Cafe Trio - Carta

Auberge Du Lac

➤ Brocket Hall, Welwyn Hatfield, United Kingdom

Carta • Kebab • European • Fast Food • Vegetarian

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"A slightly bizarre experience we were welcomed warmly, taken to our table, and given a menu for pre dinner drinks. No food menus were brought. We ordered drinks, which arrived, but still no menus! So we asked for them. No wine list brought. So we asked for one. All rather odd. The starters were mixed a bland crab risotto, a rather vinegary tartare, an excellent parfait and a crispy egg which needed to be runnier, but was tasty, if too salty. The odd service continued: three of the four of us had finished do the waiter cleared our plates including the one of our friend who hadn’t finished, who was left holding a cracker in her hand! The mains were again mixed and generally over salty. The ravioli were excellent; the steak good but in a sauce which was heavy handed on the seasoning, the fish pleasant, again slightly salty and verging on the overcooked. We had chocolate soufflé for pudding generally well made and tasty, but again the service was odd an ice cream was pushed into it at the table by the waiter which caused a good amount of soufflé to fall inelegantly onto the serving plate; the cheese plate was an interesting but small selection of well kept cheese. Good petit fours (though we were surprised that one containing nuts was offered to us all despite one of us not eating nuts, which we had mentioned). So probably four stars over all, but only just. It’s good to see the restaurant open again but based on this experience, while it’s fine dining, it’s got some way to go to reach the standard of cooking I’m sure they’d like to aspire to."

Auberge Du Lac

➤ Brocket Hall Welwyn, Hertfordshire AL8 7XG, AL8 7TW, Welwyn Garden City, United Kingdom

Carta • Kebab • European • Fast Food • Vegetarian

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"Really pretty place with the terrace right by the river. Food is very good, tasty and well presented with some interesting flavour combinations such as melon anise sorbet. The head chef came out to deliver the amuse bouche personally and spent time talking to us about produce which was a lovely touch. The only reason I have marked it down is the toilets are upstairs so it wasn't as accessible as it could be However, the staff happily drove the golf buggy round to the front entrance where the toilets are on the same level (the terrace and restaurant are a level down) and then it's a short distance to the toilets. They were also happy to drive the buggy to the car park to deliver less mobile customers such as my mother-in-law so service was excellent."

The White Hart

➤ 2 Prospect Place Welwyn, Hertfordshire AL6 9EN, AL6 9EW, WELWYN, United Kingdom

Carta • Pizza • Cafés • Mexican • British

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"We had a lovely evening at the White Hart with friends. There was quite a bit of noise from the bar but that was unusual when we have dined here before it has not been noisy. Parking is a bit tricky so you may want to leave a bit of time to find a parking spot on busy evenings like Friday and Saturday. I don't know what it is like during the day."

The Don

➤ 502 Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, MK91LR, MK9 1LR, United Kingdom

Carta • Asian • Balti • Indian • Vegetarian

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"After reading some reviews, I decided to take my family to this restaurant for dinner. I was very impressed. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, the staff provided great service, and the best part was the affordable prices. We don't drink alcohol, but for those who enjoy spicy food, I highly recommend trying the house special jhaal huhn. It was like a mild vindaloo with lots of flavor - absolutely delicious. We loved it."

The Brocket Arms

➤ Ayot St Lawrence, Welwyn Garden City I-AL6 9BT, United Kingdom

Carta • Pub • Fish • British • Vegetarian

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"Just about the grubbiest room we’ve ever stayed in! The pub displays 4 star AA and Visit England signs even though it’s no longer listed with either organisation and having stayed there, I can see why! Immediately outside the front door of our room, there was litter, big weeds and cobwebs on the door frame. Things didn’t improve inside. It was a bit like going back to the 80’s, probably the last time someone properly cleaned the room as well. Mouldy blind in the window, dingey lighting from 3 old fashioned wooden wall lamps with shades that were covered in dust and cobwebs. Artex flaking off the ceiling in the shower, the top of some of the skirting in the bathroom was actually black with dirt and dust. Every nozzle of the shower head was blocked with limescale. Pointless plant holders with cheap plastic plants on all the walls which were all covered in dust and best of all a dirty tissue and half eaten chocolate bar on the floor under the bed. Lumpy old pillows with no protectors on and we didn’t dare look under the sheet at the mattress. Useless makeshift desk/dresser as there wasn’t enough light to use the mirror and no plug socket near it for a hairdryer or laptop. The same low standards seemed to follow through in the rest of the pub. Manky looking old wooden furniture in the beer garden with broken parasols just lying around. There was a condiments station with all sauces etc. but that all appeared to be left out, uncovered, all night so god knows what local wildlife may have been crawling over it! Breakfast in the dingey and cluttered dining room was passable. Good selection of cereal, but no fruit. Cooked breakfast was OK, but tasted like cheap bacon and sausages from the cash’n’carry, certainly not described as ‘local’ anyway. Tea was awful as the waitress just filled up the pot from the coffee machine so water wasn’t boiling. We switched to coffee, which was passable. Dinner menu very limited, especially if you don’t like chips. Very basic pub food, but the fish and chips were perfectly edible. On the plus side, it’s a really lovely area, with plenty of footpaths so we went for a lovely long walk to reduce the amount of time we had to spend in our room. No way we'd stay here again."