Eateries

Anchor Inn, Diglis Basin, Worcester – Review by HungryOwl and FattyCat

On August 6, 2018 by

FattyCat and I got up early for a walk along the river to find the last 2 giraffe’s on the Acorns Hospital Trail. We crossed back over the river on the new foot bridge and entered Diglis Basin. Both of us were in need of a drink as sun was blaring down already at 30 degrees. We were pleasantly surprised to see painted on the wall of the Anchor Inn ‘Breakfasts’.

We were greeted by a friendly young waitress who said there was seating outside if we wished. Fatty cat went off to find a table whilst I ordered. English Breakfast for FattyCat and a Cranberry teacake for me. Then a flat white and a latte. The waitress also obliged with a free pint of water with ice.

We had to wait a while for the food which I thought was a sign of the food being freshly cooked, but I was wrong.

The teacake (£3.50) had only  been toasted on the outside and was rock hard for 3mm and then soggy with butter. If it had been toasted correctly it would have been lovely. Both coffees were lacking in coffee flavour (£2.50 each).

But the pièce de résistance was the English Breakfast (The Far Canal Breakfast). It was £8.95 and wasn’t worth a single penny. The bacon was cooked to an absolute crisp and when a fork touched it, it shattered into a thousand shards. The sausage was blackened, the eggs burnt on the bottom, brown and crispy around the edge, plus the mushrooms were burnt. Only the baked beans and toast were actually cooked correctly.

The waitress came out to see if the food was ok and I had to say that the bacon was a disgrace. She politely offered get to some more. What turned up was a soggy wet brine covered mess with over cooked ends – I am absolutely convinced that the bacon had been microwaved.

Whilst we were eating a guy in chef’s clothing came out to the bin and opened the bin which was full, shrugged his shoulders and threw the boxes on the floor. Clearly someone who didn’t care.

Total cost of the meal was £17.45. An awful waste of money.

FattyCat’s Comments:

I have to agree 100% with Hungryowl. The breakfast was appalling. The biggest insult was that I could see these were ingredients of a higher quality than usual. At the Anchor, it seems we have a chef that disrespects these ingredients, has given up all sense of pride and in my opinion, has no place in the kitchen. Given I have worked front and back of house, it bothers me that someone would serve this, or think it acceptable. This may sound harsh but microwaving produce and then throwing it on the grill to finish off is insulting to customers and the profession alike.

If they are not microwaved, then I am curious how sausage can be so hot inside, almost to the point where it was uncomfortable to chew, and how the bacon has that taste? I wanted to step inside the kitchen and see what was being done, but this was impossible. I really hope it was an off day for the chef, but it will take a strong reason to try the Anchor again.

2018-08-06