Black Lion (Firbeck) - Revisited
By Vincent Allen

Sometime last year one of our reviewers paid a visit to the Black Lion in Firbeck ( Rotherham ). Recently Vincent Allen from the community friend team paid a quick visit to see if anything had changed and if any improvements has been made.

Below is the original review:-

A while back we had a voucher drop through our door inviting us to try the Black Lion's new
Lava Rocks at a buy one get one half price. So after a while sitting on the notice board we thought we had better pop down and try it out.

Just to make sure that they were not going to be too busy I called up the day before to check that we didn't have to book and I was assured that it would be fine just to come on down.

Meals are served from 6 - 9 on the weekdays and upon arrival we found that there was no
need to book. Mainly due to us being really hungry and getting there at 6! There were still
plenty of tables left once we had finished and there was still the restaurant that could be used
(if it is warm enough - the Black Lion is quite chilly inside).

There were lots to choose from and with meat and fish dishes that came on the Lava Rock.
This is a super heated rock that allows you to cook your meat or fish in front of you so you get
it cooked just as you like. If you don't want to cook it on the rock the chef will do the cooking
for you. We had fun cooking our swordfish and duck breast and would highly recommend it.

The meals on the Lava Rocks came with chips and salad and a dip / sauce of your choosing. The third meal was a cheese omelette which was a slight let down from the quality of the
meals on the Lava Rocks. More could be done to increase the quality of the other menu to
match that of the Lava Rock menu. The food was all piping hot and well presented. Two of us
had puddings. One Bannoffie Pie (it was actually more an ice cream than pie) which wasn't up
to the usual Bannoffie standards which I like such as fresh cream on top and a good caramel inner. The other pudding was a good old fashioned sponge pudding with custard and this went down very well.

We would head back to the Black Lion but mainly for the novelty of the Lava Rocks. In general the Black Lion needs to have a re-vamp in the bar area so it's warmer and a more pleasant
place to dine.

Comments on this review

Submitted by: Derek French
On: 11/07/07
Comments: The Black Lion has just been decorated and new carpets are on order and so is
the new lighting as for the coldness the building is of thick yorkshire stone and at the time of
the visit the heating had been turned off ready for the summer months (Ha Ha What Summer). Thankyou for your comments and we hope it does not deter you from revisiting.
kind regards
Derek French
Landlord Black Lion Firbeck 11.07.2007

Update - March 2008

I recently visited the Black Lion to see if anything had changed. I am happy to report that all is good and they still have the Black Rock options for cooking your meal.

The only criticism is that in the bar area the menu's can be a little confusing and would be easier with a single full menu on the tables.