Optima Magazine

144-146 High Street • Bushey • WD23 3DH • 020 8421 8811

Reviewed by Jill Glenn

It was surprisingly busy and buzzy in Blue Check, Bushey, last Thursday lunchtime. On the rare occasions that I dispense with the soup-and-sandwich-at-the-desk routine and venture out into the world, I find most restaurants rather quiet, and while that can be very soothing, it’s not always ideal. Certainly, most of the diners here were older, possibly non-working, but this is, of course, the group that has the opportunity to take time out in the middle of the day. It is, perhaps, also the group that is going to appreciate the excellent value for money that this well-established local restaurant can offer, day and night.

The atmosphere was pleasant, with jazzy versions of American Songbook classics on the CD player, and a relaxed hum of conversation around the place. There’s plenty of choice, from a Brunch menu at £5.50, with an extensive selection of dishes such as Thai Salad, Goat’s Cheese Tartlet, Chicken Schnitzel and Cajun Salmon (definitely worth leaving your desk for…), to a three course set lunch for £13.50. There’s also an a la carte, from which we made our selection, starting – for me – with Mediterranean Prawns (pan-fried with Pernod, garlic butter and lemon juice). Oh! The aroma! This was a perfectly lovely, garlicky concoction: prawns already shelled, so just needing the heads and tails nipped off, and rich in flavour from start to finish. It was a generous portion, too, as was the Avocado Prawns & Crab opposite me: simple, even old-fashioned, but nicely presented and good to eat.

Both the main courses were huge, too. My companion’s Café de Paris (strips of Sirloin Steak in a herb and garlic butter, served with a green salad and French fries) was very tasty, and the meat tender, but the size of the portion was rather overwhelming; I felt the same about my Medallions of Veal Marsala (sautéed with mushrooms, Marsala and cream)… delicious, but just too much, and served with a side dish of vegetables that included enough potatoes to feed my entire office (if they’d been there, instead of back at work, eating a sandwich...). Still: better that than not enough.

Despite being defeated by the sheer volume, we nevertheless girded up our loins sufficiently to address one final conundrum: the dessert trolley. In most modern establishments it’s been abandoned, in favour of individually prepared dishes, but, actually, there’s nothing wrong with a dessert trolley when it’s as well-stocked and good-looking as this.

Most of the offerings were creamy and luscious, a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds, and the big bowl of fruit salad looked fresh and enticing. We each opted for the latter, along with a sliver of rather too sweet Banoffee Pie. It was a mildly disappointing end to an otherwise enjoyable meal, but I’ve only myself to blame: I knew I should have stopped one course sooner…

Brunch: £5.50
Lunch: £13.50
Dinner: £16.50 Tue/Wed £20 Thurs/Fri £23 Sat
House wine: £12.95