Our Sand Bar Review!

March 25, 2015 by Rich - Foodie Reviewer

Sand Bar Review

So, as with many a Sunday lunch time I find myself sitting at the bar of the Mayflower in Old Leigh, with my wife Louisa, sampling one of the superb local ales on offer. More often than not, feeling a little fuzzy from possibly one too many the night before; say what you want hair of the dog does work! Eventually, our conversation turns to food, and what’s for lunch? The fish and chips in the Mayflower are good, a perfect match to the ale on offer. Cockles and Jellied eels do make a wonderful light lunch (yes I love eels!) and again perfect with a pint. I hold both of these local gourmet treats with very high regard, but on this occasion we fancied some a little different.

We finished our drinks in the Mayflower and wandered up the rather steep cobbled path from Old Leigh to the Broadway (this is great exercise by the way, Louisa tells me its great for your thighs!). We walked along Leigh Broadway, passing many a fine eatery, and any of these would have satisfied our appetite. However after further discussion and debate, we decided on the Sand Bar.

After a warm welcome from the waiting staff we were quickly seated. The menu immediately followed and our drinks order taken, which is a big bonus point from me, as I hate being seated in a restaurant, handed a menu, and not offered a drink. Maybe a small point, but it does matter in my view. We both had a Portobello VPA (very pale ale) whilst perusing the menu.

The restaurants full title is, ‘The Sandbar Seafood Co’ and as you would expect seafood does dominate the menu, and so it should, we live by the sea don’t we! This is not an issue for Louisa or myself as we are both massive seafood fans.The Sandbar offer two courses for £14.99 at any time, which is super value, as seafood is notoriously one of the pricier dishes at many other restaurants. Now I have been to the restaurant on a few previous occasions, and each time the menu never repeats itself. Clearly this indicates their passion for food and its freshness. This alone will bring me back again, as you will never bore of the food on offer. I had difficulty choosing both my starter and main as they all sounded great, but to start I settled on monkfish cheeks with roasted tomatoes and chorizo, then to follow, the salmon and cod kebabs with jambalaya rice. Louisa decided to have the marinated anchovy salad with egg, then on to spicy chicken and tomato linguine.

Now, the wine! The list at the Sandbar is very easy to understand, with various whites and reds from around the world starting at £15.99 a bottle, together with a few Roses, sparkling wines and not to mention Champers starting at £34.99 a bottle, pretty reasonable eh! However, I was quick to choose one of our favourites. A bottle of the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was a no brainer. Any of you wine buffs out there will recognise this Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. It is a lovely wine. What’s even better is the price. At just shy of £30, a bargain, considering the same wine is nearly £23 from Majestic.

So the wine arrived and did not disappoint. Shortly after the starters were here. Louisa’s salad was lightly dressed with beautiful anchovies, a small amount of olive tapenade, together with a drizzle of herbed olive oil, all topped with a fried egg. Louisa is pretty particular when it comes to fried eggs, after all I should know, as I have to cook her breakfast! But she gave it her seal of approval! My monkfish cheeks where generous with wonderfully rich roasted tomatoes and chorizo. Needless to say both starters didn’t touch the sides! The plates where cleared, more wine poured, and the mains arrived soon after.

My kebabs where cooked perfectly, and the jambalaya rice a wonderful accompaniment, just the right amount of spice and seasoning. Louisa’s spicy chicken and tomato linguine came as somewhat of a surprise. The chicken, which we thought would possibly be sliced breast or a shredded thigh, was in fact 4 large chicken meatballs! On first impressions this looked like a very heavy dish, however, the meatballs where very light, and the portion was incredibly generous; enough to satisfy the most hungry of diners. Maybe this dish should be advertised as chicken meatballs, rather than just chicken, but don’t get me wrong, the meatballs where incredibly tasty, so neither of us where disappointed!

We finished our mains, and sadly the last drops from our fabulous bottle of wine. Gosh, it was tempting to order another bottle, but hey it was Sunday and an early start beckoned the next morning (Monday, you can be a cruel mistress!). On this particular visit to the Sandbar pudding would have been a course too far, however, we have both sampled the delights of their desert menu on previous visits. The homemade ice cream is a must! With imaginative concoction’s such as blue berry and Frangelico, Baileys choc chip, Tia Maria fruit and nut, to name just a few its very tempting, all served with their equally decadent buttery shortbread. This really is a treat I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. But we thought it was time to be making tracks. The bill soon arrived, and for two generous courses together with superb wine, a bargain at £69.00

Just to mention, you are also welcome to dine with your four-legged fluffy friend; yes, dogs are welcome, and with doggy friendly ice cream your pooch will feel just as spoilt as you. Of course if you are not comfortable with sharing the restaurant with other guests of the canine persuasion, you will find upstairs in the restaurant a welcome retreat.

Finally, before I sign off this week there is one more point I almost forgot to mention, and please trust me on this; grazing is the future! What the hell is he talking about I hear you cry! Well, just imagine, drifting from bar to bar drinking and just grazing on small plates of food. Not enough bars / restaurants are catering to this idea. Apart from, yes you’ve guessed it, the Sand Bar. They have a lovely long bar where you can sit, order a drink, and some food from their small plates menu. With dishes such as salt cod fritters, octopus kebabs, sautéed spicy squid to name but a few, this really is reminiscent of wandering through La Boqueria in Barcelona! So just pull up a stool, grab a drink and order away, what a social way of eating!

All in all, the Sandbar are offering a superb Leigh dining experience. Weather it’s a light lunch or a full blown 3 course evening meal, I am sure you will leave there satisfied.