The Houblon Arms - South Kesteven

We called in on the off chance for Sunday lunch on the way back from an event having read a good review recently. The maitre D runs a brilliant small team and the front of house couldn’t have been more accommodating had taken drinks orders and suggested we enjoy the Sun whilst they set our table up. The food was really brilliant. I had pate for starters and my only criticism was that there was too much! Initially when I saw the large portion I assumed it would be average but it was a really lovely pate, just too much for me with two large slabs! Main was roast beef and it was brilliant, really lovely rolled sirloin served pink. We were on a hiding from the night before so neither indulged in the wine but they had a really lovely wine list and a busy restaurant. The service was lovely, so nice to see such a well turned out dining room complete with linen for Sunday service. 10/10 to front of house for all of their efforts here. Will definitely return in the week to sample their full menu(and wine list!

This is a beautiful old pub with so much going for it. The staff were warm and welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. The maitre D Sufiyan was incredibly attentive and very professional. I’m sorry to say that the food was disappointing. We had Sunday lunch and although it all looked very nice, it wasn’t up to the standard I’d expect from a pub of this calibre. The prawn cocktail was watery and bland, the roast potatoes appeared to be reheated and we just felt let down. Everything was beautifully presented, but that’s not enough to make something taste good. We’d be willing to give this delightful pub another try but the wood would really have to wow us next time if we were to return in future. It seemed as though others had the same experience because the dining room was very empty on what should have been a busy Sunday lunch service which resulted in a lack of atmosphere.

On first sight this seemed a very nice pub, though I suppose we should have known what to expect when we arrived, when most of the staff seemed to be there to greet customers of which there were very few. It was a Friday night and the place was almost empty we were 4 and 4 others arrived after us, Each of our group had a different dish. Mine was lamb. For the price (nearly £30 I would have expected better. There were 3 tiny pieces of rack of lamb, about a mouthful each, and all three were mostly gristle and fat. The amount of meat was negligible and outrageously priced. The fish was somewhat better but all dishes were overpriced and not very generous. (Nouvelle cuisine? I think its attempts to be upmarket took a knock when we noticed that Prosecco was poured from a screw top bottle. Sorry guys, but this place did nothing for us.

The food from breakfast to dinner was sublime, worth every penny. Nothing was too much trouble, when we asked for a particular side dish that was not on the menu, it was sorted with no fuss. Thank you for a lovely couple of evenings

My wife had always wanted to eat here and we were not disappointed, what a lovely quaint restaurant with excellent staff. We arrived and we were sat in the lounge prior to be shown to our table, nothing was too much trouble. Our coats were taken and hung up, drinks ordered and delivered, the menus brought and while choosing the chef appeared introduced himself and offered advice, these are all great touches that makes the evening special. We were shown to our table we were sat and again shown great attention, chairs pulled out, napkins placed for us and drinks poured, nothing was too much trouble. The butter was shaped as a rose, lovely and the waitress was very attentive and professional ensuring our every need was met. The food arrived, the scallops amazing, the pork loin, black pudding bonbon with an apple gravy, was exceptional it was followed by apple tarte tartin delicious. All the staff were great and very attentive but a big shout out to our waitress she was great. Would I recommend this restaurant absolutely a definite 10/10 and we will definitely be back to visit. Thank you to all the staff for making our night out so special.