If you are after a place with a view to match the meal, Old Harry Rocks Bar & Restaurant is hard to beat. Perched on a cliff at West Hill Road in Bournemouth, it looks straight out over the coast, the Purbecks and the south coast, and takes its name from the iconic chalk stacks just offshore. Inside it is casual and laid-back, with a fireplace, plush armchairs and a lounge area that works as well for a quiet conversation as it does for a family get-together. The terrace is the real draw, though, and it runs daily from 11am to 8pm weather permitting, with dogs welcome out there — fresh water provided — while they cannot come inside.
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The menu leans on local produce, mixing classics with a few creative turns. To start, there are half a dozen rock oysters, freshly shucked, roasted king prawn, hake goujons with chips and citrus herb mayonnaise, and a 12oz grilled fillet steak with chips and mushroom sauce. The sharing plates are built for a group: jumbo plaice meunière with capers and preserved lemon, aged beef rib with brown butter de Paris and chips, and a surf and turf pairing beef rib with half a lobster. For a main, the 12oz grilled sirloin with chips and mushroom sauce and the signature burger topped with raclette cheese are the ones to know. Dessert rounds off with an espresso martini tiramisu, lemon tart with meringue, truffle brie with honey and biscuits, ice cream, a rocky road brownie or strawberries with cream.
There are a few set deals worth knowing about. The set lunch runs three courses with plenty of choice, at £16.50 for one, £23 for two and £27 for three. For something a bit more indulgent, the bottomless lasagne is £20 a head for 90 minutes of unlimited helpings of the signature slow-cooked lasagne, paired with a bold red or a Negroni. Sundays are built around the roast, at £32 for two courses with a choice of beef, pork, chicken or leg of lamb, served with cauliflower cheese and bacon carrots. For groups, the Sunday menu adds pork belly, top rump of beef, roast chicken or bass à la plancha alongside a baked stuffed aubergine for vegetarians, all with Yorkshire puddings, roast new potatoes, glazed bacon carrots, buttered cabbage and unlimited gravy, plus dessert.
At the bar, local ciders, cask ales, wines and cocktails keep things interesting, with the After Eight Menthe made with Mermaid rum and the Old Fashioned Harry using Burla Negra pirate rum. On Friday and Saturday nights, live DJs play through the evening, and the place turns up the volume during the festive season with Christmas food, drinks, live music and a New Year's Eve party.
On the practical side, it is open all year round: lunch 12pm to 2.30pm and dinner 6pm to 9pm Monday to Thursday, lunch 12.30pm to 3pm and dinner 6pm to 10pm Friday and Saturday, and 12pm to 8pm on Sundays. No booking is needed for walk-ins, and groups of up to ten can turn up without one; anything larger needs a heads-up in advance, and it stays first come, first served. The building is accessible with toilets for disabled visitors, baby changing, highchairs and space for wheelchairs and prams, it is bike-friendly and there is off-site parking nearby. For bookings or enquiries, it is 01202 018333 or eat@oldharryrocks.com.
