New Menu: The Beagle

I was last at The Beagle in March with Mr GFB, using Margo & Rita’s taco and burrito filled menu to quench a post training run hunger. After all, burning 3000 calories or so has to have it’s compensations.

It was barely weeks later that the rather shocking announcement was made that Margo & Rita were off on the road again and taking their burrito love with them. I was gutted.

Of course, the team behind The Beagle – and Common and PSBH – were always going to have something up their sleeve, so Mr GFB and I headed over one evening, for a lazy tea and a beer or two after a horrid day at work (for me anyway).

The new menu sticks with the Mexican theme, but the menu is more expansive and there are lots more veggie and vegan options – good news if you were feeling a little limited previously.

Now, given my adoration for a M&R burrito, I firmly took these off the menu mentally and made the decision to opt for something different. Mr GFB was of the same mind and so we settled with a pint to contemplate – in my case a nice glassful of The Founders All Day IPA.

Here’s where I admit to having forgotten my lunch and the beer going to my head a little. Because we got carried away with options. Or at least I did – having had nothing but a smoothie all day,  I was very hungry. And my eyes are plainly too big for my belly.

To start, we opted for the popcorn shrimp with chipotle mayo and the cornbread with chipotle butter.

The shrimp were gorgeous. Crisp outside, soft morsels of prawn, warmly spiced mayo. The cornbread was lovely and rich, and the butter well flavoured and smoky, the crispness of the coriander working as a nice contrast to the soft bread. My only niggle was the amount of butter. I’ll admit to having a butter fetish big enough to rival James Martin’s, but there was too much even for me.

Onto mains and Mr GFB had again opted for deep fried, with the Homeslice chicken bucket – chicken pieces, wings, fries, slaw and sauces.

The fries were perfect and crisp and the chicken was tender and juicy. And there was plenty of it. In fact I wondered how he was going to finish it all – but he soldiered through, trooper that he is, though declined to sample any of my own main.

Having been a little naughty before, I’d opted for the vegan tofu and kimchi slaw tacos and then spoilt that good work a little, with a side of Mexican rice – overdoing the carbs on top of the cornbread.

The tacos were a combination of nuttiness, creamy avocado and gentle spice. I’d have liked more of a kick, but then I know that my own tastes are rather spicy, being a bit of a kimchi fiend and I wished afterwards I’d thought to ask for some ‘Existential Crisis’ hot sauce from the menu to bump it up a level or two. They were lovely, just missing a heaty punch.

The Mexican rice on the other hand was gorgeous. Fresh flavours from tomato and peppers of the pico de gallo led, before a warmth from the chilli and roundness of the tomato coated rice tickled in. I’d have happily had this alongside some plain grilled chicken or even on it’s own I enjoyed it so much.

By this point, I was stuffed, to waddling point. I didn’t want to stop eating the rice, but I had to – it was the rice or the beer. Given I was sipping the rather hoppy Single Bramling from Ringway Brewery, the beer won.

Just.

All in all, despite a couple of niggles, that have been fed back to The Beagle, we’re pretty impressed. The menu has been expanded upon, the vegan and veggie options are great (unsurprisingly really, given the great choices at Common) but they’ve kept the theme and have just tweaked it slightly and given it an edge.

It was always a favourite for us, and I was worried when M&R left that I’d have to hunt up a new watering hole for my lazy post training Sundays.

Now I’m rather glad we won’t.

We were invited to try the new menu by The Beagle who offered us a set limit behind the bar for food. We overspent this limit and were happy to do so and to cover the cost of our drinks.

As you will have read, the food review is honest, as there were some small issues that we fed back to the venue, who have taken these on board. We will happily visit again in the future.