*** My Visit To Popham Little Chef *** (Little Chef)

Member Name: malibu_jenny

Product:	Little Chef
Date:	08/02/09 (1300 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Revamped restaurant, beautiful breakfast.

Disadvantages: Don't go if you're vegetarian. Still expensive and slow,

Following the Channel 4 documentary, you're all itching to know what eating at Little Chef, Popham, in the wake of Heston is really like. And I'm about to tell you.

The recent Channel 4 show, Big Chef Vs Little Chef, bought in one of Britain's top chefs; Heston Blumenthal. His mission was to revamp the sticky, tired, motorway restaurants, which had become as comically dated as a bleached mullet haircut. The nation (or at least The Boyfriend and I) were on the edge of our seats. Would it be top class food? And more importantly, would we be able to afford it?

These questions and more left us driving down the A-God-knows-what in the pouring rain to the Little Chef in question. It was marked not only by the stereotypical red sign, but by the huge queue of cars and the flash of cameras. Finding out from a lady on her way to the BP garage that the wait for the table was an hour and a half, I queued inside the door to get our name on the list while The Boyfriend struggled to park the car. Packed doesn't begin to describe it, with trendy couples, upmarket families and be-frocked children everywhere. I began to feel a little underdressed in my hoodie and jeans.

We entered into conversation with people who had come from all over the country to eat at Popham, admired the Sky ceiling tiles and watched would be diners have their photos taken with the staff. One thing Little Chef has never been good at is speedy service and this was no exception - the waiting list was over two hours long when we were called for our table.

For those of you who've seen the programme, we were seated around the large red communal table in the centre of the restaurant with several other couples. Not romantic or quiet, but well positioned to get a good look at their food and hear their comments on it, so excellent for the purpose of writing this review. There are also red booths set along the outer wall of the restaurant under the window, in typical Little Chef style. I visited the toilets, which had the recipe tips on the brickwork and the piped music and babble.

We'd originally gone for brunch; by now the waiting time had stretched the meal to dinner and I was starving. On the way, I'd longed for Heston's pimped up version of the all-day breakfast known as the Olympic and the menu failed me. There are two vegetarian choices and considering the size of the menu, this is unspeakably bad. One was macaroni cheese (I'd rather eat my own hair) and the other was beer and vegetable casserole. There is no vegetarian breakfast and they wouldn't serve one without meat. The Boyfriend ordered the Olympic and I ordered the only thing I could.

Our good mood lasted a good deal longer, through a glass of Fanta (which came with ice and lemon), a very nice cappuccino and another 45 minutes. Eventually, the assistant manager asked us if we'd been served yet and we mutely shook our heads. There were two chefs working the hectic and tiny open kitchen, around eight waiting staff prowling with drinks orders and three teenage staff just stood inside the kitchen area doing nothing. The staff almost outnumbered the customers and the three doing nothing continued in this vein the whole time we were there; it was a curious contrast between these and the hardworking cooks.

Finally, we watched them heat my sachet of casserole and slop it into a bowl. Looking at this, I was even more devastated that they'd refused to serve a breakfast without meat on it. At least The Boyfriend's meal was freshly cooked. The girl opposite me had ordered the mixed vegetables, which they tipped straight from a Tesco Value sack. I know it's Little Chef, I realise the whole point is to serve a precooked dish, but to see it cooked is simultaneously reassuring and disappointing.

My minute portion of casserole was a thin salty soup, with the saving grace of some very nice mustard dumplings. The bowl was effectively a cup in the centre of a giant rim and even with a side order of peas, I was still on the hungry side. The Boyfriend's Olympic looked and tasted beautiful (I tried some of the eggs and the toast) and went down in minutes. Looking around, the most popular dishes seemed to be the Haagen Dazs fondue which nearly every family table ordered, and the mussels which arrived in a steaming black cauldron. The Ox Cheek had been the number one dish and had now sold out. Heston's space age cooking touches were evident, some kind of atomiser brandished near those who ordered the Fish and Chips and a dehydrated tablet of towel which swelled to full size in the finger bowl.

Still hungry, The Boyfriend ordered a waffle and I chose the Sticky Toffee pudding for dessert. His waffle was huge and my Toffee pudding was delicious; a hot steaming date pudding, with smooth toffee sauce and vanilla bean ice-cream which tasted of real vanilla rather than an artificial substitute. We also had a pot of tea, which came with cups, saucers and teaspoons. Small touches, but noticeable by their absence in other Little Chef restaurants.

The bill came in at £29. Average for Little Chef, but cheap for Heston.

So, in three months, Heston is returning to see if Popham will lead the way for other Little Chefs.

Will Popham work? I can see this restaurant becoming a success now that he's tapped into a core market of upper-middle-class families who don't want to drag their lobster ordering offspring to the Fat Duck at Bray. Smaller portions may push out the current long distance travellers and lorry drivers looking for a substantial meal, but the prime location of this restaurant between London and the West Country holiday cottage will keep a steady supply of foodies.

Can it work everywhere? Maybe not, I suspect that this restaurant is a novelty and that the posh competition of Marks & Spencer's Simply Food and the quick hit of lard from the super speedy Burger King may yet outwit him.

Does it work for me? I so badly want Heston to revamp Little Chef; to create a haven on my journey where eggs are not runny and there are no hairs in my lunch. I would love to look forward to stopping there in the way that I did as a child. Without a better menu, however, I probably won't go back; the only main meal choice available for me was disappointing enough that I'd swap it for the more filling and much cheaper option of a chilled sandwich and a bag of crisps.

Summary: HESTON, SORT OUT THE VEGGIE STUFF - I WANT MY BREAKFAST!!!