My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary dinner - which I mentioned when I booked in the naive belief that they might give us a more romantic table rather than the one right by the kitchen door that we ended up with.
Swithins doesn't have a great website, and what they don't tell you is that in the evening only one of the restaurant areas is open, so the menu is mixed seafood/Italian. This actually works quite well as there is lots of seafood/fish choice and it offers other options for those who aren't too keen on seafood. My boyfriend, for example, had ravioli to start and lamb cutlets for his main. I had beef carpacio to start and scallops as my main.
The food was good - but not amazing. The carpaccio was quite thickly sliced and the salad accompanying it was plentiful - so there was a good portion size and it was enjoyable but, as I say, not mind blowing. My scallops were good but half way through I got a whiff of something which immediately put me off. I hasten to add that nothing was wrong with it but the scallops were huge, the bacon around them was tough and fatty and the mash potato looked and tasted more like puree. Like I said - not amazing.
The wine list is very good - offering a good range of prices to cater for varying budgets, we chose a £17.95 bottle of Semillon Chardonnay and it was delicious, nicer than I had expected it to be. It drank really well with our food as well.
The desserts menu didn't offer that much choice - almost everything seemed to have cream in it, or chocolate, so we didn't have a dessert in the end but we did choose a glass of Muscat to top the evening off. I am a huge fan of the Muscat grape having grown up in the South of France and this was incredibly nice Muscat.
The service was good, with a smile and a sense of humour which was pleasant - we were not unncessarily interrupted but it would have been nicer to have a slightly quieter table to enjoy our romantic evening together.
Somet
Swithins is a light and comfortable fish restaurant - with very fresh ingredients, and a varied selection of daily specials. The wine list is varied, and service is swift and friendly. Tables should be booked in advance, or take potluck at the bar seating available at the front of the restaurant. Catering for private parties of up to 100 guests is available upon request. They also have a champagne bar restaurant which is located upstairs and boasts a venetian-marble and beechwood setting.