For those in the Midlands and near Rugby, we have an excellent meat restaurant called "On The Rocks" which references the heated lava stones that you use to cook your meat selections.
My family and I first discovered this restaurant a few years ago and we have visited the restaurant about 6 or 7 times now. Therefore we know from our experience that the offering is consistent in quality.
The restaurant is on the first floor of "The Quigley's" pub which is near the theatre in the town.
For those who like a drink, you can of course start or finish the evening in the pub.
The "On The Rocks" restaurant upstairs is rustic and has approx 40/45 covers and is always busy. Therefore, booking in advance is vital. Terrace options are also available offering additional capacity.
As a meat based restaurant, vegetarian options are limited but some alternative options are available.
The main menu has an excellent range of starters and beef and other meats to self cook on the lava stones. Also offering starters, sides and desserts.
Beef is available in a wide variety of cuts with rump, fillet, sirloin, ribeye and porterhouse on offer. Prices are on the chalk boards and displayed on the paper scroll on the wall. Meat is sourced from local butchers "Joseph Morris" daily which is of high quality.
If beef is not your thing, lamb and chicken is also on offer along with the vegetarian options.
Kids menus and breakfast/brunch menus are also available. And of course, a drinks and cocktail menu.
On arrival, the team always greet and settle you at the table, checking that you are familiar with the setup. The staff are always welcoming and polite, attentive in nature and knowledgable about their food offerings.
Tables are spaced nicely, creating enough distance between your party and other diners. Decor is also clean and rustic/industrial in style with space used effectively, while giving you enough room so you are not rammed into your table like some restaurants.
Previously we had ordered excellent starters such as olives, breadboards and mushrooms. On this occasion we jumped straight to mains as desserts were likely to be ordered.
We all selected the 10 oz sirloin steak offering for 3 adults and 1 children's portion which was 6 oz. For children, if beef steak is not their thing, chicken, fish and sausages are also available. We did of course also order some extra sides of onion rings which are also excellent.
Table service was efficient with food and drinks orders taken swiftly and served quickly. A pleasant dining experience in a restaurant with a good atmosphere due to its popularity.
The presentation of the mains is on a wood platter with your lava stone and meat which was salted to assist with the cooking and flavouring. This then leaves you free to cook the raw meat to your desired preference. As a medallion of meat, it leaves you free to gradually slice and cook your meat as you wish. The stone of course heated and allows cooking of your meat for more time than you will require and windows are left open when serving as it may get hot.
A side salad and chips is also included with the beef dishes and other sides are also available to order.
While the dessert menu is always limited, it is important to note that the desserts are all home made and always excellent in quality. Our party selected munchie brownies, kit-kat cheesecake and lime and ginger cheesecake. All of us enjoying these puddings which nicely finished the meals.
While this review is about our visit in August 2023, it is important to note that having now visited multiple times, the restaurant continues to achieve a perfect record with serving staff, cleanliness and quality of food. We do not have one negative word to say about the venue and the staff should be commended.
As you would expect, the dining cost will be slightly more than average costs but it will be in line with other venues offering meat, Though I would say you cannot beat this experience as competing restaurants are rarely on lava stone. The customer service will also make your evening special, so an ideal venue for celebrating special occasions. On this occasion we were having a pre-celebration to acknowledge my neice's hard work studying and expected good exam results next week.
In this day and age, consistency of service is rare. The staff are always excellent and a visit is highly recommended. Just remember to book in advance. We will definitely continue to visit this restaurant.
For more information and bookings, visit https://www.ontherocksrugby.co.uk
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