The Old Fire House, Exeter

Tucked away in the corner of the city centre, sandwiched between two looming office blocks, is The Old Fire House, Exeter's own little secret garden. Walking through the flowered arched entrance you could be stepping back in time into the bustling beer garden, if it was not for the fairy lights dotted around the walls. 

One of my favourite places to visit when back home in Exeter, I jumped at the chance to go for dinner with a couple of friends one summery evening. Taking a seat upstairs in the pub, come restaurant, we chose one of the long, vintage wooden tables, perfect for long nights of laughter with friends in one of the cities social hubs. The extensive menu includes alluring options for all (including extensive vegetarian and vegan choices), I found it difficult to decide between the intriguing range of burgers (featuring wild boar, a variety of cheeses and an exciting looking list of sauces and relishes) and the diverse range of baked potato toppings (the mushroom and blue cheese was very tempting). 

The popular venue attracts visitors of all ages with local ales, but proves particularly popular with students due to their drink deals and quiz evenings. We chose to share a pitcher of elderflower cider (£5 for 2 pints) which was delicious. Not too sweet like many fruit ciders generally are and carried really pleasant hint of elderflower. 

Wanting to stick to a healthy diet until I go to Italy in a few weeks I opted for the roasted butternut squash, topped with three bean chilli and goats cheese, accompanied by salad slaw (£5.80). Their menu is great as it has the perfect mix of treats and indulgences but also has lighter options to chose from. The service was quick (although it was a quiet Tuesday evening) and the food was extremely tasty. The squash was lovely and soft and the goats cheese complemented the rich chilli sauce. In all the meal was gorgeous, it was just a little on the small side and I was left wanting more, if the salad slaw was a little larger it would have been perfect! The lasagne also looked delicious, smothered in cheese sauce, served with crusty bread, and received Laura's seal of approval. What's more Emily's hearty burger caught my eye several times and was definitely worth the £7.50 price tag!

All in all I had another great experience at the Old Fire House, lovely food with great service for an impressive price. I will definitely be visiting again, if not to try more of their tasty flavoured ciders but to try out their late night pizza baskets!