The Slug and Lettuce, The Cross, Worcester

9:21am Friday 18th July 2008

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We’re passionate about our food, drink and exceptional service, says bar and restaurant chain the Slug and Lettuce on its website.

However, Sunday lunch in the Worcester branch proved markedly lacking in passion.

Despite being impressively low-cost (£7.50 for a full Sunday roast), the service was slow and, when it did arrive, one of the dishes was not enjoyable.

The Sunday roast made up for in quantity what it lacked in quality. After waiting in a quiet restaurant for more than half-an-hour, the huge plate of roast beef and all the trimmings arrived.

The meat looked stringy and proved quite tough and the roast potatoes had an odd tang.

The vegetables were obviously not fresh and had a slightly grey and depressing look to them. There was no horseradish sauce to accompany the meal and, when I asked for mustard instead, this never materialised.

My lunch guests fared much better. The Sicilian-style chicken (£7.95) had a lovely, fresh tomato scent. The chicken, which came wrapped in prosciutto ham, was tender and the aromatic sauce delicious. The fish pie (£7.75) was also a favourite.

This dish was piping hot, with good-sized chunks of fish and prawns in a light but creamy sauce, with cheesy mashed potato on top. I ended up pushing my lucklustre meal to one side and sharing this dish instead.

Other menu choices included butternut squash and goats cheese lasagne, fish and chips, sausage and mash and Thai chicken curry.

Our fellow diners seemed more interested in ordering snacks such as bruscetta, potato wedges and sharing platters (including ribs, nachos, mezze and more) than trying the main meals, and these may be the Slug’s strong point, as they certainly looked delicious.

The desserts, which were on a two-for-the-price-of-one offer, were well presented. The lemon torte was light and zingy.

The hot chocolate puddle pudding was tasty, but not as exciting as its name made it sound.

The meal was fairly good value for money .

HOW IT RATED

Food ***

Value for money ***

Ambience ***

Service *

The Slug and Lettuce, The Cross, Worcester. Telephone: 01905 729211