The Moody Cow is a majestic looking building and there’s plenty of parking. It is easy to get to and easy to find. A warm reception and first class service all evening The first thing that struck me on entry into the reception was the warm welcome. It was almost as though they were expecting me as a special guest before I had even given my name. Lots of genuine and happy smiling faces. Throughout the evening, a waiter was only ever a glance away and I mean a glance. The Moody Cow runs a very smooth operation where the staff are concerned. They are happy, busy and attentive, and if you even look up from your table, they will clock you. Warm and cosy with interesting decor The atmosphere is really warm and cosy. We were ushered to a large enclosed table. It gave us a great sense of privacy while still being a part of the whole place. I couldn’t help but take a photo of life in The Moody Cow from our table. The tables had candles in glass jars which gave a lovely, relaxed feel to the place and the walls were decorated with some really interesting pictures of cows. One of them did look particularly moody and its eyes seemed to follow you. Then again, I had every intention of eating one of its cousins. Starter time It was time to try the food. For starters we ordered The Moody Cow Platter to share: pulled pork nachos, loaded skins, buffalo wings, teriyaki belly pork, red pepper hummus and pita triangles. The presentation was appetising and inviting and we had a foodie adventure stuffing the pita triangles with as much of everything else as we could. They had thought of everything and given us with a stack of lemon fragranced wipes. These came in handy before we got stuck in and for cleaning up after. The Moody Cow Platter is to be recommended however there was a decent choice of other shared platters available such as the Ultimate Nachos: corn tortilla chips with chunky salsa, grated cheddar, jalapenos, and topped off with spiced refried beans and Smokey BBQ pulled pork, served with sour cream and guacamole. Not everyone wants to share and other individual starters included New England Clam Chowder, a creamy broth of fresh clams, potato, sweetcorn and smoked bacon accompanied with crusty bread. Why not try the Shetland Isle rope grown Scottish mussels cooked in shallow, white wine, garlic and finished with flat leaf parsley. Saturday’s a steak night! There’s no way I could go into a steakhouse with tucking into a rare steak and the T-bone was screaming at me from the menu. The Moody Cow states that the meat is sourced from locally reared Rare Breed livestock and carefully selected by its butcher, and Dry Aged for a minimum of 28 days to allow for an incredibly enhanced flavour and mouth-watering texture. How could I resist? My young son was given a children’s menu and feasted on a medium cooked rump steak. The two of us felt like princes as we tucked into a main course fit for Royalty. I was feeling pretty full by the time I had polished off The Moody Cow’s own special fries and my son wasn’t quite able to finish his fries. That said, it would have been criminal not to have tried dessert! An excellent choice of dessert My son and I both love ice cream and The Moody Cow offers its very own Ice Cream Sundae of warm sticky toffee pudding layered with rum and raisin ice-cream and hot toffee sauce. Take a look for yourself. Somehow, we ended up ordering the sundae for my boy, without realising the alcohol content. Fortunately, he alerted me to the strange taste while I was tucking into the my splendidly tasty white chocolate crème brûlée with chilli shortbread. I flagged the ice cream issue with the staff. Their response was superb. They offered my son an alternative dessert and suggested that I have the Sundae on top of my own dessert. This was very generous of them because, to be fair, I should have checked the menu more carefully before placing my order. Speaking of the menu it was great to see that they have a coding system to alert diners of the presence of any allergens. This is particularly important for me as my son has a life threatening nut allergy. And the wine The Moody Cow drinks menu includes a well stocked wine list. It’s always a good idea to ask about the wine list and the staff were more than happy to talk about the different bottles on offer. On recommendation I tried the Baron Dr Ebro, a dry red wine (14% vol) with a subtle, woody and nutty taste. It proved to be a great choice. In summary It is rare that I can hardly stand up after a big meal but The Moody Cow almost finished me. Whether you are a steak lover like me and fancy treating yourself, settling for a cosy meal with a significant other or out for a family outing, this place caters for all occasions. You get a relaxing atmosphere, a happy team that will serve you well and food to remember. Don’t forget to ask them where the name “The Moody Cow” came from. Great evening. Lovely place.