Hidden away in Shrewsbury’s many shuts and alleyways are a host of gems which are well worth seeking out.
High on anyone’s list should be the Pantry Café Bistro, which must be one of the best places in town for a daytime snack – or something more substantial.
The Pantry, which can be found in the Golden Cross Passage off High Street, caters for every taste. An extensive menu offers anything from beans on toast to a full three-course lunch – and my work colleague Mary and I answered the call of duty one Friday by plumping for the latter.
It was the specials board, changed daily, which caught our eye – and there was a choice of two soups on offer for starters.
Mary chose the spicy tomato, which meant I had to settle for the sweet potato. They were huge bowlfuls, both delicious, and served with a choice of bread. Even at this early stage, I feared I might not be able to manage a dessert!
For the main course I went for the pork steak topped with apple and sausagemeat, while Mary went to the main menu and decided on the poached chicken and grapes salad, bound in lemon mayonnaise, served with couscous, noodles, and coleslaw. It was a lovely concoction, but I could tell even then that the large helping of soup was taking its toll!
The pork was first class, beautifully complemented by the apple and sausagemeat, and served with a selection of fresh vegetables.
Perfect accompaniment
The food was such good value that we decided our budget would stretch to a bottle of wine – and the Pampas del Sur Shiraz Malbec provided the perfect accompaniment.
I was right about the dessert – if we were being brutally honest, neither of us really had room for a third course.
But duty called again, and we compromised by agreeing to share a warm Belgian waffle with maple syrup and vanilla ice-cream. I say share, but Mary’s contribution to emptying the dish was about half a mouthful, so I had to make a complete pig of myself.
It was a struggle but I just about made it – and although I’m not a great fan of anything sweet, it was well worth the effort.
The Pantry’s certainly got a lot going for it: the service is fast and efficient, the atmosphere is good – there wasn’t an empty table the day we were there – and the value for money is practically unbeatable.
Go along and see for yourself – but don’t plan an evening visit. The pantry is open from 8am-3pm Mondays to Saturdays, and from 10am-3pm on Sundays.
