Description: The little village of Ballintoy has two pubs, an ideal arrangement as we were staying there for two nights. We made the Carrick-a-rede Hotel our first port of call; it’s named after the famous rope bridge which is situated about half a mile away.

The pub is a large establishment which occasionally plays host to musical perfomances. There’s a comfortable lounge where the regulars drink and where meals can be eaten, and a large restaurant where we ate. It was a Saturday evening and while the bar was very busy only a few tables were occupied in the restaurant. We chose a table at the rear of the restaurant on an elevated section where we’d hoped we might get a sea view but all we got was a view of an ugly out building and a decrepit old caravan.

We’d been hoping for some locally caught fish or seafood on our visit to the Antrim coast but the menu was disappointing in this respect: the menu is decidedly ‘pub grub’ with a mix of dishes from around the world.

I started with breaded mushrooms which were served with a little dish of lemony mayonnaise. There were four fair sized mushrooms and I’d hazard a guess that they were pre-made. The mushrooms inside the crisp crumb coating were still nice and soft and not at all rubbery but I’d say that either the chef needs to use some new oil or they’d been fried a minute or two too long. Himself started with a couple of generously proportioned samosas which were served with what was more of a Mexican-type salsa than an Indian chutney but it delivered a reasonable kick and Himself was happy enough with his first course.

For my main course I chose the fish and chips with garden peas. I didn’t want to come away having visited the coast and not had some fish but I did pretty much wish I hadn’t bothered. The fish did appear to have been hand-battered which was good news but the batter was far too thick and as a result once you got through the outer crispiness there was a centimetre of sludgy raw batter before you got to the fish. It really spoilt the meal. Chips were served separately in a bowl, the fish itself was served with what was becoming a tedious ‘salad garnish’ of tired shreds of iceberg lettuce mixed with slices of red onion. This time it was decorated with a dollop of salad cream. I’d much rather have had a little dish of tartare sauce to go with the fish. There was also a heap of garden peas of which there is little to say.

My travelling companion had ordered the Irish Stew – it seemed only right. He was presented with a sizeable bowl of stew that was packed full of tender pieces of meat and plenty of vegetables. I’d say ‘hearty’ would be the word to describe it. Quite why it had a little pile of that horrible shredded lettuce beside it I can’t explain – it was really pointless. Looked rubbish, tasted of nothing.

The food at this pub was distinctly average, verging on the slightly disappointing here and there. I think it’s a shame they don’t do something a bit more adventurous, perhaps offer some more seafood and move away from the pub standards. I suppose we’d built ourselves up for some picturesque traditional pubs in the village and it just doesn’t have them; this disappointment no doubt affected our opinion.

I’d say this place is OK if you have too. The staff are pleasant, service was prompt and the food isn’t stupidly priced in spite of the location. It’s just that it could be better and if pressed, I’d say that the Fullerton Arms over the road does better food.
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