The Royal Quays, Coble Dene Road, North Shields

Oct 17 2010 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

Rating: 13/20
Tel: 0191 258 0287
Food served: All day from 11.30am
Drinks: Pint of lager £2.60, pint of bitter £2.30, gin and tonic £3.38 single, £4.38 double, large glass of house wine £3.15, fresh orange juice £1.36.

IT'S been a busy couple of weeks in Eats Towers. We've had family gatherings, trips away and last week we've had some of the in-laws staying with us.

Which was always going to pose a problem when Sunday came around. Our favourite fussy relative was back, and once again was moaning about his distaste for Sunday lunches.

However, he was keen to revisit the Brewers Fayre at the Royal Quays, because he believed he’d had the best burger ever there last time he came to stay.

It was good with us. We’d last visited the North Shields pub in 2008 and had been delighted with the food, particularly the starters, so were keen to see if it was still as good as we remembered.

The restaurant area is huge. Since they took the big indoor play area out a couple of years ago, it has become a much nicer place to eat. Of course it is a chain pub so the decor remains a little bit clinical, but it was clean, calming and almost cosy in places, with welcoming tables spread around and tucked into corners, meaning you could move away from the families with screaming kids if need be.

Need was, and we found a lovely quiet spot and perused the menu. Mrs Eats and I were determined to go for the same as last time – prawn cocktail for me at £3.99, while she went for chicken goujons at £3.75. Having raved on about them since our last visit, fussy relative decided a Mrs E recommendation could only be a good thing, and opted for the same.

Ordering our drinks at the same time as I ordered my food, I was amazed to discover they had already been delivered to our table when I arrived back, and it seemed like just a matter of minutes when the starters arrived.

We’d been bubbling with excitement about our impending prawns and goujons, but as they appeared the bubble burst with a bang. Gone were the lovely seeded goujons Mrs Eats had fallen in love with, and instead lay what looked like four mediocre chicken strips on a plate with two pots, one with salsa and the other with sour cream. There was no salad garnish and it looked very sorry for itself.

It took less than two minutes to eat the four sad-looking chicken things, while my prawns were a bit better.

The portion was not as big as it used to be, but I was counting my blessings that I hadn’t gone for the glorified chicken nuggets.

They had caused such a stir that, when the waitress asked if everything had been OK, we said “no” and quizzed her as to what had gone wrong.

Looking a bit embarrassed, she said that this was how they now served them – just the four without garnish. If we wished, we could email head office with our concerns.

Feeling a bit deflated, we didn’t have long to wait for our mains. The great thing about Brewers Fayre is that they serve the main menu all day as well as offering a choice of roasts.

You can choose from beef, pork or turkey for £7.50 each and there is the option to trade up to a Mega Roast for an extra £1.50. Clearly, I was always going to trade up, but Mrs Eats had decided she fancied lamb, so went for the slow-cooked lamb shank in redcurrant and mint gravy from the main menu. Fussy eater went for a bacon and cheese burger.

When they arrived, my plate was piled high with several slices of thick beef, two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, a pile of lovely fresh veg and mashed potato. It was fantastic and extremely tasty and there was so much of it, I had to leave a roastie and a bit of the beef.

Mrs Eats had added a Yorkshire pud to her meal for an extra 40p, but we were both a little disappointed that they weren’t homemade. However, they did taste good so neither of us could really moan.

The lamb fell off the bone and Mrs Eats said it was better than some she’d had in fine restaurants. Her meal came with carrots and broccoli as well as a huge mound of mash, and the gravy was delicious.

The burger was also a hit, arriving with a plate full of chips and a bowl of nice coleslaw.

There is certainly no complaint about the size or quality of the mains. We were all stuffed and, although we toyed with the idea of desert, none of us could justify getting one because we knew we’d never find room for it.

It’s fair to say that the Royal Quays redeemed itself after the starter disappointment with three fantastic main courses.

We also liked the friendly approach of the staff who were happy to go out of their way to make our visit as enjoyable as possible, and clearly empathised with our disdain over the starters.

But that email to head office was sent, if just to appease Mrs Eats. My advice? Definitely give Brewers Fayre a shot but steer clear of the goujons!