Sampling the new menu at O'Neill's ...

I enjoy dining at pubs, there is something about the homely, relaxed surroundings of a pub which always makes me feel at ease and I think a lot of the big name pub chains offer good value for money and menu variety. Pubs are a place to celebrate or commiserate, or simply to while away an hour alone with your thoughts. I have so many happy memories surrounding pubs, from long family meals at The Argyll Arms in Bunessan during summer holidays on The Isle of Mull, to many date nights over the years and evenings as a student spent in the local. Pubs will always have a place in my heart and I enjoy going to both independent and chain pubs. This week I went to sample the new menu at O’Neill’s; I have not visited an O’Neill’s pub since my student days (which were lamentably long ago) and I was keen to see the results of a recent refurbishment and the introduction of a new menu. 

In a cosy booth, we poured over the menu which offers all the usual pub food classics you would expect as well as reasonably priced deals such as pizza and a drink from £8.50 and burger and a drink from £7.75.

We went for a selection of ‘tapas’ style dishes for our starter and I was impressed by the smoked haddock croquettes which had a golden crumb and a fluffy filling with a subtly smoky haddock flavour; croquettes or ‘croquetas’ are often seen as one of the benchmarks of a good Spanish restaurant and these were comparable to some I have tried in big name Spanish eateries. 

Crispy potato skins with mozzarella, jalapenos and Sriracha tasted great with a glass of chilled Chardonnay and my dining companion enjoyed his order of succulent glazed chicken wings. 

My partner decided on the stone baked ‘duck n’ hoi’ pizza for his main course, topped with pulled duck, hoisin sauce and mozzarella. The pizza was a generous size and the base was light while the hoisin, duck and spring onion made for an intriguing oriental style taste. A side order was not really necessary since the pizza itself was so big, but he soon devoured his order of topped garlic pizza bread nevertheless. 

For the main course, my choice of grilled halloumi and red pepper burger was a wise one, the bun was chargrilled and topped with generous layers of halloumi and pepper while the extra toppings of sour cream, guacamole and salsa worked well. The balance of tempting flavours made this one of the best veggie burgers I have eaten in a long time. 

Despite feeling full, we naturally managed to find room for dessert and the ‘doughnuts for sharing’ rounded off our meal on a sweet note; these churros style doughnut strips came with chocolate and toffee sauce and whipped cream which tasted amazing with the warm cinnamon dusted doughnuts. 

I was impressed by the service and food, while the new interior design was stylish and modern with exposed brickwork and industrial style lighting. All in all, O’Neill’s delivers on tasty, good value food and you can’t go wrong stopping off here for a casual bite to eat, while the sharing options make it ideal for a meal with friends. There are O'Neill's pubs nationwide, I visited the Liverpool location. 

O'Neill's

68 Hanover Street, 

Liverpool, 

L1 4AG

http://www.oneills.co.uk

What do you all think, do you like dining in pubs and which of these dishes catches your eye? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

I was invited to sample the new menu at O'Neill's, this meal was complimentary. all opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.