The Hungry Horse Exmouth

This picturesque seaside pub is perfectly placed facing towards the sea, and like Wetherspoon's, it is one of the chain pubs I have a habit of reviewing.  Rather than the rather stingy portions you get at some places, the Hungry Horse has a habit of filling you plate in such a way that a mere mortal cannot eat it all. But I have an enourmous appetite, so I gave it a go.

I was met by an absolute monster of a portion. My typical order is a mixed grill, but I saw someone else order it ad it looked more calorific than my sister, so I ordered the beer battered fish and chips: appropriate for a seaside pub.  I ended up with a fish so massive I was worried that I would cut into it and find Jonah, with a mountain of chunky chips and a large puddle of buttered peas. I had survived the gigantic portions at Harry Ramsden's (to be reviewed soonish), but this was something very different.

The cod was excellently cooked, with a thin and crispy layer of batter covering the massive portion. The batter was without fat build up inside, and the fish was delightfully flaky. The chips were slightly overcooked, but nonetheless well-fried, and the peas were firm and sweet. The only shame was the fact that I could not eat it all.

Overall, the Hungry Horse is a fantastic place to eat, albeit a tad pricey. Service was fast and polite, and the food was prime. But there is too much of it. Far too much.

The Malt House Exeter

So, hello there, all 15 of you who can be bothered to look at this. My first review. My first grilling. And ironically, it is a grill.
The Malt House Grill in Exeter is part of the Harvester chain of pubs. As my sister put it, it is the B&Q of the pub world. Like Wetherspoon's it can be normally be relied upon to make excellent pub grub.  One of the slightly sad things about holidays in Britain is that no matter where you go, you always seem to end up in either a Harvester, Wetherspoon's or Beefeater, depending on how classy you are. The Malt House is no exception normally.
With its expensive, but reasonably large portions, you look at the food and think it is absolutely top-notch. For £12 I got a full-size mixed grill, an absolutely delicious pot of BBQ dip, a good-sized portion of chips, and the house's signature bottomless salad. All great on paper, but I was not so sure when I tasted it.
The grilled half-tomato was almost raw, and the chips were half-cooked, although when drenched in the succulent BBQ sauce, they tasted alright. The fried egg was unremarkable, so, like all fried eggs that are neither amazing nor HARIBO, it went down like a chunk of rubber. The single sausage was great, albeit blackened, and the bacon was really something too, especially when I drowned it in BBQ sauce.  The other meats (chicken and beefsteak) were nothing special, but I tolerated them. And the salad. Let's just say, it varies.
If my meal was the rule, rather than the exception, it just might be tolerable, but my mixed grill was the best meal out of the four that my family ordered. My grandparents both ordered medium-rare sirloin steaks, but my grandma got a well-done fillet steak, and my grandpa ended up with a charred steak of which the kind was unidentifiable. My sister's children's meal was the worst, with only six chips, a cold black sausage, and congealed baked beans to speak of.
I think it depends on what you have (if you must, I recommend the mixed grill) at the Malt House, but its quality is not of the standard one would expect in a chain pub. In the area, there are many eateries (the Prospect Inn is a good start), but I would say that The Malt House is not one of the better ones.
Till next time!
Me.

Greetings from Me.
I intend to, on this fine site, post 2 different things:
1) Criticism of various restaurants.
2) Recipes, which either me or my dad use to great effect.
If anyone has any particular things they want me to have a look at, I will do so.
If not, I will just review everything I see fit.
Ha-hey! See you later!
Me.