The Jolly Frog, Leintwardine

Reviewer's rating *** You would imagine a restaurant with the adjective 'jolly' in its name would be a byword for smiling bonhomie, so I can only guess that in the case of The Jolly Frog at Leintwardine it is meant ironically, writes Neil Thomas.

My wife Vanessa and I dine out a good deal and couldn't call to mind anywhere that matched the service of The Jolly Frog for cool brusqueness.

We were greeted by a poker face and waved, with barely a word, to one of three tables crammed into what looked suspiciously like a corridor, and a fairly dingy one at that. The prospect of an evening of customers brushing past as they arrived, departed or nipped to the loo was none too appealing so we asked to move into the main part of the restaurant and were stonily shown to a choice of tables.

And so it went on, courses arriving and dishes cleared with no real concern as to whether we were enjoying our visit or not.

I'm not asking to be fawned over, particularly in a busy restaurant, and I know it is easy to mock those chain pubs where the teenage waitress serves food with the hollow-sounding rejoinder 'enjoy your meals' and then interrupts your sparkling conversation every 10 minutes to inquire whether 'everything is all right for you'. Yet that is preferable to the apparent indifference we encountered at Leintwardine.

This odd reception was a slight let down after being attracted by The Jolly Frog's website boasting that 'the character of the place and friendliness of the staff will not fail to charm'.

Now I'm very conscious I'm swimming against the tide here. The Jolly Frog is listed in the 2010 Harden's restaurant guide, which is based on customers' recommendations as well as an inspector's anonymous visit.

The restaurant was very busy on the evening we visited, so clearly The Jolly Frog has an enthusiastic following.

Previous glowing reviews were on the walls (I bet I know where this one's going and it won't be the wall).

Short on charm it may have been, but the service was extremely efficient.

What they seem to be aiming for in this old village pub, is a French-style provincial cafe. There are plastic tablecloths, a quarry tiled floor, wooden fixtures and fittings, walls covered with a random collection of artwork and a huge array of brass and copper pots, pans and kettles hanging from the ceiling.

As to the food, the website points out that 'the pub is only eight miles from the gastronomic haven of Ludlow', hinting at some kind of culinary association.

The menu said that Vanessa's Steak Bavette was best served rare. She ordered with eager anticipation and was disappointed to receive a thin steak that was more medium to well done. My red mullet was disappointingly dry.

The mains came with dauphinoise potatoes and spinach, which were fine.

Our starters, twice baked cheese and chive souffle and salmon and parsley fishcake with poached egg , spinach and Bearnaise Sauce, were very pleasant but at £7 looked a tad over-priced.

We enjoyed ours desserts of chocolate pot and panacotta with prunes in Armagnac but, again, £7 was more London than Leintwardine.

It added up to a bill of just over £85 (without a bottle of wine) which seemed a mite steep. Perhaps we should have gone for the Seafood Extravaganza, a fish supper on offer every Friday. It was served at the table next to us and looked excellent value at £70 per couple (fish soup with homemade bread and olives followed by a platter including lobster, crab, mussels, oysters, langoustines, and large and small prawns and a pichet of house wine).

The Jolly Frog lists itself as a fish restaurant with a French identity though authentic wood fired pizzas also offer a taste of Italy.

The restaurant clearly has much going for it, not least a sizeable following. A place that is so popular during a recession is clearly doing plenty right.

The rather negative tone in all this is perhaps because, with its accolades, the upbeat tone of its website and its reputation for excellence, we travelled with expectations that were slightly unfulfilled.

Perhaps we just chose the wrong night. I take no pleasure in knocking a place, particularly in the present economic climate, but this is meant to be an honest review, not a free advert. You write as you find.

It's not always easy to make a judgement on just one visit. Yet some restaurants seem to make the mistake of thinking their job is to provide food.

Food you can eat at home. Restaurants provide hospitality. Or should do.

ADDRESS

The Jolly Frog, Leintwardine SY7 0LX

Tel: 01547 540298

Website: www.jollyfrogpub.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Sherry cured herring with potato salad and mustard vinaigrette; New season wild garlic soup

MAIN COURSES

Risotto Primavera (peas, beans and asparagus) with shaved parmesan; Cotes de Porc Dijonnaise, with potatoes and spinach

DESSERTS

Profiteroles, vanilla cream and hot chocolate sauce; Baked sauternes egg custard and Armagnac prunes

ATMOSPHERE

Busy, a soundtrack of hushed chatter

SERVICE

Efficient yet giving the impression they didn't care whether you were there or not

DISABLED FACILITIES

None. Narrow entrance, two or three flights of stairs, tables crammed in, 1970s loos.