In terms of location, you would have to say that Haneffe’s is about as good as it gets in Douglas. The Savoy Hotel, in which the grill is located, is bang in the middle of Douglas Central Promenade with a superb view of the bay and less traffic noise than at the end nearer the sea terminal.

The ‘man’ himself is also a big plus, presiding over the proceeding as he does, with a benign air of calm that makes one feel relaxed and welcome. I can see why this place is at the top of the listings on 'Where's Good to Eat?' (at the time of writing) as he is clearly a fan of the site and lets his diners know about it!

Now, if you don’t like “pub-style” dining then Haneffe’s is probably not the place for you. The dining area is set around a bar and there is no attempt to separate the two functions, which many will regard as a good thing. We were lucky enough to get the window table, overlooking the promenade, so it didn’t really cause us any grief and it was early evening anyway so there few non-diners there.

We were a family of four with two young adults and the menu has all the traditional favourites you would expect, like burgers and lasagne, plus a few nice variations, such as Malaysian chicken and two types of Caesar salad. Steaks, of course, form a big part of the menu ‘headliners’ with the 16oz T-Bone taking pride of place.

We all waived a starter, although there were several interesting items there like Cajun cod balls and Black pudding, in order to concentrate our efforts on the mains which we knew would be substantial.

Being big fan of Mushy peas, I had the Beer-battered cod and my daughter the Cajun chicken, both of which were very good. My son wasn’t quite up to the T-Bone but he did have the Sirloin and was very pleased with the quality and ‘rareness’ (if there is such a word!). My husband, true to form, chose the ‘proper’ pub-food option in the Trio of sausages and mash which was well “up to scratch” also.

Sweets were detailed on the board, rather the menu, to allow (I assume) for seasonal variation and we shared a cheesecake and some ice-cream between us, which was a nice way to finish off as the sun set over the bay. Well, it would have done if the Island was the other way around!

As predicted, helpings were generous, service was prompt without being overbearing and the quality and presentation of the food was very good. Prices were, I believe, competitive (although you can draw your own conclusions from the details of the bill below) and the costs of wine, including by the glass, and alcoholic drinks were also reasonable. Something that can rarely be said when eating out in Douglas these days.

I don’t like giving “marks out of ten” or trying to be judgmental when it comes to recommending eating places to others so I won’t do so here. Suffice to say that we would all be happy to go to Haneffe’s again and, although possibly not for the ‘gourmet’ amongst you, he is a very welcome addition to the dining scene of the Island.

Sugarrush
August 2011