Candid Outlook: Dial Arch

 

Sunday catch-ups with friends can sometimes be very difficult to plan. People have various household tasks like cleaning, food shopping and getting ready for a new working week so, brunches usually get put on hold or cancelled amongst my friends. Oh and not to mention, my pals who love a booze-filled Saturday night and don't attend any plans before 6pm on a Sunday! But on a rare occasion, a good friend of mine decided to turn our Sunday walk into a pub brunch.  Big disclaimer - I don't have anything against pubs but they're not my usual go-to for anything social. If anything I was tricked, I had my Dolce & Gabbana trainers on, ready to get these steps in and talk out my life's worth of annoying and mind-boggling moments in the last 3 weeks by the Riverside. But, it was a lovely catch-up regardless and a short bus ride from home.

As pictured above, I opted for a Pink Gin & Tonic with fresh strawberries and ice. This drink really got me through some of the undesirable moments I had to share about my week. My pal chose to sit outside which was a good decision since it wasn't bad weather and was quite nice to be socially distanced from the true 'boozy pub' vibes. Dial Arch is a nice place regardless. It is full of very helpful staff and was quite busy towards the mid-afternoon.

Due to the new social distancing rules, an app to order and view the menu which wasn't working. A little joke made was maybe if we added a tip, the app would let us eat in peace with no technical issues. Nah. The app was genuinely down but the waiter was very helpful and manually took our order anyways.

An affordable place too!

I opted for the fish and chips as pictured below. It was lovely, very generous in portion sizes and definitely something I would share due to my small eating habits. The fish tasted fresh, lightly battered and a good amount of fish. Don't you hate getting fish and chips and half of the fish is actually batter? Scam. Scam. Scam. 

But not at Dial Arch!

The mushy peas were more like shredded peas with a touch of salt - I didn't mind this either. I actually quite prefer it. Tartar sauce had a onion taste to it but again it was nice - I had no complaints whatsoever with this meal.

My friend opted for a classic burger which in all honesty, it was almost gone before I could take a picture. Either I'm a slow eater or my mate is a wolf at the dining table (outside bench in this case) but it was thoroughly enjoyed. I saw smiles and moments of glee and a emptied plate - so I'd accurately assume this meal was enjoyed too!

Overall, if you're in the area, I would say pop in for a light lunch and a chin-wag with family, friends or a loved one. A very relaxed and casual place for those who are looking for a bite to eat with no fuss!