Beef Sirloin @ The Moderation 19/10/2014

The last time I went to The Moderation for a roast, I was disappointed.  It was a couple of years ago so I felt it was time to try again.  They used to do very good roasts 5-6 years ago.

Available choices were chicken, pork or beef, so I plumped for the beef sirloin, to give its exact name, and went for 2 dishes for £12, instead of the £10 roast, which seemed reasonable value.

There were around 15 of us seated and our dinners arrived at the same time which is always appreciated and the waitress had understood my request for extra gravy despite not acknowledging it.

So in the order that I ate it, the one piece of cauliflower was fine.  Crunchy but fine.  As was the one piece of broccoli.

My one baby carrot was really nice.

Photo clarifies that I did get a carrot.

3 of my 5 a day done.

The selection of roast potatoes were reasonably decent.  The larger one was fairly tough inside, but the others well-cooked and reasonably crispy on the outside.

The Yorkshire pudding was disappointing.  A decent size but it was filled like a dumpling.  I am struggling to describe it well, but it was a filled, fluffy bowl.  Not what I class as a Yorkshire.

It was a decent piece of beef sirloin – in steak format as opposed to carved from a joint of beef.  A little pink inside, it was cooked nicely.

The gravy however, was tomato-flavoured and rather watery.  An attempt at modernisation where it is not required.  The extra gravy was surplus to requirements.  Well…mostly.  I certainly didn’t bother asking for some bread to soak it up.  Nor was I tempted to hide under the table and lick the remaining gravy doggy-style.

Inconsequentially, as this is a roast dinners around Reading blog, not a roast dinners and desserts around Reading blog, the chocolate brownie, though unsurprisingly limited in size considering the generosity of just one carrot, was very tasty.

I didn’t hear anyone in my group expelling excitable endorsements about the meal, but likewise nobody complained either.

It was decent and I wouldn’t recommend against it.  But there are better roasts out there.

5.2 out of 10.

Next up might be somewhere slightly outside of Reading.