A Bank Holiday Visit To Roosters Bar & Restaurant At Morley Hayes
Published On Thursday 7 Sep 2023 by Sticky Beak
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Thanks to the dodgy weather, the Bank Holiday got off to a bit of a slow start, but soon gathered pace as the sun shone (or rather, the rain stayed away!). Much sweat was mopped from brows as His Nibs and I beavered away, Mummy Bird kept us hydrated with regular glasses of squash, suggesting we round the day off with a trip out for dinner. No arguments from us, we’d worked up a keen appetite!
The Man and I have been to Roosters Bar Restaurant at Morley Hayes before, though not for a while, and thought it would be a nice place to revisit. There’s a huge amount of parking at this characterful venue, and we managed to bag a spot close to the entrance. Morley Hayes is a large complex that is home to a golf course and driving range, Roosters Bar Restaurant, the two-rosette awarded Dovecote Restaurant, and the adjacent accommodation rooms. However, its size doesn’t dull the standard of welcome we got when we first walked through Roosters door.
Having seated us, the lovely young lady got our drinks order sorted out and left us to peruse the Spring/Summer menu. Roosters uses seasonal produce and changes its food offering accordingly, though the Dexter Beef used in some of its dishes comes from Morley Hayes’ own herd of Dexter Cattle.
After a bit of discussion, a decision was made: we’d eschew starters and save that magic bit of space for pudding after the mains. So, with that settled, we chose our meals: I went for the Baby Rack of Pork Ribs with BBQ sauce, Waffle Fries, Cheese ‘Slaw, and Rocket and Watercress (£19.50), Mummy chose the Morley Hayes Special (a Steak and Mushroom Stew in a Yorkie Pud, with Chips and Seasonal Veg, £15.25), and His Nibs opted for the Homemade Beef and Red Wine Lasagne with Garlic Bread and House Salad (£14.95). As we ordered, the young chap took care to ask if we had any allergies or intolerances – a nice touch, I thought.
Roosters Bar Restaurant is always a popular venue, but the Bank Holiday meant that it was packed with families taking advantage; needless to say, it was super-busy! Despite the hustle and bustle, the kitchen was clearly coping well and it wasn’t much longer than usual before our dishes were being placed in front of us.
They say we feast with our eyes and, wowsers, we couldn’t wait to get stuck into these beauties! Imagine a golden, homemade Yorkshire pudding filled with a meat-laden stew whose chunks are so bounteous and plentiful that they spill over onto the plate, their intoxicating aroma carried to your nostrils by tendrils of steam. All three of us were indecently drooling at the sight of Mummy’s chosen morsel, and she grinned in happiness at her selection. My own rack of Pork Ribs lounged diagonally across my plate, bathed in a deep-coloured BBQ sauce and accompanied by a large pot of colourful ‘Slaw, and hammered-metal cup of Waffle Fries and verdant leaves. The Man Birds’ plate was also over-flowing, the deep Lasagne dominating the dish; perched on top of the thick, baked Parmesan crust were two slices of Garlic Bread and a plentiful mixed salad of leaves, Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion that was lightly dressed.
A look can convey a thousand words, apparently, and let me say that the look on Mummy’s face as she had her first mouthful of the Beef and Mushroom Stew told me that this was, indeed, an exceptionally tasty minx. No pressure at all was needed from the cutlery to cut through the cubes of Steak; they literally fell apart before your eyes. The depth of flavour from the meat was partnered beautifully by the earthiness of the Mushrooms and the thick, silky sauce that cocooned it all; contrasting with this smoothness was the crunchy outer of the Yorkshire Pudding, making for a sensorial treat. A medley of Broccoli, Cabbage, Green Beans and Carrots had all been cooked perfectly to retain some firmness, and the chips were crisp on the outside, with soft, pillowy centres. A pretty perfect main course.
His Nibs’ Lasagne was stunning to behold when dissected: between each layer of pale pasta was a ruby-toned Beef Ragu that any Italian Mamma or Nona would approve of, thanks to its texture and taste. If you’ve got a hearty appetite, then this is certainly the dish for you. The slices of Garlic Bread got put to good use, mopping up any last trace of Ragu that lingered in the bowl, though the Salad was left for me to munch away at - #saladdodgerforahusband !
It isn’t often that I have Ribs, but I was just in the mood for them and, as I took the first chomp at them, I wasn’t disappointed. Some ribs can be a bit lacking in the meat department, but the ones at Roosters Bar definitely do not fall into this category: each one had lots of tender, flavoursome meat on it. I absolutely loved the BBQ sauce that covered the rack of ribs, it was smoky but had a delicious tang to its finish. The coleslaw was nicely chunky, with enough Mayo to give it a pleasing wetness in the mouth but not enough to smother the zing of the cheese or the vegetables’ subtle flavour. My inner child was beaming in delight at the sight of the mini, round Waffle fries and they had been fried to crispy perfection – yes!! Not quite so fab was the Rocket (no Watercress to be seen, unfortunately); it was a bit limp and room-temperature rather than cool – thankfully it was just a side garnish more than anything, else I’d have been a bit disappointed.
True to our word, we’d all got that magic corner in our tummies left for dessert, so I ordered the Apple and Almond Pie, £6.65, with double Cream (you could also have Bluebell’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream or Custard), His Nibs had the Naughty Triple Chocolate Sundae (£8.35), and Mummy Bird had the Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake, £6.65, with double Cream – again, you can opt to have Custard or Ice Cream if you prefer.
Both mine and Mummy’s desserts were a good size, but they were dwarfed by the humungous Sundae that was served to The Man! A scoop each of rosy toned Ruby Chocolate, pale Heavenly Chocolate and dark Devilishly Chocolate Ice Creams were interspersed with lashings of Chocolate Sauce, a triangle of rich Chocolate Brownie and swirls of thick whipped cream. As a final flourish, a decorative ‘Morley Hayes’ wafer topped it all. The flavours of the Ice Creams were superb and, as a treat, texture came via the chunks of corresponding chocolate in each perfect round. Yet again, there were smiles of glee as we tucked in to our choices of sweet treat.
Where my Apple and Almond Pie was pale and fluffy, with a delicate taste, Mummy’s Fudge Cake was dark and rich and sultry. The chocolate sponge was softened and gooey, thanks to being warmed, and the Fudge sauce was like a molten river of sumptuous velvet in the mouth – though some lingered at the edges of Mummy’s mouth, earning her the nickname of ‘Choccy Chops’! His Nibs also bore the evidence of a cocoa-heavy spree, though his tell-tale was spread over his top lip!
Throughout our meal, the serving team had come to do check-backs and enquire as to whether we needed any more drinks. Nothing had been too much trouble for them, despite them never stopping for a second – I dread to think how many steps their Fitbits would’ve registered!
Having settled the bill, which came to a smidge under £91, we made our way back to the jalopy (rolling like Weebles, rather than walking, I fear!). Our Bank Holiday Weekend had come to a very pleasant conclusion at Roosters Bar Restaurant at Morley Hayes, so Hot Wings given here (despite the disappointing salad).
Roosters Bar Restaurant is open 7-days-a-week, 11.30am-9pm (last orders at the bar 11pm ,10.30pm on Sunday). To book a table ring 01332 780480 or visit the website www.morleyhayes.com and hit the green ‘bookings’ button.
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