The Tap Steakhouse, Stafford
The Tap Steakhouse in Stafford serves up hearty, good value food. Service is friendly and efficient in this refurbished pub with an emphasis on locally sourced meat.
STEAK & ME
It’s funny but, the last week or so aside, I can’t remember the last time I went out to eat and ordered steak. But I’ve ended up doing precisely that the last two Saturdays in a row.
I think what prompted it was when The Good Life Meat Company asked the folks of Twitter, and me in particular, where could they go out for a really good steak? I had to confess that I didn’t know.
That’s because when I eat steak it’s almost always one we’ve cooked at home.
Personally, I think you really have to be in the mood for a steak. So it tends to be an impromptu thing. Either myself or partner ID will say, ‘Do you fancy a steak tonight? I fancy a steak’. When that happens, hopefully the Village Butcher Ipstones will be open so ID will pop out to get a couple.
A DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE (BUT NOT AT THE TAP)
But my first recent attempt at reviving my interest in going out for a steak was not great. I should emphasise that I’m not talking about The Tap here.
The first warning sign was that the morning’s deliveries were still stacked up on one of the pub tables on a Saturday lunchtime. They’d run out of basic stuff like baps and chicken. When my rib eye steak came, it not only had a weird taste of dried herbs but was well done rather than the medium I’d asked for. The chips, which I’m guessing were yesterday’s reheated in not-hot-enough oil, were greasy and largely inedible.
To his credit, the chef did offer to cook me another steak. But that would have meant ID eating his not-too-bad sausage and mash on his own and then me eating my re-done steak all alone. Of course, mistakes can be made in the best of places. But at least two other members of staff knew there was an issue and didn’t even offer to take anything off the bill.
However, as Moorlands Eater is about sharing good food, the name of that pub will never make it onto this blog or my social media. I’d much rather spend my time sharing the positive stuff.
Happily, last Saturday’s trip, to a very different pub, worked out much better.
THE TAP STEAKHOUSE
The Tap Steakhouse is on Peel Terrace in Stafford, at its junction with Sandon Road.
I don’t know the area at all, but for such a large place I was surprised to find that Peel Terrace is an ordinary terraced street. On discovering that, myself and companion ID were a bit concerned we wouldn’t be able to park. But in the event, we got a parking spot a hundred yards or so from the place.
Formerly the Cottage by the Brook and the Tap & Spile, it sounds like the pub had a chequered career before being taken over and re-opened by new owners in November 2018.
Walking into The Tap now, the mid-nineteenth century building shows no signs of the apparently tired decor of its old incarnation. The main bar is bright and light with a modern feel.
There are two other rooms, one similarly light and the other, where we sat, more like a cosy snug with cute library-effect wallpaper.
But The Tap isn’t just a steakhouse. Aiming to be a friendly pub ‘located in the heart of the community’ it describes itself as being ‘the best of both worlds’.
Consequently, you’ll find all the usual big-name drinks brands behind the bar. Maybe the addition of a few more Staffordshire beers wouldn’t go amiss though?
THE MENU
Go along to The Tap Steakhouse at lunchtimes and you’ll find a smaller choice of one, two and three-course set price menus (£9.95 – £15.95) including traditional roasts on Sundays.
On the evening menu though, there’s a big choice.
STARTERS
At dinner there’s a choice of eight starters. These range from Caesar Salad (£5.25) and Nachos (£5.50), Chicken Wings (£5.50) and Slow BBQ Ribs (£7) to Baked Camembert (£9). If there’s a group of you, then you can benefit from scaling up your portion sizes of nachos, wings or ribs which will work out cheaper per head.
Four of the starters appeared to be suitable for vegetarians (but not vegans). So best to ask for further info if you need to.
HAGGIS
For my starter, I went for Haggis & Black Stack (£6).
Here was another case of me not having something for ages (haggis), then eating it twice in quick succession.
I’ve a feeling that before the previous week’s Whisky Night at The Old Mill in Leek, where we had fabulous smoked chicken stuffed with haggis, I’d last eaten this offal and oatmeal savoury pudding almost exactly ten years ago at the legendary The Three Chimneys on Skye.
But The Tap’s generously hearty stack of thick black pudding, sandwiched with haggis, was a world away from the very refined fayre at The Three Chimneys. Which is exactly as it should be in a steakhouse.
The haggis was nicely peppery, and the black pudding seemed like good quality.
I normally shy away from peppercorn sauces, fearing they’ll overpower whatever they’re served with. But I have no complaints at all about this creamy one which brought the black pudding and haggis together nicely.
NACHOS
The generous size of the portions at The Tap was also displayed in ID’s starter of Nachos (£5.50).
On being presented with the huge tray of tortilla chips with melted cheese and jalapeños, we thought they’d perhaps made a mistake. ‘Is that for two?’, ID asked our server. No, she laughed, that’s just for one.
I suppose there’s not an awful lot to say about nachos. Yes, they were crispy and crunchy and there was plenty of melty, stringy cheese. They also came with separate little pots of soured cream and a tomato salsa.
Although ID likes hot and spicy food, he did find the jalapeños extremely hot. There were also loads of them too, meaning he had to pick quite a few out and leave them on the side of the dish. The tomato salsa was also hot, so he didn’t make much of a dent in that.
If you like the hot stuff, then you’ll probably be fine with these Nachos. But I wonder if, for most people’s taste, either the jalapeños or the salsa need dialling down a bit?
MAINS
In the first section of the mains menu there are ten choices. These include Chilli Beef Fajitas (£13.99), Sausage & Mash (£10.95), the wonderful sounding Buttermilk & Bones (buttermilk chicken plus ribs at £14.50) and Lamb Cutlets (£15.95).
But that’s before you’ve even got to those mainstays of the steakhouse: burgers and steaks. Count those in and you’re selecting from around almost twenty dishes.
However, as you might expect at a place that calls itself a steakhouse, there isn’t a large choice of mains for vegetarians. There’s Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry (£13), Big Caesar Salad without chicken (£9.50) and a Spinach & Falafel Burger (£11). None appear suitable for vegans.
But, call me old-fashioned, when I go to a steakhouse (at least on the first visit anyway) I’m darned well going to have some steak.
STEAKS
The Tap Steakhouse sources all its steaks locally and they’re aged for a minimum of thirty days.
There’s Centre Cut Rump (£9.95 – £18.95 depending on the weight you choose), Sirloin (£12.95 or £19.95), Centre Cut Fillet (£18.95 or £24.95), Rib Eye (£18.95) and a whopping 24oz T-Bone (£29.95).
All the steaks are described as being served ‘with beer, honey & mustard dressed salad leaves, pan fried tomato, woodland mushrooms, beer battered onion rings and your choice of scoop chips, dauphinoise potatoes or buttered herb new potatoes.’
There’s also extras like Garlic Butter or Whole Tails of Scampi (£2-£4) and optional Steak Sauces (£2.50 each).
RUMP
Both ID and I went for a 10oz Centre Cut Rump (£12.95). The rump isn’t a steak I’d normally choose as I’m more of a rib eye person. But I was partly swayed by its description as being ‘for the true beef lover… packed full of flavour’ and partly simply because 10oz sounded more like the right size rather than the 12oz rib eye.
I asked our server to confirm whether this cut was best served medium-rare and she said it was.
I decided to add an optional Egg (£1) to my order, simply because steak, egg and chips are a great combination.
When our steaks were served, they’d been cooked exactly as requested. Nice and pink all the way through but with a good level of dark caramelization on the outside.
They’d obviously been rested well too as there were no tell-tale bloody juices running all over the place.
With rump, you shouldn’t expect it to be the most tender of steaks. But that’s not an issue for me as I’m more interested in flavour.
And this rump did have a good level of beefy flavour. I couldn’t say it was the best steak I’ve had, but at £12.95 (coincidentally, the exact same price as the one on my unsatisfactory plate at the other venue the week before) I thought it was good value.
SPUDS
The level of excitement I felt when I saw on the menu that the chips were ‘scoop’ chips was probably more appropriate for a child than a fifty-year-old woman.
That excitement was due in no small part because at last I knew what these fantastic chips were called. I’d only ever had them once before, at The Lobster Pot on Anglesey last summer and loved them.
Whatever the gadget is that cuts the potatoes, it scoops out the middle which gives more surface area to get lovely and crispy.
Instead of chips, ID had opted for dauphinoise potatoes. Consequently, compared to my plate (the crockery at The Tap Steakhouse is very lovely by the way), his looked a little bare.
But that was deceptive. Piled high as it was, that little pot held a lot more than first appeared.
The creamy, soft potatoes were beautifully cooked, just with the merest hint of nutmeg, I think. Nevertheless, he still couldn’t finish it all (even with a little help from me).
OTHER GARNISHES
As well as the nicely charred fried tomato half and big, juicy mushroom, there were some very fat little onion rings.
They weren’t the crispy, bubbly ones you often see these days, In fact, going on appearances alone, you might have thought the batter was going to be rather stodgy. But I loved them. Even after I’d put my knife and fork down, declaring ‘I can’t eat any more’, I still found myself nibbling another. And then another.
One aspect of the meals that was a little disappointing though was the ‘beer, honey & mustard dressed salad leaves’ mentioned on the menu. Technically, they were on the plate. But only in the form of literally one or two sprigs of lamb’s lettuce.
More of a garnish really, I think The Tap would be best to leave this off the description so as not to disappoint. Those who really want a salad can always order one as a side.
RECOMMENDED
That teeny quibble aside, The Tap Steakhouse went some way to reviving my interest in going out for a steak.
Judging by the packed tables, there’s plenty of people around who love to do just that. We’d booked pretty early for a Saturday night, but there were already quite a few diners. As the evening went on, there was lots of comings and goings and when we left it looked almost full.
Given the portion sizes and quality, I think what we ate was good value. Without drinks, our food bill came to around £19 per head for two generous courses apiece.
Even greedy so-and-sos like us didn’t have room for one of the half dozen puds on offer.
All the staff we had contact with seemed genuinely interested in making sure we were happy with our food. None of that automatic ‘is everything ok?’ devoid of any real intention of rectifying any problems raised. They had good knowledge of the food and drink offered too.
I’d definitely go back to try more of The Tap’s food. Refined it isn’t. But who wants refinement at a steakhouse?
Satisfying, hearty food at a reasonable price is what you want. And that’s exactly what you’ll get at The Tap Steakhouse.
Recommended.
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ACCESSIBILITY
I’m not aware of a formal access statement for this venue and the following is my subjective impression only. Please note, however, that I’m not mobility impaired so you may wish to contact the venue directly to check whether it meets your own requirements.
There’s a step up into the building but no further steps that I could see. Seating is spread across three rooms on the ground floor with reasonable space between most tables. There are separate female and male toilets but no disabled facilities. Level entry to the toilets which have standard sized cubicles. Sink units are quite high.
If you’ve visited this venue and can provide more information useful for people with disabilities, please leave a comment below. If you’re the owner of this venue, I’d be happy to update this post with any further information about accessibility.