The Royal Oak Pub

111 High Street, Marlborough

(01672) 512064

Food served from 11am to 10pm

Regular quiz nights

Parking on High Street

Open Monday-Thursday,10am-11pm, Friday 10am-midnight, Saturday 10am-1.30am, Sunday 10am-11pm

WHEN my friends suggested eating at The Royal Oak pub in Marlborough I wasn’t overly thrilled.

Given the number of restaurants in the High Street, it’s not one of those places that instantly springs to mind if I want a meal out. I see it more as a pub crawl destination. However, I was impressed.

It was a Saturday evening and reasonably busy, but we grabbed a table by the front. There is lots of choice on the menu, from chilli Thai noodles to the classic sausage and mash. You would be pushed to not find something you like.

I was after something light and spotted the ‘counting the calories’ section – a range of dishes that are 500 calories and less. There was a skinny burger, chicken and bacon salad and steak among other items to choose from.

I opted for the salmon fishcake (£8.49), which the menu says is 424 calories. My skinnier friend Vicki chose from the normal menu and went for the traditional lasagne dish with chips (£7.29), while the chicken platter (£8.99) tempted Louise.

The presentation of the food was nice and the salmon fishcake was top notch. I could really taste the lemon and dill in the fishcake, which was good as they can sometimes be bland. The salad with lemon mayonnaise was a nice addition too and perked it up even more. The size of the portion was good, I like a lot of salad and there was plenty on my plate to eat.

Vicki really enjoyed her lasagne and gave it a generous 8/10. Louise’s chicken platter equally pleased her with the choice of chicken wings, chicken nuggets and poppin’ chicken. It also came with chips, onion rings and a small bit of salad.

The service at The Royal Oak was fantastic, the staff were very helpful and so friendly. It also has a really relaxed atmosphere and has a great beer garden at the back to sit in when the sun makes an appearance.

After we finished our meal we washed our food down with some cocktails that were on offer. All together my bill came to £15.48.