Pebble Beach 23/25

Marine Drive
Barton-on-Sea
Hampshire

BH25 7DZ

Tel: 01425 627777

Website: pebblebeach-uk.com

Vegetarian: Yes

Parking: Own car park

Wheelchairs: Easy

Loos: Excellent

To celebrate my 50th birthday my family suggested a lunchtime meal at a “restaurant to remember”!  As some of my family come from Andover they made a couple of suggestions of restaurants in that area but none seemed to have “that little bit extra” to mark this special event.  At my suggestion we booked a table for 5 for lunch at Pebble Beach, Barton-on-Sea.  Only I had been there a couple of times before, however I was fairly certain they would be impressed.

On arriving at Pebble Beach we were greeted at the door and asked whether we wished to start with drinks in the bar or to go straight to our table.  We chose to go to the table where a drinks were ordered.  For a weekday lunchtime the restaurant was surprisingly busy and the place had a nice atmosphere.  Attentive staff advised us of the daily specials and our orders were taken.

My brother and I chose the Assiette ‘fruits de mer’ – supposedly a starter but certainly a large one!!  My mother and sister-in-law had the Profiteroles which were filled with local goat’s cheese with onion jam and an aubergine caviar.  My nephew opted for Squid, Chorizo and red pepper which had been sautéed with fresh chilli, parsley and garlic.  The starters were presented beautifully and well received by my family – the meal was off to a fantastic start!

For my main course I chose a Monkfish and King Prawn stir fry.  My brother had Monkfish wrapped in Palma Ham resting on a bed of asparagus.  My mother surprised us by opting for the Vegetable Tempura – approximately 5 different vegetables lightly fried in tempura batter accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce.  The others went for the dressed crab and steamed halibut.  Even though the portions seemed larger than I remembered we all managed to clear our plates.

Only the three male diners were able to tackle a sweet; my brother chose Iced Nougat which was served with roasted nectarines and nuts.  I had Chocolate Liegeois which consisted of layers of chocolate parfait and meringue with whipped cream (the diet having gone out of the window for the day!!).  My nephew picked the cheese plate which consisted of a number of different cheeses – too much for him so we helped him finish it!

Our lovely waitress had obviously told the chef about our celebration and at the end of the meal he very kindly made up a special ‘birthday cake plate’ for me with one pink candle (!!) – an unexpected but very amusing touch.

Rounding off the meal with coffees my family had to agree that it was one of the best meals they’d ever had, the staff were attentive and friendly, and the ambience completed a perfect celebration.  Looking forward to the next 50 years………!!

Cost approx ££££££££ to include pre lunch drinks and 2 bottles of wine

Ladies Who Lunch Scoring:

Quality of food 4/5
Variety of menu 5/5
Staff and service 5/5
Ambience, setting & decor 5//5
Value for Money 4/5

Total Yummy Factor

5/5 = Cannot be improved upon, 4/5 = Very good, 3/5 = Good,
2/5 = Satisfactory, 1/5 = Poor, 0/5 = Terrible

The higher the "Yummy" factor, the better the food & service. The higher the number of £ signs the more expensive. (Roughly one £ sign = £5 per head)