If I'm being honest, Italian food has to be my least favourite although I love a good pizza. Other than that, it is not my regular go-to food. So when I arrived in Dorset on a mid-Sunday afternoon, I knew I wouldn't be spoilt for choice for dinner. I didn't think to search around for restaurants near me, because I received a list from the hotel host prior to my stay. When I quickly realised that many of the places were closed, my online search did not continue. I was tempted to search for restaurants near me, halal being my preference, but I decided to leave it to my luck. Whatever was open would have to do, I guess.
I was slightly worried about what I'd eat as I had a feeling many places would be closed and didn't want to book all the restaurants without knowing anything about them. So the first restaurant I saw open was Enzo. An Italian restaurant close to where I was staying, was the only place I could find at that time that was open.
As Weymouth is a seaside resort, I thought I'd find at least one seafood restaurant or fish and chips shop open, but I was so hungry, I relied on the first open place I could find.
An Italian Rescue?
So, although I love a good pizza, I really wanted to try something else. I didn't fancy a pizza.
I opted for a mushroom and chicken tagliatelle. Without no-one else inside the restaurant, that should have been my cue to turn around and look for a convenience store to have crisps for dinner instead! But I decided to give it a chance.
So I waited for my food to e prepared and within ten minutes my food arrived. At that point, I knew my chicken was not fresh and that it was probably cooked from frozen. 20 pounds for a mushroom and chicken tagliatelle and a glass of lemonade, really had me feeling the effects of the cost of living. I mean it's not expensive, but it most certainly could have been much cheaper.
The food came and the waiter offered to top it with mozzarella. I immediately said yes because I knew I would need the extra flavour. Once I dug in, I was not impressed. The chicken was extremely bland, tasteless and I believe was cooked from frozen. Not an ounce of seasoning could I taste. Even the mozzarella lacked flavour. I was undoubtedly unimpressed.
The waiter did come over to see if everything was ok, and by this time, other guests had arrived. I didn't want to make a scene, so I agreed I was o.k. I tried to be as polite as I could and even tried to finish the meal, but unfortunately, I couldn't. It just wasn't for me. It was so unimpressionable, and something I did not enjoy. I'm not much of a fan of Italian food, but I can spot a good pizza, Calzone and some past dishes are not as bad as I would expect, but Enzo was a complete disappointment for me- especially as it was a last resort. I had hoped for the best...
Location: 8/10 It was a short walk away from my hotel.
Ambience: 6/10- with the Seaview options
Food: 1/10
Service: 5/10
(Initially, the waiter saw me struggling to open the door, working out if they were closed or open- and just stood there!)
A Fish That Rocks?
On Day 2, I prayed dinner would be better. I had reserved a table for Rockfish after reading good reviews the day before. So I could only hope for the best. I was happy to have some good old fish and chips, which I can usually enjoy- but at a fraction of the cost.
On my daily walks, I had walked passed Rockfish and I decided to have a quick look at the menu to see what id be having for dinner. Prices seemed very expensive for somewhere that didn't even have Cod on the menu.
Could it get any worse I asked myself. Well yes, because upon my strolls, I began to see more and more local fish and chips shops at a more reasonable price. So I decided to cancel my evening reservation for Rockfish. Unfortunately, I had missed the time allowance, and that meant I would have to pay for a cancellation, so I just had to stick with my reservation, although I didn't want to.
I walked around the pier and the marina until it was time to head to dinner. I entered the restaurant at 6.55 pm and warm treated and seated. A warm and aesthetically pleasing restaurant I thought. I just hoped the food matched up to the appearance of the restaurant.
It felt good to date myself, take me out for dinner, and I told myself I do this more often. The waitress came over and was ready to take my order. She then processed to let me know what was and wasn't available on the menu. To my surprise there was no Cod, so she recommended the Hake instead. The Hakes with Chips and a drink was 23 pounds, a bit steep I thought. But I decided to go for it, so I could only hope it was good.
25 minutes had passed and the food had not arrived. After waiting for about 40 minutes, the waitress approached me and told me there was a problem with the printer and that my order hadn't been taken so she took down my order again, and gave me complimentary drinks.
I mean I was starving, but at least she had offered that. It was better than nothing. I thought I would have had a lucky escape but at that point, I was way too hungry to go anywhere else.
When the meal came, I sighed a hungry sigh of relief! Unlimited fries were included, but after two bowls, I couldn't eat anymore. I wasn't offered extra tartare sauce, although the menu stated it was unlimited.
I was still quite disappointed as the fish was not as big as I had expected, it was quite small for the price, and I just hoped I'd stay full throughout the night. I was just happy to have a hot meal, so I was grateful. After dinner, I thanked the waitress and headed back to my hotel. Rockfish has a nice ambience and would be nice for a date, but the food is not something to write home about! It's very basic. You could walk up and down the pier for much better fish and chips. I do take responsibility because my hotel gave me a list of recommended eateries, and I didn't choose any on their list so maybe that was my karma!
Although I look forward to returning to Weymouth, I would not return to Enzo and may have to think twice about returning to Rockfish. Everyone knows I don't like to spend too much on food unless I go for Steak, Lobster or Crab!
My overall experience at Rockfish was 5/10, I mean it wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. It was average. It has a nice ambience and that's about it. If you want somewhere to eat with a few people then it's a nice place to gather your girls and head out.
Have you visited Weymouth before? Where are some of the best restaurants you've eaten at?