One of our regular readers sends us another of their occasional reviews.
The conversion of the previously derelict Regal in Nairn to the recently opened Harleys Cocktail and Grill took longer than I think everyone expected, so it was a very welcome sight to see a post on social media announcing that they were now open for business!
I popped in with friends one lunchtime and was pleased that the inside decor was much brighter than the grey walls outside. Seating was very comfortable at solid wooden tables, the restaurant is very bright and airy...and it helped that they were playing good music! Once inside you can't hear the outside world very much at all, and considering the restaurant is right beside the A96 in the middle of Nairn this is quite remarkable!
The menu selection is good with a small selection of starters priced upwards from £3.25, a selection of sandwiches and paninis with good choice of fillings served with salad and chips from £4.90 and then onto main courses with prices starting from £4.90 upwards. Choice of mains include Caesar Salad, Lasagne, Fish and Chips, Thai Curry, Chicken, Rib Eye Steak and Macaroni Cheese.
There is also a good selection of pizzas from the Pizzeria priced from £7.90 with a buy one get one free offer on a Tuesday! It was the Build Your Own Burger than I chose - this involves choosing between ciabatta or seeded roll, then a choice of burger from chicken, southern fried chicken, beef or vegetarian and ending with a choice of salsa or mayonnaise toppings. There are optional, chargeable, extras such as bacon, extra cheese, fried egg etc which you can choose too. The Build Your Own Burgers are from £6.90 which I thought was very reasonable.
When my burger arrived it was served on a wooden platter, with what appeared to be homemade coleslaw, fresh salad with a lovely dressing. At one side of the platter was a cup which the chips were served in, all beautifully presented and tasted wonderful. My only comment would be that I was concerned that my salad may escape off the platter when I was eating it!
There weren't a huge selection of desserts but I chose the Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream. Also on offer are hot chocolate sundae, homemade cheesecake and banoffee waffles. All of the desserts are £4.90 which I thought was very reasonable especially when they arrived and again were presented beautifully and were also a very good portion size!. The Sticky Toffee Pudding was served on a slate platter, toffee sponge on it's own with a jug of hot toffee sauce for you to add the amount that you wanted and ice cream served separately. Again my only comment was that I was concerned my food may escape the slate platter - which relieved to say it didn't in the end!
In addition to the food menu there is very long list of cocktails available but being a midweek lunchtime I managed to resist on this occasion! Before going for lunch I had read the reviews on Harleys facebook page which were in the main very positive, a few criticisms about spelling mistakes on the menu which I must admit are noticeable and would benefit from being reprinted, also comments about slow service - our service on the day I visited was very prompt and the amount of time I would expect to wait for food being freshly prepared. I can say that my experience was very favorable, the staff were very friendly and efficient, our food was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful and I will definitely be back again.