THE KEEP @ Warwick
I like look for restaurants in a place where I have never been before.
The criteria that I use are 1) if the place offers dishes particular to the place, 2) if the manu has regional colour, 3) if it is within my means, 4) if it offer something I want to eat at that moment.
I walk around quite a long time looking for a place that meets my needs, and my husband follows me reluctantly; this is our routine. This time was no exception.
On this occasion, the husband tried to stop me when I tried to enter here for the first time saying there are other restaurants in another area (he has been to Warwick once), so we went but in the event we returned and we did enter this time.
Lunch menu consists in some 10 dishes. Besides there are also sandwiches and sizzler dishes, and all make about 20 dishes. Price is mostly between £6 and 10. In the evening it is a middle range restaurant that offer main dish for around £15.
Although we arrived around half past one, it was almost full with clients that seemed mainly local (the photo was taken some time later, and many people had already left).
The diet cokes we ordered arrived without any delay, but it took a while for the food to arrive. Meanwhile a waitress came and apologised saying there was a big group in the first floor and the service was slow. It is not good that they could not provide the lunch dishes quickly, but I appreciate that someone came to excuse.
This is wild mushroom and lemon risotto (£6.50).
The portion was too small for the husband and he was disappointed. He tried to offer me a portion, but I got only one mushroom.
The risotto contained strange mushrooms includuing Chinese kikurage mushrooms (are these really wild?), but I found uninspiring the use of dried mushrooms. Again, if I compare it with risotto in Italy, this one did look inferior. And again, for this quantity of rice, they could have provided some pieces of bread.
This is my beef medaillon and caramelised onion with balsamic vinegar sandwich, accopmanied by salad and vegetable crisps.
The portion was small for the British standard, but it was enough for my lunch.
For salad, they used small grean leaves, instead of relatively cheap lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. I thought that the dressing (mustard vinaigrette) was home made. Vegge crisps could also have been prepared there.
Above all impressive was the quality of the beef: soft, full of juice and had beefy taste. It could have been end of fillet block that they cannot sell as steak (now it is a chefy thing to say the fillet is boring cut but it is actually as good as any other cuts of beef). The combination of the beef and onion and balsamic was excellent. Bread also was of superior quality.
I gave half the sandwich to the husband who was still hungry after the risotto, and he was regretting not to have ordered the same as mine.
Together with 2 cokes (£1.50/1), the bill came to £16, so we left 18. It was not the cheapest of the options, but quite satisfying because of the quality and care.
I want to mention also that the toilets were cosy and clean.
I would visit again if I have chance to go back to Warwick.
The Keep
6 Castle Street, Warwick, CV34 4BP
Tel. 01926 491232
