Thursday, July 10, 2008

English Dining?


Ok, so my wife and I went out for dinner last night. She suggested we try the "Wig & Pen" so we did. Pulling up I noticed the Union Jack displayed out front. Hmm I thought, this might be good. I have wanted to try dining at an English pub for quite some time. The fact that the sign read "pizza pub" did not register until I looked at the menu. I am still trying to figure out why this is being passed off as an English Pub. The menu had Nacho's and Jalapeno Poppers on it! Really the only thing on the menu that had any connection to the UK was a handful of Beer choices. Oh sure Fish & Chips were on the menu. However, I was concerned that the Fish most likely came from Gorton's. For a beverage I selected "Old Peculiar" It had a full bodied yet smooth taste.



For our meal we went with the Bruschetta for an appetizer and The Flying Tomato pizza with pepperoni and garlic. Now while I may have been disappointed by the menu as a whole. We were not let down by the food or the service we received. Our waitress "Tara" could easily pass for a WDW castmember. The Bruschetta was served with sliced mozzarela and seasoned diced tomatoes. A sliced version of these tomatoes topped our pizza, and the fresh garlic was just the right touch.

Overall I would recommend dining here.

When I looked up Wig & Pen other locations came up. Now these may not have any connection to one another but the menu comparison is interesting.

In England:
Wig & Pen
44 Campo Lane, Cathedral Quarter, Sheffield.

In Australia:
Wig & Pen
Canberra House Arcade, Alinga Street, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,

In Iowa:
Wig & Pen
1220 Hwy 6 West., Iowa City, IA 52246
363 North 1st Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52245
2005 S. Ankeny Blvd. Suite 300, Ankeny, IA 50023

A recent comment by myself sparked this reply from Joggerblogger.

"great chat at work about what is proper pub grub in the UK. We came to the conclusion that it is"

Shepherds pie + peas + gravy
Bangers + mash + onion gravy
Fish + chips + mushy peas
Steak + kidney pie + chips

2 comments:

Rae! said...

We have places like that too. Nothing beats the Rose and Crown. So far they are the best here I think. :)
I have never been to the UK so I wouldn't know. Maybe one day......

[rich] said...

:-) You're all welcome this side of the pond!

I was up Sheffield last week - the city is having a lot spent on it at the moment and has some lovely buildings.

I also forgot to mention the mixed grill - liver, steak, banger, onion rngs, black pudding (minging I couldn't eat it) gammon, chips and peas...