurant is now under new management and has an excellent menu especially for all you fish lovers. It would appear little upgrading of the interior has been done but the garden has had a makeover - lots of gravel about - pleased I wasn't wearing my stilettos! There is a terrace area which can cater for wheelchairs. The chef is very creative and has a very interesting menu - all kinds of fish dishes including Mudeford Lobster, Isle of Wight Cock Crab, Cornish Monkfish but no local Test Trout! There are meat and vegetarian dishes also. We chose from their bar menu prices ranging from £7 - £10. We all enjoyed our choices and the main menu has a fantastic selection from £10-£15 unless you're going for the Lobster at £25 or the Fruits de Mer at £27 - sounds great doesn't it? I did however feel there was a lack of attention once we were served our meals, and our plates were never cleared (we were there until after 3.pm!) nor were we offered any dessert or coffee. I had the feeling they have few staff on at lunchtime and sadly it wasn't very busy for a Friday lunchtime.