The Birdhouse in Exeter

What a fabulous place! Excellent host, great food, lovely wine and stunning white port! Highly recommended

I was almost put off visiting this restaurant after reading some of the more negative reviews on here but i'm glad I decided to ignore them and try for myself. First of all the setting is great, the glasshouse was lovely, bright and warm on even the most cold and wintery of days. We had booked for 1pm and by then a number of tables were in full swing and it was a lovely jovial atmosphere as we were shown to our table. I was visiting with the in laws and they are a tough crowd so I was hoping something would take their eye on the menu. I have to say the menu is not great. It is at best confusing. The prix fixe 3 course menu has meat on both mains (not an issue for me but for my other half who is a pescatarian). The game terrine starter was not available off of the prix fixe menu. It is a little restrictive but that is usually OK, I would have gone for 3 main choices and just added a non meat dish as an option if it was me. You then have the lunch menu with no starters other than one type of soup which is mixed in with the mains. You have platters which are big and extravagant and "nibbles" which seem like tapas type dishes (Padron Peppers, home made hummus). No normal starters like sea trout pate or grilled mackerel fillet, simple dishes, missing a trick here. Confusingly under "light bites" you have Venison bourguignon and lots of other dishes that I wouldn't usually identify as "light". These are the mains. The older crowd were getting confused at this point. I expect the lack of starters is a lunchtime thing but looking around at the clientele I suspected most were taking this as their main meal of the day and not a quick bite. Anyway we settled on the catch of the day which was Hake for the main and one of us had the soup and the rest settled on bread and "nibbles" for starters. Starters came and the soup was given the thumbs up, Padron Peppers were cooked well, but basic (drizzled in oil, salt), hummus was nice, bread was standard, nothing special. Butter was again standard and plain , two 10p coin sized portions for 3 people!!. Overall it was OK but I would just expect a bit more. Mains were great, hake was cooked superbly , it was fresh and presented well, side dishes were all fairly generous, sauces were tasty and well seasoned. There is a tendency to over salt on sauces but not here. All 4 of us were pleased with what we received and it showed that the kitchen knew what they were doing. We all finished off with desserts, they were very good, everyone was happy. The front of house were great, very professional, ever present but not in your face, they were a real credit to the restaurant. Overall it was a really enjoyable lunch, lovely environment and atmosphere, mains were great, desserts were great but there was a definite shortfall in starters. Little touches needed but nothing major. I would definitely come back here. I am not sure what some other reviewers encountered, the menu definitely seemed all over the place but the food was good and portions were generous.

Great takeaway, chips were fab, nice crunch on the battered sausage and the burger was very fresh and tasty. (This was after a 15min drive home) The young lass behind the counter was also very nice and helpful (hope you made the bonfire!!!!)

Fine dining with no pretension. Relaxed atmosphere. Knowledgeable and friendly serving staff and brilliant food. Each of the four courses of the set menu were well judged showing great cookery skills. Lovely presentation.

I was invited to a birthday party this weekend and found myself at a bar I’d never been to before—and won’t be visiting again. While the private party room was pleasant and we managed to create a good atmosphere, the bar itself left much to be desired. To start, the drink quality and pricing were absolutely outrageous. I ordered a Gin and Tonic, which is my usual choice. They used a bottle labelled Gordon’s, but I am certain it wasn’t genuine Gordon’s gin. The tonic was an unnamed, inferior brand. They served this in a small 200ml plastic glass and charged me an extortionate £7.90. Knowing that my body reacts poorly to cheap alcohol, I decided to switch to a bottle of Prosecco, which cost me £30. Although the Prosecco was mediocre at best, it was a slight improvement over the gin. I can’t help but wonder why so many young people in Exeter end up unwell after nights out, given the poor quality drinks sold at exorbitant prices in some bars. For me, this bar is definitely one to avoid in the future. I haven't tried any food, and I wont even going to try.