Something I love doing is spending time with just one of my children. I have three boys, always talking over one another, fighting over the Xbox or rushing to sit next to daddy. Occasionally I get to separate one child and spend some quality time together.
I recently got to take Josh, my middle son to Bills in St. Albans for lunch. They are celebrating their one-year anniversary following their big relaunch last February. We were invited to try out the food, have a few drinks and see what the atmosphere was like.
Late lunch
We arrived for late lunch at 2pm. You can find Bills on Chequer St, the main high street of St. Albans, it is decorated with beautiful greenery and orange flowers. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived with a queue to get in! This is obviously a popular lunch spot in St. Albans.
We were quickly escorted to our table in a great spot by the window looking onto the street. Despite the restaurant being packed we were quickly given our menus with drinks orders taken. It was a hot chocolate for Josh and a coffee for me. Josh is working his way through hot chocolates in different cafes and restaurants, he is searching for the best one out there. It was a hit at Bills, a very good hot chocolate that even came with a chocolate flake.
Starters
I was excited to see one of my favourite starters on the menu – crispy fried cauliflower with red pepper dip. Josh went for the devilled chicken skewers with tzatziki and lime. Both starters were very good, and we ended up swopping some chicken for some cauliflower between us. Josh really surprised me by loving the cauliflower. The chicken skewers were tender and tasty with a tiny bit of spice that you could cool down with the tzatziki.
The Main Event
Josh had been having a sneaky look at the menu before we went and set his tummy on the fish finger sandwich. It was slightly different to the fish finger sandwiches that we make at home! It was served on sour dough bread with smash avocado, little gem lettuce and tartar sauce. There were home made proper fish fingers and tempura prawns. It was the nicest fish finger sandwich I’ve ever seen and tasted. Of course I had to taste so I could write about it here!
I ordered the warm chicken salad with pomegranate and turmeric. A plate packed with healthiness and goodness. The chicken was on a bed of bulgar wheat with kale, olive, onion and preserved lemon, served with a flat bread. It tasted delicious and was a light main course that was healthy, but also felt like a treat. For a bit of balance I ordered an extra portion of fries with truffle mayonnaise. Oh my gosh, that mayo…so so so good!
Dessert
I was done with food after my chicken main meal (and fries!), but Josh was ready for more. He decided on the chocolate brownie with ice cream and another chocolate flake! It was a bowl of warm brownie deliciousness and he wolfed it down despite his full tummy!
I wasn’t disappointed when I got to taste a mouthful. This is one very good brownie that you must try!
Service
The service was great, very friendly and fast. They were particularly good when Josh asked to have the avocado removed from his fish finger sandwich(fussy kids hey?!) . Nothing was too much hassle. All of this with it being a busy Saturday lunchtime as well.
There were all sort of different people dining, families with small children, couples, a dog and their owner. The atmosphere was buzzing, and I highly recommend it as a great place to visit for brunch, lunch or dinner!
Disclaimer – we were gifted the lunch in return for an honest review.
