Rafters Restaurant

We arrived at Rafters with high expectations of a great evening in this "so reliable" restaurant, in the leafy suburb of Ranmoor

We entered the non-descript foyer and climbed the narrow staircase which brought us directly into the eating area. We squeezed past a wooden settle to the service counter to be greeted by a waitress who checked our reservation and showed us to our table.

First impressions were that we were in a rather dated place with sombre walls and ambience-free lighting. There was a distinct lack of space and so the table was not intimate.

We were given canapes and chose a New World Chardonnay which promised a hint of French oak with a buttery finish. We were invited to taste the wine and were both disappointed. It tasted nothing like the mouth watering description it had been given and whatsmore it was not sufficiently chilled. We sent it back, whereupon the manager informed us that it would still be added to our bill as both he and the chef thought there was nothing wrong with it. We were amazed at this but when we ordered a substitute Sancerre at twice the price the manager appeared to be placated. He turned abruptly to take our order leaving us feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

Imagine our surprise when the Sancerre arrived also under chilled and placed in one of those hideous plastic vases which would do no good as it was also warm. We swapped this for an ice bucket and then had to request sufficient ice to cool both this and the glasses of wine we were drinking from. At this point, the only thing preventing us from leaving was the £50 we had pre-paid for this meal.

Things didn’t improve. The starters were nothing sensational. The duck was fairly tasteless and the ploughmans was at best okay.

The main courses by contrast were very good. We had beef and lamb, both exquisitely cooked and beautifully served. Unfortunately, the accompanying vegetables were on a par with a bag of frozen veg from Sainsbury’s.

A visit to the non-flushing loo was just too much. We had had enough and left with our desserts to eat elsewhere.

To summarise, Rafters appears to be trading on a past reputation which sadly it no longer deserves. If it continues to serve warm wines with mediocre food in cramped and dowdy surroundings, it’s in danger of being left behind by its competitors. An unforgettable evening for all the wrong reasons.
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Norman Roberts
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Saturday, August 22, 2009