Sunday is family day in our household, and we like to try new places to eat around the area we will be moving to at the end of the year. This week, we stopped at the Strand Lakeside Café in Byford for lunch.
I'd seen it advertised through social media but when my husband saw a picture of the chicken parmigiana they were serving, that sealed the deal and off we went.
The Strand Lakeside Cafe, Byford.
It wasn't a busy lunchtime so we took some menus and sat inside. The Strand is situated right next to a lovely lake and has an alfresco boardwalk running parallel to the water.
Inside the restaurant.
My husband didn't need to look at the menu – he wanted the Four Cheese Parmigiana he'd seen online. I took a bit longer to decide. There are a range of breakfast items, including eggs and bacon cooked various ways, bruschetta and pancakes, plus about 12 lunch items (we couldn't work out if this was also the dinner menu.) There's also seven small options, such as garlic prawns, pork belly and lamb meatballs.
Someone is behaving in the high chair!
It took me a while to decide as (a) I'm fussy as it is (b) I'm pregnant, so every
menu item that I will eat needs analysing further, to see if it's 'safe' and (c) said pregnancy means all my organs are squashed and I can no longer wolf down the volumes of food I used to.
The Four Cheese Parmigiana.
This meant the enormous-sounding burgers with double meat, the reef and beef burger and fish and chips were all off limits. I eventually settled on the fettucini.
The Fettucini.
Our meals were served shortly after ordering. My only disappointment with the fettucini was the fact I could only manage half of it. I loved the shredded chicken pieces, while the sauce was absolutely divine – very creamy and rich but not sickening.
My husband thought the Parmigiana wasn't as big as he had seen online, but as I reminded him, the camera does lie! Despite the 'size discrepancy', he was impressed with the taste and it was very well presented – it was served with beer battered chips and a side salad.
The back of the restaurant overlooking the lake.
The service was good, with a pay at the counter system in place, although my husband got a bit frustrated that no one offered him drinks while ordering, so he went to the bar, only to be told to order at the counter. Oh. But apart from that little hiccup, it was an enjoyable lunch.
The lake.
We finished our lunch and took a stroll around the lake, which is a lovely spot. I can imagine that the alfresco area overlooking the lake gets very busy on a sunny day. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner all week, or just stop by for a relaxing coffee, cake or ice cream.
