Atmosphere?

With extensive patio areas for those who like a cigarette with their pint or food or who simply want to take advantage of balmy summer evenings to sup al fresco, the bar has a busy feel to it from the moment you draw up outside. Inside there is a traditional and somewhat dark bar with a more chic restaurant area full of leather benches and stools and dark wood tables. There is a more formal restaurant upstairs.

Crowd?

The bar and restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived around 7pm, with only a few more mature customers in the restaurant. However, within the next couple of hours most of the tables were occupied by a wide range of customers, from earnest young couples to family groupings.

Menu?

Fairly traditional gastro pub fare with soup, chicken Caesar salad, battered haddock and chips, burgers but also something a little different with Barbary duck stirfry and fennel and pancetta risotto. Sides of salad, chips, wedges and desserts of fudge cake, banoffee, apple pie, cheesecake and cheeseboard cater for most tastes. There is also a fairly extensive list of teas and coffees.

What did we have?

I chose the chargrilled chicken panini with red onion marmalade and brie while my wife, Eileen, opted for the chicken goujons in batter which came with promised home cut chips. We decided to avail of the whole budget by sharing apple pie and ice-cream dessert.

The verdict?

Eileen's chicken goujons were good sized, tender, moist and encased in a lovely light batter, and set on a bed of salad with the chips on a side dish. They turned out to be skinny chips, the exact opposite of what I had anticipated, but their lack of size was compensated for by the fact that they were crisp and dry. My panini was a slight disappointment. I had expected it to pack a bit more of a flavour punch and it was not exactly bursting with chicken. The accompanying salad, however, was a delight, nice and crunchy and covered in a fine dressing. The promised deep-filled apple pie delivered on its promise and the accompanying vanilla ice-cream helped it slide down.

Disabled access?

I was wondering about this as there are a couple of steps down into the main part of the restaurant, but then spotted a customer in a wheelchair who negotiated the obstacle with the minimum of fuss. Good room between the tables for movement and the outside patio areas are also accessible.

The bill?

Chicken panini £6.95; Chicken goujons £7.95; apple pie £3.95 Total £18.85.

Last word?

Very pleasant and helpful staff make the King's Head a relaxing spot for a quick bite in the downstairs restaurant.