It began well for MICHAEL REEVES and his family but it soon became apparent that something was missing

AS the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Well the good people at Ed’s Easy Diner must have felt something was broken.

My fiancée and I spent most of Saturday morning trying decide what we were going to do with the rest of the day and where we were going to have lunch.

We have been going to Ed’s across the country for the best part of four years and it is fair to say that we are fans. Whether it’s their juicy, succulent burgers, the thick and creamy milkshakes or their 1950s American décor with music to match – we like it.

But on this particular occasion we were left feeling a little underwhelmed.

We have frequented Ed’s at the Outlet Village several times since we have been living in Swindon and, on the whole, our experiences have been good.

But this time, arriving just before midday, something just didn’t add up.

The waiter greeted us at the door, handed us a menu, and went to create a bit of space for us so we could park our 11-week-old boy, who was fast asleep.

I took one glance at the menu and it looked different; without even reading it I could see that it was smaller.

We both immediately knew what we wanted to drink – the Nutella milkshake (£4.95), which is part of the Ed’s De-Luxe Shakes range. The chocolatey, hazelnut flavour is divine. It is so thick and creamy that if you drink too much of it before your food arrives you are in danger of not finishing.

Not this time. The shake arrived quicker than normal, which was fine by us (anyone who’s ever had a baby will know that you have to eat fast before they wake up). But this time we both felt that it was going down a little too easily and not filling us up.

Something else was missing – the All Day Breakfast burger. The sumptuous beef patty loaded with cheese, bacon, a golden, crispy hash brown, a large Portobello mushroom and a fried egg in a toasted sesame seed bun was nowhere to be seen.

I know restaurants change their menu from time to time, normally to give a place a fresh look, but this had the feel of a cost-cutting exercise.

My fiancée quizzed one of the waiting staff about the new look menu and we were told that the All Day Breakfast was no longer available, although there is a version of it on the breakfast menu. They added that if we wanted one, we could add extras to the burger of our choice to create our own, but at a £1 a pop for each extra item it could get very pricey.

So I opted for the Big Bubba’s Bacon’n’Cheese burger (£7.95), which consists of a beef patty, onions, Ed’s Diner Sauce, bacon and cheese, as well as a generous sized lettuce leaf and slice of beef tomato served in a toasted brioche bun. As I was hungry, I chose to have an extra patty (£2) and went with the Ed’s Plate, which is a side of fries, onion rings and coleslaw for an extra £4.

My fiancée went for the Chicken & Bacon BLT Burger (£7.95). Instead of having a grilled chicken breast she asked if it could be made with the fried chicken burger (£1 extra), which they kindly did for us. She too went with the Ed’s Plate.

Our food arrived promptly and was well cooked. There was a generous portion of fries and a good number of golden, crispy onion rings. However, the portion of coleslaw, if you could call it that, was barely a mouthful.

Having worked in chain restaurants in the past, I know that the staff are told from above what the portion sizes are and that there is very little they can do to alter it.

When you have two patties in your bun you either plough your face straight in or take one out and eat it on the side. I choose the latter.

My burger was juicy but nothing special, while my fiancée’s chicken was tasty and succulent and she enjoyed it.

We both finished our food and because the little one had now awoken we decided to have a dessert elsewhere in the Outlet Village.

However, when the waiter came to clear away our plates, we were asked ‘would you like a dessert menu or just the bill?’. Even on a busy Saturday lunchtime, we normally get asked if we’d like a bit more time to decide.

So we asked for the bill.

The whole meal came in at £36.80 so we left £40... but went on our way feeling it was high time we tried one of the other food outlets around the village.

Ed’s Easy Diner
Swindon Designer Outlet
Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2DY
edseasydiner.com
01793 542049

Parking: Yes, at the designer outlet
Disabled access: Yes

Adver ratings: 
Food: 5/10
Choice: 4/10
Décor: 7/10
Customer service: 5/10

Main course prices: £5.95 to £11.95

TripAdvisor rating: 3.5/5

To ensure the integrity of our reviews, all our critics dine as paying customers without the restaurant’s knowledge (unless otherwise stated). Photographs are taken at a later date