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Guest Review: 20 at The Kings

For this review of The Grill at 20 at The Kings, we sent along a local guest blogger, Alice Bennett, to give her own unique take on what was on offer! Read on to see what she made of it.

When I got a text from the tall bearded one to suggest dining out I had no idea what to expect. As we’ve got to the stage where I know it won’t be table for two at Subway or al fresco with Greggs, I was more than happy to let him make the call.

Unfortunately, the original choice of venue had some noisy custom, so after careful consideration we decided to explore Wood Street. At 8:35pm on a Friday night I had my doubts we’d find anywhere. As we passed girls in short skirts and bouncers on door fronts the idea of going to Subway suddenly didn’t seem that silly a possibility. Undeterred, we pressed on until reaching 20 at The Kings. A quick check at the bar confirmed, to our relief, that food was still being served and that a waitress would seat us. Surrounded by empty tables, the tall one and I were a little confused. I know Swindon is trying to up its game, but seriously? Instead though we were led to a secluded room called simply “The Grill”. Inside were a small group and another couple in the far corner. You know you’re somewhere fancy when the table has candles and linen napkins. I pulled my “this looks expensive, let’s get out now” face, but much to my pleasant surprise I realised the price on the set menu wasn’t a typo. At 20 at The Kings you can get a three-course set meal for £16.99. Not bad at all.

My selection was garlic mushrooms, minute steak and sticky toffee pudding and oh my God were they all amazing. Owing to my blogging and review writing I often take foodie snaps, I like to convince myself I can make the same thing at home (hah-hah). Yet, I did not photo my steak. Why? Because it looked so damn good that my carnivorous instincts took over before I had chance to get my phone out. By the time I realised my slip up the steak had vanished (and no one wants to see a photo of salad). As time pressed on I was a little concerned that soon we’d be made to feel unwelcome, but at no stage were we made to feel rushed or unwanted. And, as dessert made an appearance, I was so full that taking pictures was a reason to give my body extra time to digest. In fact, the only downside of the whole experience was that the quantity of food was so great that walking to our taxi was a real struggle.

I would certainly recommend The Grill at 20 at The Kings for its fine dining experience, polite staff and its reasonably priced food. They could get away with providing less for the same price (not that I’ll be writing that on a comment card anytime soon). On a winter’s evening, it was nice to do sophisticated dining without the extortionate price tag.

If you enjoyed Alice's review, you can read more of her work here!

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