Food review: Popular restaurant in pretty location has great food to match

We booked a table at Ego in Lichfield at 12 noon on a Saturday and I was surprised to see other customers already at their tables.

By the time I’d finished my delicious starter – more on that shortly – the restaurant was filling up nicely and by the end of my dessert, it was pretty much full.

There were also people who had booked a table because they saw Ego as a memorable place to go for an occasion. An elderly couple on the table next to us were brought a dessert with a sparkling candle as part of a birthday celebration.

Yes, it was clear to see that Ego is a popular venue in Lichfield and it’s in a beautiful spot too. We were sat by a window over looking Minster Pool, with the Cathedral visible in the background.

Such external surroundings always enhance a trip out for a meal and the stylish internal look of Ego, with its light colours, also gave off a positive feeling about the restaurant.

My partner Amy opted against a starter but, having looked at the menu, there were too many enticing things for me not to try something out.

The starter list is impressive and varied. It’s not just your traditional soup of the day here.

The Calamari Fritti sounded tempting – paprika floured calamari, deep fried and served with aioli and lemon while the chicken liver and rosemary pate with clarified butter and pink peppercorns, toasted baguette and Maria’s chilli tomato marmalade also sounded appetising.

I was also tempted by the grilled goat’s cheese on toasted brioche, aged balsamic, caramelised red onions and Jen’s beetroot chutney.

But ultimately I went for the garlic mushrooms and they didn’t disappoint.

The sautéed field and wild mushrooms were served with a garlic, lemon and parsley cream with toasted baguette.

The mushrooms were perfectly cooked, with a great texture, and the cream they were served in was wonderfully flavoured and delightfully moreish.

This did what all great appetisers should do – it left me wanting more – and the toasted bread was perfect to mop up the remnants of sauce, which was so nice it would have been criminal to leave any!

Trying to bring back memories of holidays in the middle of a rainy, British winter is a tough call.

Still, the menu from Ego resurrected the spirit with a relaxed dining experience and selection of meals worth writing a postcard home for.

In the spirit of past holidays, my dining partner Amy chose the Moroccan Lamb.

This is a lamb tagine-style dish that has been slow-cooked until it is melt-in-the-mouth.

The spiced recipe, with notes of cumin and paprika, has a heap of Mediterranean vegetables that combine to create a melody of tastes.

To her surprise, olives were also added to the mix, but they didn’t overwhelm the tone of the dish with their usual sharp tang but instead blended in perfectly with the dish’s essence, adding an extra dimension of flavour.

Paired with contrasting, fruity couscous and flaked almonds, topped with pomegranate seeds to give it a pop of pink, this meal was a feat for the eyes and the stomach.

Some tasty, toasted pitta bread slices and a little dish of tzatziki were laid on the side and made for a hearty meal – and were ideal for scooping up every last drop of the appealing spiced sauce.

There were plenty of main courses on offer to mull over and again the beauty of it was that you had a nice blend of traditional and different choices to pick from.

If you wanted a pizza or a rump steak, the opportunity was there but there were other interesting dishes which caught the eye.

The lemon chicken milanese, served with rocket, sun blushed tomato and Grana Padano salad, lemon caper chilli dressing and skin-on fries, was among those which attracted my attention. However, I eventually went for the pan roasted chicken supreme.

The chicken was well cooked but for me, this dish was about its accompaniments.

It was served with a stunning mustard cream sauce – Ego do sauces well – a delicious buttered mash and green beans. Again I found myself clearing the plate.

When meals are almost too good, it must hurt restaurants in the pocket as people inevitably clean their plates but have to decline a sweet option. However, Ego has the ideal solution – their range of mini desserts that are light enough to squeeze in at the end and are accompanied by a coffee for that more continental end to the meal.

All the Ego mini desserts come in at well below 400 calories and are perfectly proportioned. Who can resist? Not us.

My partner, Amy, decided to go for the strawberry and passionfruit Eton mess, with a latte on the side.

The traditional British pudding was given a more exotic Mediterranean twist with hints of passionfruit.

Crushed pieces of meringue and chopped fruit were mixed together with the Chantilly cream to provide a light, sweet hit to round off the feast.

There were plenty of classic dishes to choose from, aside from the mini desserts, including sticky toffee pudding, Sicilian lemon tart and a warm triple chocolate brownie.

But I opted for Cheshire farm ice cream – three scoops from a choice of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio (n), strawberry or honeycomb.

I selected pistachio, honeycomb and strawberry but, sadly, no honeycomb was available. This was only of mild disappointment though as my next choice of vanilla proved an equally good choice.

The ice cream flavours complimented each other perfectly and provided the perfect finale to a fine three-course meal.

The best thing is that the top quality food also comes at a reasonable price – my meal was part of the fixed price menu that offers three courses for £22.95 or two for £18.95.

There’s also a great children’s menu and even the chance for kids to ‘make their own pizza’ by choosing different toppings, making it a great place for all the family, with a touch of sophistication.