OUR OVERALL RATING
TYPE OF FOOD:
British based cuisine with the emphasis on "little plates"
YOUR REVIEW
Click here to leave your review or read reviews left by others.
ADDRESS:
High Pavement, 1-3 High Street, Warwick CV34 6JY
OPENING HOURS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Monday to Saturday 11.00 to 9.30
Sunday 9.00 to 6.00
Food serving times:
Monday to Saturday 12.00 to 3.30 lunch; 6.00 to 9.30 dinner; snacks at other times
Sunday 9.00 to 6.00 - breakfast 9.00 to 11.00; Sunday lunch 12.00 to 3.00;
snacks at other times
Official Website:
Click here
Telephone Number:
01926 494725
Map: See below.
BACKGROUND TO HIGH PAVEMENT
This is a joint venture between local Paul Brown and Johan Ventur. The design of the interior has been led by
Steve Howie Design who have
designed many different styled restaurant interiors. Previously the premises
were occupied by the restaurant and cafe chain
Prezzo but the entire
interior has been ripped out and replaced at a reputed cost of half a
million pounds.
As well as a popular restaurant area there are two semi-separate areas for dining parties. One takes about 20 people
and the other about 10 people. This keeps the more noisy parties slightly
away form the main dining area.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE HIGH PAVEMENT, WARWICK
The interior is modern but comfortable looking. Probably the most impressive
individual feature is the large curved oak bar with its granite surface and
attractive lighting. The main dining area has multi-coloured
brick walls with very chunky wooden beamed ceilings. The impression is of a
most definitely high class restaurant which, at the same time, is not
overpowering.
This is not just a restaurant though, it is a thriving bar serving all the
normal drinks and a very intriguing list of cocktails all priced at £7.50.
From the Calvados Old Fashioned (Cinnamon infused Calvados, Orange and
Bitters) which no man would be ashamed to drink to the more feminine Rapaska
(Belvedere Black Raspberry Vodka, Raspberry puree, Orange and Apple juice),
there is something to suit everyone. They even have their own High Pavement
draught beer which tasted very top quality.
THE MENU
The menu majors on the High Pavement "little plates" which are tapas sized portions
of a variety of different dishes. They range in price from £5.50 up to £9.50
per portion and two per person plus a salad shared between two was about
right for us. We tasted five altogether and it was a delicious experience.
The deep fried lamb with apple chutney particularly tasted good but none of
the portions disappointed. The menu does change on a regular basis so a
return visit may well have different "little plates" to choose from.
About
half of the "little plates" can also be ordered as main meals and there is also a
selection main meals ranging from Sausages, mash and gravy at £9.50 to pan
fried Sea bass at £17.00. Again the main menu is liable to change. All the
items on the menu were available at the time we had our meal.
To one side of the main eating area are two smaller function rooms which
can be booked if you prefer a bit more privacy. We attended a works
Christmas lunch in the larger of the two rooms and were offered a choice of
three starters, three main meals and three deserts followed by coffee. For
this sort of get together the food was seasonal and good.
SERVICE
You are immediately and pleasantly greeted on entering High Pavement and
shown to a table. The staff are very knowledgeable about what is on the menu
and can give advice about the food on offer if you want. Service is
attentive and unobtrusive. The time spacing between serving courses is just
right, leisurely and not rushed. Unlike many restaurants there is no attempt
to turn round the tables quickly and there is no problem with having a long
coffee and a cocktail at your table when the food has been eaten.
PRICES
Five little plates and a salad would cost
around £38 for two people and two average priced main meals would cost
around £22 for two people. As far as we know service is not included. This
represents good value for the quality of the food, service and pleasant
surroundings.
NEARBY ALTERNATIVES
The centre of Warwick is a foodies heaven and there are countless
restaurants and cafes within a five minute walk. For a selection of similar
"small plates" we would recommend
Pancho Tapas
which is a couple of minutes walk away. But the reality is that Warwick town
centre has a huge selection of perfectly acceptable alternatives and we haven't yet had time
to sample anything but a small proportion of them.
OPINIONS FROM OTHER REVIEW SITES
We scoured the internet to read all the reviews we could find of the High
Pavement. They are of course the opinions of other people but we can report
that in general they praised the food, the surroundings and the service. On
Trip Advisor the overall rating is 4.5 out of 5, the TopTable rating was
just under 4 out of 5 and other review sites rating it as just over 4 out of
five. To sum up the adverse comments, some considered the music (on some
nights) to be too loud and some considered it pricey but at the same time
value for money.
Review by David Marks.
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