Steve Cornwall and his family enjoy a chicken feast at one of Bath’s growing range of eateries
We couldn’t decide whether the interior styling of the new Absurd Bird chicken restaurant in Bath was inspired by a cowboy lounge, steam punk or gothic burlesque, or indeed a combination of the three. Whichever, for a Monday night family meal out, it provided a funky backdrop, complemented by the booth style tables, which the children loved, as the base for our dining experience.
Absurd Bird in one of a variety of new eateries that have arrived in Bath recently, and given the choice of a meal out, this is the one we all plumped on. And the early signs were really good. Alongside the interior, right from the start the staff simply couldn’t have been more accommodating or friendly. The main menu is pretty large and, to be honest, confusing. While the children asked what exactly dirty buns, tenders and sliders, we adults looked on knowingly, suggesting that it would be a good life experience for them to beckon the waitress themselves and discover the answers.
While the younger children went for the Lil Ones children’s menu, their older sister Daisy and we grown-ups delved into the main offerings. The result was two helpings of Chicken Tenders (goujons, as it happened) and fries for the boys (£6.50 each together with a drink and pudding), while their older sister went for four wings (£6.50) from the Wingshack, complete with fries (£3), their mum chose the Quinoa and Mango Salad (£8.50) and I felt inspired by the half a grilled chicken in Absurd Gravy (£16) and a side of Sweet Potato Fries (£4.25).
I also added a Roadie Session IPA (£4.95) while Karen went for an iced coffee.
Now this a great example of the superb service at Absurd Bird. While an iced coffee wasn’t actually on the menu, the waitress went out of her way to prepare one for Karen, following her instructions to the letter. How good is that…
With just enough time for us to finish a game of charades – very retro – the food arrived freshly prepared from the kitchen opposite. OK, the boys portions weren’t that big and certainly not enough for bigger children. But for us adults, it was quite different story. While Daisy’s wings seriously made you wonder who would need to order the eight, 12 or 24 wing options, my chicken was just the right size even for my demanding appetite and Karen’s salad was generous without being indulgent.
Best of all, we all cleaned our plates, with the exception of Daisy who was beaten by the fourth wing.
When it came to pudding, the boys – and me – went for their cookies and ice cream choice, Daisy preferred the crack pie – more treacle pudding than anything more sinister – and Karen a peanut butter pud. Now despite the really excellent cookies, the puds weren’t the best part of the meal out – OK but not great. However, this wasn’t to put us off the experience. In Absurd Bird we’d found a very family friendly restaurant with a menu that offers something for most tastes in great surroundings and, best of all, with excellent staff to help out. And children eat for free on Mondays!