Christmas @ Bill's Cafe

I absolutely love Bill's and have visited many of their locations! My favourite is Covent Garden as it's in such a convenient location, has pretty reasonable prices for the area and always has a great bustling atmosphere. My favourite dish is the halloumi and hummus! A sesame seed bun with grilled halloumi, hummus, baby gem, roasted peppers, sweet chilli sauce and yoghurt served with skin on fries for £9.50! I then always add some guacamole for an extra £1.20. So, when the hubby needed a work Christmas dinner plan I naturally suggested the Christmas menu at Bill's.

The six of us first met at Brasserie Blanc in Covent Garden. The restaurant was heaving with Christmas parties but after grabbing a drink at the bar we stepped outside onto the vast terrace overlooking the main square. The terrace has huge patio heaters to keep you warm even in winter and massive umbrellas to snuggle under even in the rain! It's romantically lit and means it can be enjoyed in all weathers and it's always good to have a couple of hours of fresh air after being stuck in the office all day.

After a few beverages we wandered over to Bill's. We had a snug little table in the corner, which was quite private. They offer two menu's with varying food options at £24.95 or £29.95 per head. We opted for the more expensive option as it included a glass of hedgerow fizz (flavoured Prosecco), bread and olives. The fizz was nice but I think plain old Prosecco may have been better. The bread and olives were a good touch.

Between the six of us we tried all three starters. The chicken liver parfait with Bill's orange marmalade and champagne bread, the roast pumpkin, red lentil and coconut soup with toasted champagne bread and the crispy lemon squid with garlic and lemon mayo. All of the dishes were generous portions and really well presented, however, I feel as though they were lacking slightly in taste.

For main course we tried the roast turkey stuffed with apricot and sage, Brussels spouts with pancetta and chestnuts as well as the braised feather blade of beef with creamed parsnips and parsnip crisps. These were served with vegetables and roast potatoes to share. Again the portions were large and looked delicious on the plate. However, again, something was lacking in flavour.

For dessert we tried the sticky toffee pudding with malted banana ice cream. This could have massively been improved with vanilla instead. Others tried the cheese plate, which looked really good and the traditional Christmas pudding with brandy ice cream.

All in all we had a lovely evening, however, for £29.95 plus wine and service charge I feel as though we could have had a better meal or could have saved money eating from the more tasty and cheaper a la carte menu. I will still enjoy meals at Bill's but for Christmas 2016 I think we will take the team Christmas dinner elsewhere!