Whilst down on the South Coast last week, we decided to head out for a pub lunch with Barney, with the idea that Mr SLT would walk back, after lunch, along the beach.
Haven House Inn is a small pub on Mudeford Quay, a wonderful location on the water front with the fisherman's lobster/fishing pots all lined up outside the pub. It was a very windy day, so we headed inside in search of a table. Now this isn't a big pub, but it is dog friendly and we managed to find the last available table, next to the lit log burner, perfect! This is the first time, since Barney was a puppy, that we have taken him to a pub, then he was small enough to sit on our jackets up on the seat with us. After a bit of sniffing around and a desperate attempt to say hello to the majestic dalmatian on the other side of the partition, Barney settled down at our feet, whilst we waited for our food.
There was plenty of choice, of what I would call, hearty pub food. There's a daily specials board with, not surprisingly, a vast array of fish options. Mr SLT ordered mussels (sadly not local, maybe that should have been a clue?) and I opted for smoked haddock and mozzarella fish cakes with chips. Luckily, as we were quite peckish, the food didn't take long to arrive. The portion sizes were not small, mussels aplenty, although they were slightly disappointing. I don't know much about shellfish (I'm allergic) but they looked a bit rubbery to me, or over cooked. However, my two large fish cakes were delicious and the chunky, fat chips were yummy, just how chips should be! I really enjoyed my meal and shared one of my fish cakes with Mr SLT as he thought they were tasty too!
On a better day, I think you would sit outside, enjoy the view over Mudeford Split, or the evening sunset, with one of the local beers on offer. The cafe attached to the pub has the same menu as in the pub, so you can also look for a seat in there. Whilst the food wasn't gourmet, the staff were friendly, we could sit in the warm with Barney and enjoy our lunch, followed by a long blustery walk back along the beach to walk it off!
Good point Mr Clapton, well there wasn't anything in the pub for dogs but I had plenty of sausage treats, as I was such a good boy, in the pub and on the walk home. Hope you are feeling better Mr Clapton. woof woof!
It was a lovely afternoon, but a windy walk back!