The Fox, Bridgnorth

Andy Richardson has a troubled time dining out at a busy pub.

The dining area of The Fox, in Bridgnorth

A few short years ago, The Fox was hunted down in one of the Shropshire Star's fiercest restaurant reviews in recent times.

It was awarded, uniquely, zero points. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The venue's owners were stung into action but, despite their best efforts, they eventually left the scene.

The stigma of that review hung around. But, with new owners at the helm, it was time to discover whether The Fox – like the former Shropshire Star reviewer who delivered that devastating critique – had moved on.

There was a time when the owners of The Fox would have dragged people kicking and screaming through the doors. With the change in ownership, those days have gone.

Now, the business is thriving. It's gone, somewhat miraculously, from being the pub that nobody would eat at to the pub where you can't get a table.

My wife and I made our first attempt to eat there on a Saturday evening. We hadn't booked ahead – I tried, but they didn't answer the phone – so we arrived unannounced.

Only two couples were seated in the restaurant but we were told it was fully booked. We asked whether we could eat in the bar area, a sensible enough suggestion given the acres of room and fact that there were only four people eating at 7.30pm. But we were told the chef would be unable to cope with two extra covers.

So we made our way, instead, to our favourite curry house, Eurasia, in High Town. We enjoyed a delightful dinner.

At the start of the following week, I called again. "Do you have a table for two?" The answer was no. The Fox wasn't serving food that evening. Fox 2 - Reviewer 0.

The restaurant was biting back. So I secured a reservation for the following weekend. At last, we could find out whether the restaurant had moved on from the ignominy of a nought out of five review.

When we arrived to dine, we were reasonably impressed. The restaurant area was all seagrass carpet, chocolate wallpaper and tasteful decor, to go with the original wooden frame. The menu, however, was something a mish mash.

Moroccan chicken was served with pasta and a cream and tomato sauce. One question: Why? I'm not sure I'm down with the Northern Africa/Southern European fusion and, judging by the faces of customers who ordered that dish, neither are the regulars. So we played safe.

My wife ordered the crab cakes, which were crisp, tasty and enjoyable. My beer-battered scallops were also plump, moist and well-cooked. The Fox had made an impressive start.

We both elected the 28-day hung steak for our main course. Though the meat was exceptional, its treatment at the hands of a young chef was not. It was poorly seasoned, hadn't been seared and lost much in the cooking.

My wife's sirloin looked grey, like the sole of a shoe. A searing hot pan and coating of salt and pepper shouldn't be too much to ask.

The dauphinoise potatoes were awful; they were uncooked and overpowered by garlic and cream. No cheese, seasoning or skills were evident.

My wife's Eve's pudding was served thermo-nuclear hot, as though it had gone into a microwave and the button had stuck at 'On'. My banoffee pie was fairly good.

The service was amateurish. One waitress, a redhead, seemed intent on entertaining us rather than discreetly and attentively waiting our table. To their credit, however, the waitresses were friendly and polite.

The Fox has clearly improved in recent years, with good ingredients its star quality.

But the chef needs to hone his skills and show more respect to his ingredients while the waiting staff need lessons in professional service.

It's taken a step in the right direction. But there's still a long way to go.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Pan fried tuna steak (£6.25)

Half poached pear with ham (£5.75)

Main courses

Pan fried duck breast (£12.75)

Grilled sea bass (£11.25)

Desserts

Bitter chocolate torte (£4.25)

Banoffee pie (£4.25)

ATMOSPHERE

Friendly and warm. There''s plenty of hustle and bustle in the dining room.

SERVICE

A little clumsy. Waiting staff are good-natured and well-meaning but they lack skill and finesse

DISABLED FACILITIES

Good disabled access.

Contact

Fox Inn, Hospital Street, Bridgnorth. Tel: 01746 769611