Prezzo, Midhurst

I don't usually go to many chains if I can at all help it, but went to Prezzo in Midhurst with some friends on Friday night and felt obliged to write a review. It's a bit funtional I'm afraid due to time constraints but I think it covers the point.

This restaurant is tucked away round the back of Midhurst and you wouldn't know it was there unless you were familiar with the town.  A lovely building on a corner that welcomes you in with excellent lighting and design.

The staff were friendly, fast and attentative but without being too much.  The menu, as you'd expect, was large and the choice of foods was excellent.

I opted for a classic Fiorentina pizza (something about the combination of egg and spinach on a pizza sounds revolting but is actually delicious), the others had another pizza, spaghetti with meatballs and a risotto.  Everyone was very happy with their meal and definitely no complaints. 

The prices aren't too steep and the portion sizes were plenty big enough but nevertheless we even managed to scoff down a pudding and to use a discount voucher!!

I'd definitely go back if I wanted something quick and local.  For a Friday night it wasn't packed but there was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to be in a jolly 'end of the week' sort of mood.

Prezzo, Midhurst

The Halfway Bridge, near Petworth

So it was the hottest day of the year so far yesterday which always makes me want to find a nice pub and sit in the garden with cold G & T.  As it was lunchtime I stuck with just the T due to my intolerance of lunch time drinking if I want to be at all productive in the afternoon!!

So we chose to visit the Halfway Bridge near Petworth.  Been there before for an evening meal and knew they had a nice little patio area round the back so off we went.

Its just off the main road from Midhurst to Petworth and has plenty of gravelled parking.  It was just after 1pm when we arrived and didn't seem very busy.  We had our pick of seats outside and chose one slightly in the shade. It's a lovely character building that sets the scene perfectly from the moment you pull up and park.

Service is as usual very good. Very friendly and professional. We ordered our drinks, mentioned that we were going to eat and handed lunchtime menus.  No need to leave a card at the bar or pay for drinks yet.

We sat outside and perused the food offerings.  I thought it was quite a nice choice for lunch, a variety of sandwiches from brie to steak.  Some mains such as gammon egg and chips and a couple of nice looking salads.

The waitress came outside with some complimentary olives and we both decided to opt for the steak sandwich (rare to medium) with handcut chips.  At £12.50 we wondered what we were going get and when it came out, we were initially disappointed - it was handed over on a massive thick wood board (both felt for the waitresses wrists) and was a simply a steak and a half in an oval ciabatta roll, with a portion of chips in a metal basket.  After getting a bit of mayo for the chips (call me uncouth but chips just aren't right without mayo), we tucked in.

Well, it was delicous. The steak was really cooked well, very tasty and melt in the mouth.  The chips, crispy and again very tasty.  Our initial thoughts of being hard done by were soon gone and although still on the pricey side, we both felt very satisfied by the time we finished.

To summarise, it's a lovely place with plenty of character and excellent service.  The food might be on the pricey side, but it's delicious.  Worth a visit at lunchtime and definitely worth visiting in the evening for a more special meal out than your usual pub grub.

Halfway Bridge, near Petworth