The Garden At The Mollington Banastre

Our afternoon tea experience at this restaurant started off well enough. The waitress was pleasant and took our order promptly. The sandwiches were enjoyable, but the cakes were disappointing as they seemed to be store-bought and lacked flavor. The scones were over-warmed and tasted a bit hard. The coffee was only lukewarm. After our initial service, we were left unattended and had to go to reception to request to pay our bill. There were no refills on tea or any additional service offered.

I was disappointed with my lamb shank as it lacked flavor and was the most bland one I have ever had. My husband ordered the pork and we noticed that both dishes had the same base with the meat placed on top and minimal garnish. The plates looked identical aside from the type of meat on top. The service was very slow, with a 45-minute wait for our first course. However, the creme brulee I had afterwards was delicious, despite another long wait. We had initially booked for the next night, but ended up cancelling our reservation.

The dining experience was disappointing due to the subpar quality of the cooking, which seemed to be on par with that of an amateur home cook. While the menu appeared decent at first glance, the dishes were unimpressively prepared and lacking in creativity. I made a last-minute reservation over a busy long weekend when I learned that my son, his girlfriend, and her parents from Korea would be visiting Chester. Many restaurants were fully booked, but the MB restaurant was nearly empty, which should have been a telling sign. I was looking for a pleasant atmosphere with a view of the garden, and while the Mollington Banastre restaurant overlooks a decent lawn, the hotel itself seemed to be lacking in investment. The front car park was riddled with potholes, leaving a poor first impression. The service was good, the ambiance was fine, and the server who took our drink and meal orders was friendly and efficient. However, the lackluster cooking, both in terms of variety and execution, was a major letdown. Although the restaurant positions itself as mid-range, at £165 for six people (with most only having two courses and no coffee), I left feeling disappointed with the evening overall.

Despite knowing that one diner was coeliac they had no suitable cake for afternoon tea!

The afternoon began ok, the waitress was pleasant to take our order and this was brought out quite quickly. the sandwiches were nice, but the cakes were generic shop bought ice cupcakes, macaroons and cheesecakes that we did not eat (we took them home, but nobody ate them) the scones were overheated, so was a bit hard. coffee was lukewarm. After we were served, we didn't see anyone refilling tee etc. and we had to go to the reception to ask them to pay someone.