It happens to us all.....getting older...
And with that come the inevitably difficult choices of where and how we want to live. Security is key, companionship may be important and continued fun and joi de vivre (dare I say it) has got to be a necessity! We're only on this mortal coil once (I think) so gotta make the most of it I say!!!
And so it was that we went with David's mum to (what turned out to be) a wonderful assisted living complex - with a view to it perhaps being the place for her to move to.
What made it wonderful was that it felt lively, warm and homely. There was a buzz about the place and the residents in the bar having a pre-lunch tipple certainly seemed to be relaxed and in their element!
This is how later life should be...
When I heard that they frequently go out to the local pub for a bit of a knees-up of a nighttime - I just couldn't resist seeing where these young-at-heart people go.
And so to my review...
[NB Whilst I can't account for the over 60's night out experience - I can account for a leisurely lunch discussing the merits of assisted living with all mod-cons.]
The Gate is smart and attractive and looks like one of those gastro-type pubs that you are going to feel safe in. It's what I call 'contemporary rustic' inside, clean and welcoming, with wood floors, coir mats and with a distinct bar and restaurant area. You can eat in both areas and dogs are welcome in the bar section (great as we had our two girls with us).
It's service at the table and swift at that - barely time to consider the required tipple - but I really liked the fact that there was a separately printed vegetarian menu - so that we didn't have to do the usual trawl for the (v) on the general 'war and peace' one.
This makes it much easier and shows that they have though about catering specifically for vegetarian customers. Great start.
On the menu:
nibbles, starters, sharers, leaves, pasta, pizza, sides
'Rustica Fired Pizza' £9.45 with fennel and pomegranate side salad £2.95
The pizza was...
absolutely yummy!
The plate the pizza was on was...
absolutely stone cold!!
The salad was...
a weird combination of bitter leaves, pomegranate seeds, a non-descript dressing and fennel seeds!
So this meal was a very strange combination - like I say, the pizza really was delicious (if a little anaemic looking) but served on a cold plate it naturally cooled very quickly. I had visions of a delicious crunchy fresh fennel salad to go with it - but mouthfuls of fennel seed and bitter leaves just tasted like an extremely strong oily aniseed ball! To me, it was inedible.
We gave our waiter feedback on the plates which he accepted with genuine concern and said he would raise with the chef. I didn't mention the salad, as bizarrely, Dave said he liked it! (sometimes I do wonder about him...)
Mum had scallops with couscous and said it was delicious and Dave had a pizza too which he also enjoyed - but it would have been wonderful had the plates been less arctic.
I'd love to waffle on more about the ambiance - but a certain two girls (it turns out) aren't very good at sitting still in bars while we eat pizza and they don't. Oooops.
BUT, the Gate seems lovely - its clean, toilets were good (always important), staff were efficient and pleasant and if I were 83 I think, yes, I'd be there once or twice a week for a sherry or two :)
Ye ha grandma!
Chantal xx
