The Mermaid Inn, Wightwick

The Insider at The Mermaid Inn, Bridgnorth Road, Wightwick

Phone: 01902 760020

The pub trade is supposed to be going through a rough time at the moment, what with the smoking ban and soaring taxes on alcohol. If this is the case, The Mermaid Inn at Wightwick must be the exception to the rule.

When The Insider arrived at 7.30 on a Thursday night, the place was heaving. It took two laps of the car park to find a space - even then it was a tight squeeze - and it was a similar story inside. There were just three tables spare when The Insider and his dining partner arrived, and within minutes of sitting down in the corner, the other two tables had been claimed.

The Mermaid has stood at the Wightwick Bank for more than 200 years, and takes its name from the time when the Staffs & Worcs Canal was extended to the village. Somehow, it seems hard to imagine Daryl Hannah emerging from the cut, slithering across the busy Bridgnorth Road for a bite to eat - a salmon fillet perhaps? - but it is nevertheless a very pleasant location, ideal for walking off that extra weight after the meal.

Indeed, over the years, the pub has proved very popular with the narrowboat fraternity, although on this occasion it looked like most people had arrived by car.

There was a fairly broad range of people in the pub, and nearly all seemed to be eating. There were several families, middle-aged friends winding down with a bite and a pint, a group of young student types sitting around a large circular table in the middle of the room, and a studious-looking man in horn-rimmed glasses reading his newspaper near the entrance. Most were dressed in a smart, casual manner, and thankfully it seemed to be a chav-free zone.

You could say the spot in the corner was cosy, or you could be honest and say it was a little cramped. The table also had one leg clearly shorter than the others, and rocked irritatingly from side to side during the course of the meal.

The Mermaid is part of the Vintage Inns chain, and the decor is in the usual rustic style. If you haven't been in another of the chain's pubs, you probably wouldn't notice, but the russet coloured walls, wooden roof beams, and the spoons to denote table numbers are a common theme, with a relaxing faux leather armchair in one corner next to a fireplace, and church-pew style seats at the tables near the front window.

On the walls are a varied range of pictures, ranging from photographs of local scenes to intriguing paintings, with a large picture of Wightwick Manor on the upstairs landing, and an old-style pub sign featuring a painting of a mermaid on the stairway. A really nice individual touch is the roaring fire, set at chest height on top of a wall in the main room of the pub, providing an interesting focal point beneath the words of wisdom from William Makepeace Thackeray.

Settling down in our corner, we decided to order drinks before perusing the menu. There was a pretty impressive wine list, and The Insider's non-driving companion opted to start with a Rioja, which had a rich, nutty flavour, later followed by a Montana Rose, with a sweeter, strawberry-like taste.

There menu was pretty varied, although my companion pointed out that there was not that much choice for those of the vegetarian persuasion. However, as we were both meat eaters, this was not a major consideration, and The Insider opted for a 10oz sirloin with peppercorn stilton sauce, costing a total of £14, while my companion decided to try a duck with orange for the first time, priced at £9.75.

The steak was pleasant, and cooked just about right, and the accompanying chips were crisp and golden, while my companion said the duck was "lovely and tender", and the potatoes were soft and tasty.

Less impressive was the way the sauces were dispensed. A waitress brought a tray, where we were invited to take what we wanted, before she took it away, saying we could ask for more later, if we wanted.

However, when The Insider's dining partner tried to take her up on this offer, there was a lengthy wait, our location in the corner probably not helping matters.

And surely the place could run to a vinegar bottle for every table?

For desserts we opted for a vanilla ice cream with toffee sauce, and a vanilla cheesecake; of the two, the ice cream proved the better, the Insider's companion describing the cheesecake as being "a little rubbery."

Busy

The staff were friendly and courteous, although there were a couple of occasions when we felt we had been forgotten. To be fair, it was very busy.

And it's not hard to see why. Many people will dismiss it as just another theme pub, and up to a point this is true - but it is a very good theme.

While customers will not get haute cuisine at The Mermaid, or any other Vintage Inn for that matter, they do know they will get a consistently good standard of pub food in a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere.

And that is, after all, what most people are looking for.

Starters

Soup of the day £2.95

Prawn cocktail £4

Chargrilled chicken skewers £4.50 or £5 with pitta bread

Breaded mushrooms with garlic dip £3.95

Main courses

Fisherman's pie £8.25

Shank of lamb £10.15

Braised stuffed English pork £8.95

Aromatic beef curry £7.95

Organic salmon fillet £8.95

Desserts

Williams pear and treacle sponge £3.75

Chocolate brownie £3.75

Bramley apple granny £4