The Bridge Inn, West Lavington, Devizes (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

The Bridge Inn, West Lavington, Devizes

2:45pm Thursday 24th November 2011 in Eating Out Reviews By Amanda Pawlak

The Bridge Inn, Church Street, West Lavington, Devizes

01380 813213

www.thebridge-inn.co.uk

I had heard good things about the food at The Bridge Inn at West Lavington, so decided to give it a whirl.

The pub was a lot smaller than I had anticipated, and gave the impression of being a restaurant rather than a local watering hole.

We chose to sit by the window but were told the landlord wasn’t keen on parties of three taking that particular table. So we moved to sit in the other window at the same size table on the other side of the pub, which rather oddly wasn’t a problem.

The menu is extensive and the traditional pub fare incorporates a creative twist of French cuisine. I was glad the full menu was available at lunchtime as well as the traditional baguettes and ploughman’s salads.

Dad chose the creamy onion soup from the specials board (£4.95), which was subtly flavoured, while Mum and I shared baked camembert, delightfully gooey and silky and complimented perfectly by red onion chutney (£9.50).

For main, Dad opted for La Sole (£13.95), steamed fillet of lemon sole filled with spinach and smoked haddock mousse served with a hollandaise and lime sauce, with vegetables and crisp sautéed potatoes. The haddock mousse was tasty and lightly smoked, however the hollandaise sauce was very rich and too zesty, which slightly spoiled the fish’s delicate flavours.

Mum was tempted by Les Grosses Crevette, (£12.75), seared tiger prawns marinated in sweet chilli sauce and served with pomme frites. The prawns were plump, sticky and tasty with just enough kick to them from the chilli and were served on a bed of salad, which unfortunately swamped them and slightly let down its presentation. The chips were exceptionally good, fluffy in the centre and lovely and crispy outside. I went for La Casserole de Poulet (£11.95), slow cooked free range chicken in a red wine and tarragon gravy, served in a pot with sautéed potatoes on the side. The meat and root vegetables were full of flavour from the sauce. The sautéed potatoes were crisp and piping hot.

Our bill came to £58.55 with a round of drinks.

A la carte menu available lunchtimes and evenings

Car parking

Local ales on tap

Disabled access

Food served 12-2pm Tues-Sun, 6.30-9pm Tues-Sat

Our Eating Out is an independent review carried out by the Gazette without prior knowledge of the owners.