THOMAS HAWORTH and a couple of friends check out the latest venture by two culinary brothers

IT WAS with great intrigue that the Adver Taste Test Trio ventured to Shaw Ridge Leisure Park last month to sample the latest offering from Swindon’s most popular culinary duo.

Scott and Luke Jacobs have recently opened The Ridge Bar and Grill after their departure from Bottlelino’s last year, and the new joint has been on our radar for quite some time.

The restaurant is in an excellent location and is of a substantial size; hungry drivers on the lookout for somewhere to dine would not fail to spot it as they tootle past.

When we entered we were warmly greeted by a friendly waiter and given various seating options. We were each handed a menu, which presented us with the first problem of the night: it all sounded very nice indeed and it took us a while to decide what to order.

Every burger among the extensive range sounded mouth-wateringly delicious. We could have plumped for The Chilli Cheese (£10.95), a combination of beef, chilli, grated West Country cheddar, onion, lettuce and tomato. Or perhaps even The Flamin’ (£10.95), which incorporated jalapenos, chilli cheese and flamin’ relish.

There were also plenty of options from the grill, including salmon teriyaki (£13.95), chicken breast served with Dijon mustard (£10.95) and a £19.95 ribeye steak.

Now, if I were to be brutally honest I must draw the reader’s attention to one thing in particular: the decor was somewhat underwhelming. The fake brickwork wallpaper rarely works as a decorative feature, and this was not an exception.

Still, the restaurant was clean and there were very few empty tables.

After twice sending away the attentive waiter because we hadn’t yet made up our minds, we were finally ready to order.

Adver_Chris went for a cheese burger with American cheese (£9.50), Adver_Stephen the slow-cooked brisket (£13.95) and I The Ridge burger (£10.50), a tower of beef, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and deep fried mozzarella topped with bourbon sauce.

We also ordered sides of potato skins (£3.50), grilled halloumi (£2.50) and deep fried mozzarella sticks (£3.45).

Unfortunately we happened to have arrived on a night when the service was, shall we say, a little on the slothful side. But we didn’t have anywhere to be afterwards so we didn’t mind waiting.

The sides arrived first, as we had asked. Adver_Stephen soon made light work of his grilled halloumi, though he was assisted in the task. Halloumi is often hit and miss, being either overly salty or chewy and rubbery (or, conceivably, both). But on this occasion it was cooked perfectly and tasted almost creamy and had a smooth texture.

The deep fried mozzarella, a basket of cheesy sticks coated in breadcrumbs, made for a lovely appetizer. The cheese was soft in the middle and oozed out to the touch. They were very well seasoned and, had there been a few more, might well have made for a delicious meal all on their own.

Adver_Chris greatly enjoyed his potato skins, too. They were filled with West Country cheddar and crispy bits of bacon and, like me, he thought they could well have made for a pleasant main course.

Again, there was a bit of a wait for the next round, but the waiter was kind enough to give us a round of drinks on the house in recompense.

When the food arrived we were all mightily impressed. Adver_Stephen’s brisket was a beautifully cooked piece of meat and our burgers looked even better than they had been described on the menu.

The Ridge burger was delicious. The combination of bacon and deep fried mozzarella, not to mention the bourbon sauce topping, was delightful. I would heartily recommend it to everyone.

Likewise, Adver_Chris’s cheese burger put a smile on his face bigger than when he was named news reporter of the year at a prestigious journo bash last year.

Needless to say, we were far too full for dessert. Overall, our visit to The Ridge was very enjoyable and I would encourage foodies to give it a go.

The menu has something for everyone and the kind and courteous staff will no doubt make your visit a pleasant one.

Food: 8/10

Decor: 5/10

Service: 10/10

Disabled access: Yes

Parking: Yes

Sides prices: £1.50 - £3.95

Mains prices: £5.50 - £25.95