The Boardwalk Bar & Dining

The Boardwalk is a relatively recent addition to the Mercia Marina. There is a bar area downstairs for more informal dining, including outdoor seating next to the boardwalk that surrounds the marina. There is a variety of seating indoors from comfortable sofas to bar stools. On this occasion we decided to dine in the more formal restaurant area upstairs. Spacious and light with a good variety of seating, including tables next to the full length glass windows, that offer stunning views of the marina. We were fortunate to get one of these tables, which was perfect for a lazy late lunch, whilst watching the world go by.
Food wise, there are two menus, one with sandwiches, light lunches and a wide variety of tapas dishes, the other menu is the more classic, starter, main, dessert affair. Both menus were available throughout all areas of the Boardwalk, including outside, which offers flexibility depending on your mood. The main menu contained classic dishes like fish and chips (huge!), lamb chops on a bed of cous cous, and various pasta dishes. I’m a bit a sucker for a decent burger, so I opted for the classic burger with two additions, cheese and bacon (75p each). Well presented on a wooden board, with a metal mug of chips, the brioche bun topped burger, was tasty, and the lettuce, tomatoes, with the accompanying salsa, made for a good accompaniments too. My wife went for the egg mayonnaise sandwich with a side order of small chips, both the sandwich and chips were big enough to share, portion sizes are very favourable here! The sandwich was packed with filling, and the accompanying dressed salad was a nice touch.
In no particular hurry, I decided to try one of their desserts, a hot chocolate fondant with orange sorbet; both individual components were tasty, particularly the sorbet, not sure the flavours complimented each other though. Overall a good meal, that was not particularly expensive; the ambience is very relaxing and the staff are both friendly and helpful. We will definitely return, defintely need to try the tapas!