Staff at the Chronicle taking part in the taste test were asked to pick a lunchtime item from the Philpotts menu. Here are their thoughts on what they picked.
Stephen Smith - chicken tikka sandwich
STEPHEN: My chicken tikka sandwich on a white speciality roll with minted yogurt spread with red onion was ideal for a lunch while working. It tasted delicious without being too overpowering, although the red onion made me not the ideal person to be sitting right next to!
Lois York - Butternut squash and carrot soup
LOIS: This soup was smooth but thick, filling and very flavoursome with a peppery kick.
It was ideal for a cooler day. Personally I think it would have been tasty enough without the added spice.
Leah Jones - Turkey, stuffing and mayo roll
LEAH: Whilst the roll was tasty, I think there could have been a bit more filling. There was a lot of bread and so, as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t finish it.
All in all, a little bit more turkey wouldn’t have gone amiss as I could only really taste the stuffing and mayo.
Mark Dowling - Chicken, bacon and mozzarella on a potato
MARK: Perhaps the finest meals Philpotts do are the jacket potatoes which are invariably packed with ingredients and mouth-watering flavours. On this occasion, the mozzarella melted perfectly and the taste was better than the photo above looks. Really.
Dave Powell - Chicken, bacon and stuffing sandwich
DAVE: I’ve long been a fan of Philpotts and wasn’t disappointed this time either. The chicken was tender enough but it was the crispy bacon and stuffing that really made the sandwich. Filling enough for me not to have to raid the office tuck box for a Double Decker.
Anthony White - Milano chicken sandwich
ANTHONY: My Milano chicken contained tomatoey chicken, lollo rosso lettuce, red onion, black olives, shredded carrot and thick slices of cucumber and tomato. Chicken was well flavoured with a nice herby flavour. Good quantity and also good quality, but I was expecting a little more from the ‘speciality’ roll, and would have preferred the cucumber to be a bit thinner.
Howard Lockley - Pastrami and stilton sandwich
HOWARD: I chose this as I’d never even heard of the combination before – and I must confess I didn’t think it would work. I was wrong. The creamy stilton wasn’t so strong it overpowered the pastrami and the mix was beautifully moist. If there was a possible drawback it was extremely peppery. For a pepper fiend like me that was wonderful, but I did wonder if others may find it a bit too much.
Jo Henwood - Tuna salad
JO: I ordered a Tuna Nicoise salad from the online menu which promised a choice of mixed leaf with a pasta/cous cous or rice base, tuna chunks, herb potatoes, eggs, pitted black olives, sliced green beans, cherry tomatoes and French dressing. Unfortunately the Chester store doesn’t offer the Tuna Nicoise or the rice base so I was given a plain tuna salad (for the same £4.25) which had no potatoes, eggs or beans and beetroot and gherkins. As a coeliac I rely on potatoes and rice for my carbohydrate so was left very hungry. Can’t fault the salad per se but think it was overpriced for what it was.
Carmella De Lucia - Chicken and bacon sandwich with butternut squash and carrot soup
CARMELLA: I had a chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato on a white roll (though I had asked for brown).
For some ridiculous reason I also ordered the carrot soup on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far so after I’d had the sandwich I was a bit too warm to finish the soup, which was very spicy, but I don’t mind that.
The sandwich was very tasty although didn’t blow me away. If I’m being picky it could have done with more lettuce although there was a decent amount of chicken on it.
Claire Devine - Turkey, bacon and emmental sandwich
CLAIRE: I eagerly tucked into my turkey, bacon and emmental offering with gusto – and I wasn’t disappointed. The poppyseed roll was fresh and soft with the seeds adding a nice crunch. I went for sweet chilli sauce instead of traditional cranberry and this gave a pleasant kick to the sandwich and left my tastebuds tingling.
Dan Beavan - Peppered mackarel sandwich
DAN: My peppered mackrel sandwich was a generous helping of fish on tasty brown bread, a fantastic change from the usual cooked meats and cheese variations.
Sallie Ehlen - Turkey, bacon and emmental sandwich
SALLIE: I chose the turkey, bacon and emmental on a white baguette – my favourite. As usual it was delicious. At £4 it’s not the cheapest but it’s worth every penny.
Michael Green - chicken, bacon and mozzarella sandwich
MIKE: I chose the chicken, bacon and mozzarella sandwich – three of my favourite fillings, what’s not to love! The bread was a bit chewy for my taste but it did do the trick of proving to be filling enough in itself.
All Chronicle staff gave a rating out of five for their meal.
Stephen: 4
Lois: 4
Mark: 5
Anthony: 4
Leah: 3
Howard: 4
Dave: 4
Jo: 1
Carmella: 4
Claire: 4
Dan: 4
Sallie: 5
Mike: 4
Scores on the doors rating: 5 (from www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk)
What does TripAdvisor say? Average rating 3.5/5. “Their breakfast menu knocks the socks off other retailers I’ve bought from.”
Where is it? 2 Goss Street, Chester, CH1 2BG. Call 01244 345123. www.philpotts.co.uk
