Some restaurants start off poorly and improve, others begin well, then plummet towards mediocrity. Others suck and continue to suck.
In any case, visiting a restaurant during its infancy can be dangerously misleading and fail to gauge its future potential.
Home, on the outskirts of Altrincham, hasn't been open very long and isn't very good, but it might get better. We went there anyway.
Chris Hume
The venture, the refined Cheshire village of Little Bollington, is owned by Chris Hume, who has run a number of south Manchester and Cheshire restaurants for some 30 years.
Outside, the painted eaves and leaded stained glass windows of the former mansion house speak of generations of careful husbandry by local gentry.
Inside is a different story. Who Wants to Be Millionaire blasts out of the plasma screen TV. Loud, middle-aged men prop up the bar and sing She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain.
Listen carefully and Celine Dion muzak is the final combatant in this audio-visual melee.
With its zebra-toned upholstery and Art Fako light fixtures, the style is contemporary dinge.
A seating area comprises several compartmentalised coves, blocked off by internal walls and arches, creating a somewhat disembodied feel.
The restaurant owes its loyalties to traditional British dishes, with devilled kidneys, bubble and squeak and cabbage and bacon paying gentle homage to the 1950s school dinner menu.
Roast pork belly
Mains include roast pork belly, veal escalopes, Goosnargh duck breast, Morecambe Bay sea bass.
We could also have chosen a Chateaubriand steak for two people (é30) - the Napoleonic-era dish that is the rock against which first dates invariably flounder (in fact, there are few sights more depressing than watching a young couple argue, cry mascara-d tears and ultimately fall out of love over a shared platter of rapidly cooling meat).
Our press release tells us that the "focused team of staff have been trained in the arts of continental service standards", but this could be a reference to former Warsaw Pact countries.
Chicken supreme is served with limp courgette slices. Tortellini stuffed with butternut squash and sage is tasty but lukewarm and clammy, smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce, which again is over-salted.
The rainbow trout was a better combination, served with asparagus and new potatoes.
Dumped on the plates
Both dishes were not well-presented and looked like they had been dumped on the plates.
The glasses on our table and some of the plates were not as clean as they could have been. Our side order also failed to arrive. We put this down to continental service standards.
After 40 long, long minutes, our dessert arrives, which turns out to be the best thing on the menu. The chocolate marquise was a dense, bitter mousse served with summer fruits.
Our second dessert of créme brulee "Manchester tart" is a ramekin accompanied by raspberry-topped home-made shortbread.
The sugar is crisply caramelised and the vanilla-enthused cream contains coconut pieces. Again the Richmal Crompton options of spotted dick or rice pudding were possibilities.
My coffee doesn't arrive and we decide to leave.
The blurb for Home promises informal dining. The overall experience is too informal - service is slow and against an unsettling background of unruly pub noise. In fact, it is too much like an actual home for comfort.
Home has not been long open and, given Mr Hume's experience, there is every possibility that the service and food will improve in time. There are however, several issues to address.
Home, Lymm Road, Little Bollington, Altrincham (01565 830 018). Tweet
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I am so tired of reading sycophantic, fawning restaurant reviews. This was a breath of fresh air, very entertaining and informative. I hope we hear a lot more from this reviewer.
fantastic service, friendly waitresses
I have eaten at home a couple of times and have found the food and ambience excellent...
I would suggest to all readers give this place a try... you will like it and the food is rustic and locally produced.
The steak baguettes are fabulous!
Fantastic day & night out, four of us went for an evening meal, The staff were extremley pleasent and almost overly helpful, the food was classic and well presented, service was fantastic. Distracted by the live band in the lounge, we ended up staying until 1am.
hopefully the reviewer, goes again ...
Such a shame that this was taken over. Was lovely under the previous owners and prices were considerably cheaper. And why change the name from The Stamford Arms to 'Home'? Very disappointed with it.
I went to Home on Friday night, it came recommended however I wish I hadn't bothered. The service was apalling, my friend and i stood around for about 10 minutes until somebody finally asked if they could help, it was suggested we ordered a drink from the bar as a table hadn't been allocated to us as we did one of the waitresses came along and publicly blasted another member of staff (very unprofessional). We had best end of lamb and I have to say it was cooked perfectly however the potatoes and veg it came with were very lame, although the staff were pleasant and trying to be helpful it wasn't slick enough and seemed chaotic, to top it off later in the evening the bar next door got very noisy and there was a live band playing, I am not adverse to this in the correct setting but it seems that the kind of restaurant they are aiming for just would not have such a noisy bar right next door, they should take a leaf out of Lounge 10's book if they want to incorporate live music in the dining area, I certainly will not be returning.
We are Area Organisers of the Triumph Sport Six club Manchester Area we hold our monthly meeting on the 1st Tuesday of the month at Home,usually with approx 30 members present with their Triumph cars
We found the staff to be extremly friendly and helpful and were given a fantastic service The food was equally as good.
Second visit. First time food excellent though service poor. This time, a month later, both excellent.
Biggest grumble, after complaining first time about service was offered 1/3 off bill. this time no complaints and had to pay full whack!!!
A group of 5 of us went to Home on its opening week, where we suffered bad service, and a long wait for drinks and food, the staff were enthusiastic but had poor knowledge were disorganised and the overall impression was disorganisation.
however after going again last friday we had a fantastic meal, ranging from duck to chateau briand, the service was spot on, it was twice as busy as last time we went, but the staff were well organised and efficient. Definatley worth a visit only a 5 minute drive from hale but something unique.
as we came in we were welcomed by the staff all were very friendly and attentive we enjoyed a few drinks in the cosy bar lounge area before being seated at our table.food was great we couldnt grumble.we were very suprised as we werent sure what to exspect after the evening news review however from what we exsperiend what a load of rubbish!!we had a fab time and will be returning
First visit, very impressed & will be returning. Staff were very attentive & enthusiastic. Tasty food & will be recommending to friends & family.
Atmosphere great, food great, service exceptional. ended up staying till 12, arrived at 5!
can't stress how much i recommend this place!
apologies accurate - Home has progressed into a pleasing venue with well presented, well seasoned dishes delivered with accuracy and charm by a much improved front of house staff
I have placed my rating for Home restaurant as poor, purely because there are no lower ratings available as a choice. What a great disappointment our visit to this establishment was! We booked a party of 20 into the restaurant, arriving at 16.30. at the begining of the evening we requested that the bill be presented to individual couples or family groups within the party, the manager informed us that he would sort that out later but when the time arrived he had no idea what he was doing. I had to request that the table be cleared of glasses as we waited so long for the first course to arrive that several empty glasses were cluttering up the table. we then waited a further 1 hour and 10 minutes before the next course was served. The manager was very defensive and not at all receptive to any complaints made by our party. To top off a thoroughly unpleasant experience at least 4 of our party suffered stomach upsets following our visit. this is a place we will definately not be visiting again.
great place to eat. they have a brought another chef in. food fantastic and place is very busy-needed to book for a friday. well worth a visit
OK food - not what I expected given the reputation of the new chef however. very un-imaginative. Service was shambolic and the staff disinterested. Home can't make up its mind what it is - restaurant, pub, sports bar or live music venue. Pick one and try to make it the best. There are far better traditional pubs in this area offering much better food - the Parr Arms in Grappenhall being one.