Fish in abundance and all that Jazz...............Nice!!This month the choice landed to Clair who had recognised the lack of Seafood restaurants visited by Grubgang as a whole group. Unfortunately, Dean was unable to join the group this time around and so we were graced with a guest member, Dave Graham for this review.
As a teenager growing up in Gosport, Clair and Gemma remembered walking along Stokes Bay and stopping off at Pebbles cafe for an ice cream. At night, Pebbles Fish and Wine bar comes alive, and although only small, gives a great haven for a fantastic meal. To be truthful, Clair wasn't expecting much from this venue, especially as it had taken 3 emails to them to find out what special events and offers they had. Wednesday nights are Jazz nights (Pebbles is open every day for lunch but only Weds-Sat evenings) and provided a lovely atmosphere. We were seated right by the musicians which at first we thought would be rather loud, but after a while we found it to be most pleasing and offered opportunities for great banter with the Saxophonist!
The menu was not as extensive as the website suggests. There were plenty of fish dishes, which you would expect, but not as many meat dishes for those less interested in fish meals. This was a bit misleading for Dave, who isn't keen on fish as such and had thought there would be a wider range of alternatives, as suggested on the site. However, he was very pleased with his Chicken strips with chips which he found delicious. The other members opted for fish dishes, Mike with a delectable prawn and crayfish salad, Gemmas choice of tasty Halibut steak and Clair with her wonderful Mussels in garlic sauce. (lacking a source of cleaning hands afterwards though) The starters had whet our appetites amicably, with potato wedges and garlic dip, Sorrano ham with salad, Calamari with tartare sauce and Prawn parcels with sweet chilli sauce.
The portions sizes were large but not too large, filling our stomachs but as always leaving a space for dessert!! After hilarity at the various desserts on the menu (you would have to see for yourself to understand why!!) the group tried chocolate cheesecake, tarte fanatastique and spotted "Richard" with custard!! All absolutely delicious!!
The staff were very friendly and joined in a lot of our banter, which was gratefully received, and the decor was beautifully set within the theme of seafood and wine, with hanging fish nets, wine bottles and a lovely wall mounted fish tank. The tables were a little cramped, but this was only to accommodate the Jazz players. The toilets were ample for the size of the venue, if in need of a little clean.
This is a lovely place to eat, especially with the ambiance of the music and the view across to the Isle Of Wight. Grubgang were pleasantly surprised and would recommend to anyone. Welldone Pebbles and thankyou for a wonderful evening.
Marks out of 10 ............................................... 8
Pebbles Fish and Wine Bar
Stokes Bay Road
Gosport
Hampshire
Po12 2BL
02392 510785
http://www.pebblesfishandwinebar.co.uk/
We have been meaning to go to this restaurant for 2 years, and are now slapping ourselves for not going sooner!!
ReplyDelete4 of us dined here, the setting is lovely, the restaurant has recentley been decorated, but as lovely the interior is the views over the solent to the Isle of Wight are what you look at!
For starters 2 of us chose the squid and 2 the crayfish salad both off the tapas menu. Everything was perfect, don't expect some supermarket squid rings slung in a pan, these are the real deal, in a light tempura batter. The crayfish salad was lush, and plenty of it!
Main courses - Salad for me, not a sads option, amazing scallops, pancetta crisps, drooling at the memory, and get this.... full up and couldn't finish it!! My Sister-in Law choose lamb chops, beautifully presented on a round of cabbage and potatoe mash with a rich (just right, not sickly) gravy. One of the boys chose mussels, Oh My God huge portion and lush. And my husband chose a swordfish steak with a pernod sauce, all perfection!!
The service is great, there's a good choice of beers and wine, and after a bottle of Pinot Grigio, 4 beers, more food than we could eat, the bill was just over £80!!! How good is that!!
Going back this evening, and if its as good again I could end up very fat! Especially if i can squeeze in a pudding as well.