Review: The Boathouse, Shrewsbury

What a difference a year makes. The Boathouse was formerly an ever-so-slightly down-at-heel drinking den for students with a penchant for cheesy chips.

Located on the fringes of Shrewsbury's pretty Quarry Park, it was the perennial under-achiever.

While other bistros and pubs in the town attracted Shropshire's smart money, The Boathouse was a spit-and-sawdust kinda joint. Sure, it had a loyal clientele and many doubtless enjoyed things just the way they were. But it always felt like a sleeping giant.

It was the Wolverhampton Wanderers of Shrewsbury restaurants; languishing in division one when it ought to have been enjoying new-found glories with the Premiership's big boys.

And that, in a nutshell, is what's likely to happen now.

The Boathouse has been re-imagined and re-born. It's been given a new lease of life by the town's smartest operators, Rachel Chidlow and Jim Littler.

The business partners acquired The Boathouse at the start of the year and have transformed the place with atypical style and panache. The cheesy chips have been replaced by 28-day matured steaks, the students-on-a-budget have moved onto town centre boozers and paved the way for a crowd attuned to more sophisticated thrills.

Chidlow and Littler have strong connections with the town. Chidlow is the owner of the Lion + Pheasant, the sumptuous restaurant and hotel at the foot of Wyle Cop that also underwent a dramatic makeover in recent years. An architect by trade, Chidlow has astonishing skills as an interior designer and has made significant improvements.

Gone are the dowdy furnishings, they've been replaced by contemporary fittings that combine comfort with modernity. Boathouse co-owner, Jim, who manages the Lion + Pheasant, has also made his mark. The businessman has been around for some time, working at the town's finest restaurants and establishing for himself a reputation as a smooth operator.

He's created a lively menu that features a range of bistro classics. It's fun, preppy and provides something to suit all tastes. His work with the front of house team, however, is the most impressive aspect. Staff are courteous and attentive, thoughtful and polite. They provide service with a smile, without being intrusive. And they work damned hard. The operation runs like clockwork.

The Boathouse has arguably the most impressive location of any Shrewsbury pub. It is situated on the fringes of Frankwell and Kingsland, beside a recently refurbished bridge that carries walkers into Quarry Park. In high summer, its patio hums to the tune of gleeful chatter and the clink of a hundred glasses.

My partner and I decided to book a table for a Friday evening, opting to go early before the rush . . . or so we thought. We arrived at 7pm and the place was already full, with only two spare tables. The first was our's, the second was soon filled by a group of four friends. We were escorted by a charming barman to our table and given apple time to peruse the menu.

Drinks were ferried to us and we were offered tap water to keep us topped up.

The new-look menu ostensibly provides a smart and stylish grill offering. Starters include such appetising delights as crispy pork belly with apple compote, crispy whitebait with tartare sauce or barbecue chicken wings with cucumber yoghurt.

I opted for lamb koftas with flatbread, salad and a minty dip. They were sublime. I'd expected a single kofta, after all, I'd only ordered a starter for around a fiver. I got more than I bargained for. A large wooden chopping board was brought to the table containing a salad-filled flat bread and two succulent, golden brown koftas that had been elegantly caramelised.

They had the sort of colour that is normally only found among those fortunate enough to spend two weeks in the Bahamas. They were as juicy as a freshly-picked peach and as tasty as a Klitschko jab.

My partner opted for simplicity, choosing bread with oil and vinegar. A quartet of mini rolls, shaped like small tin loaves, were brought to her with two ample pools of liquid. They were hot from the oven and soaked up the oil and vinegar like a parched cactus after a monsoon.

There are days when it's a joy to eat at The Boathouse simply because of its location. There are few finer sights in Shropshire than the view across the River Severn as it swings left to hug the banks of the Quarry Park. During long afternoons or balmy Indian summer evenings, it is a real treat. On other occasions, when night has started to fall, it's all about the atmosphere.

When my partner and I dined, it was rambunctious and hospitable. Friends were catching up for the first time in months; swapping tall stories over frothy pints of real ale. Girls about town were sipping glasses of vino. Families were enjoying rare opportunities to spend quality time with one another and romantic couples were gazing longingly over the candle-lit tables and pledging their amour.

It was time for our mains and I'd ordered a burger. Lord knows why, but in recent weeks I've gone burger crazy. I'm thinking of adapting Chas'n'Dave's snooker loopy and creating my own version: Burger bonkers. I'm not sure it'll be as popular as the cock-er-nee duo's ode to the green baize, but it would convey my peculiar passion for the humble beef pattie.

The Boathouse version was a corker. Served with skinny fries and a radish, tomato and cucumber salad that towered higher than the nearby Shrewsbury School, it knocked the socks off anything else I've eaten in recent weeks. The pattie was still moist, with scorch marks from the grill given it a decadent almost-crunch. Beef tomatoes filled a toasted bun that was also filled with Swiss cheese. Chilli relish provided a piquant bed, I relished every mouthful.

In truth, it got the better of me. I got half way through it and, having been surprised by the generosity of my starter, I quit. Joey from Friends would have ploughed on, of course, refusing to yield to the monumental burger. But my stomach told me that enough was enough and the burger and I bade our fond farewells.

My partner had opted for a rump steak with fat chips. The chips were like shipbuilders' fingers. They were wide and long, dirty and great. They could have been stood on their end to make soldiers. The steak had been cooked with great expertise, precisely as requested, while roasted tomatoes were served alongside – remarkably, the whole vine sat on the plate. Nine tomatoes. Blimey.

My partner cleared her plate, congratulating herself on having paced herself by selecting a relatively light starter. I marvelled at her brilliance – and made a mental note to go for the bread the next time I eat there.

Throughout our dinner, the service was exceptional. If there's a venue in Shrewsbury that has a more energetic, polished and polite team, I've yet to go there.

Shrewsbury is blessed with pretty good dining pubs and The Boathouse is playing in a crowded market. Across the river is The Armoury, though that caters to a slightly different clientele and the food offering is markedly different. Whatever competition it faces, The Boathouse is equipped to more than stand its ground. Under the tutelage of Chidlow and Littler, it's risen like a phoenix.

Chidlow's sophisticated design suits the venue perfectly. It's a delicate balance of trend and tradition; a mix of cool, cutting-edge furnishing and immaculately-preserved heritage.

Littler's work with his kitchen brigade and front-of-house team is equally noteworthy. The Boathouse crew are well-drilled and meticulous. The waiting staff are a joy – the kitchen team are hard-working and precise.

The future is bright for the revamped venue. It's come on in leaps and bounds during the past 12 months and as more people find out about it, it can expect to be even fuller. It's not quite the finished article – and that's what makes it all the more exciting. Good as it is, there's still room for a little improvement.

As things stand, it's already punching above its weight. In recent years, Chidlow and Littler have helped to revitalise Shrewsbury's dining scene, first with The Lion + Pheasant and now with The Boathouse. I wouldn't bet against them snapping up further additions to their burgeoning business. They bring a touch of class to the town and are an attractive proposition.

Andy Richardson