The Butlers Arms review: A pub with hair salon chairs and a threepenny in the Christmas pudding
The Butlers Arms is a traditional British pub with an unusual style. Just a short drive from Walsall, its is based in the pretty area of Four Oaks in Sutton Coldfield.
The restaurant describes itself as “a proper pub with a few twists”, and twists there were – from an ornament of two dogs who were clearly very close, to a hidden thruppence in your Christmas pud. This was rather a unique experience.
I’d heard very good things about the food here.
The quirky spot has 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor and Google Reviews, so I knew I had to pay a visit.
My mum and I visited at about 12pm for lunch, and it was fairly quiet inside, but as we stood at the desk waiting to be seated, two men in front of us were told that unless they had a booking, they could only sit in the bar area as the restaurant was fully booked.
We were greeted by a manager and a younger waitress.
The welcome could have been warmer, but the manager likely had her mind on the full house that she would soon be catering for.
The waitress showed us to our table, but we asked if we could sit on one nearby that gave us a better view of the restaurant.
Our server warned us that there would be a slight draught from the kitchen, but we didn’t mind as it was a fairly mild day.
The draught was actually quite significant, so if it’s a colder day, I would advise visitors to ask for a table far away from the kitchen.
A sign outside the restaurant said it serves fresh fish daily, and there was a separate menu for their fish dishes.
From that menu, I chose the seared Scottish king scallops served with chorizo, chilli and a ‘touch of honey’.
My mum chose the chargrilled octopus with a smokey paprika and tomato sauce.
To drink, I asked for a Diet Coke with ice and lemon. It came without either, and tasted a little flat.
I later found out on the receipt that it was Pepsi on draft, which I would have liked to have been informed about.
Some people say there is no difference, but I would strongly disagree.
The starters arrived after about 15 minutes. The scallops and chorizo came nicely presented in a shallow ramekin on top of a napkin on a plate – but in my opinion, it would have looked equally good, if not better, served straight onto the plate.
