The Wicks Bistro, Knowle | Takeaway review

Some restaurants haven't quite got the technique of making a delicious meal and then packaging it properly so when the customers get home, it doesn't look like a pile of ingredients that have been thrown together in a box and given a shake.

Thankfully, The Wicks Bistro at Knowle seems to have mastered the art of packaging and preparing its dishes, so when it hits your dining room table, it still bears some resemblance to what you’d get if you were dining in.

Dish Detective decided to order from The Wicks to help them out of the Sunday lockdown blues.

Seeking inspiration that wasn’t a Sunday roast, or a Chinese, Dish Detective stumbled upon the menu on Just Eat.

A quick phone call to the venue to establish that they were open, and that they could cater for a collection, and we are in.

Our call is handled quickly and efficiently.

Sadly no halloumi fries tonight but mozzarella dippers (£5) are offered as an alternative.

We opt for a peri-peri chicken (£11.95) and our partner chooses a Mexican hot burger (£12.95).

A swift collection – only slightly delayed as they were extra careful about dealing with a dietary requirement, something the Dish Detective likes to see – and the dishes are on our dining room table.

And they look good.

Excellently presented, you could almost pretend that you are in a restaurant.

The chicken comes with fries and side salad.

The butterfly chicken breast is wonderfully marinated with spices, with extra peri-peri sauce on the side.

Our campanion’s burger looks heavenly – topped with cheese, nachos, Jalapenos and chipotle sauce.

A proper meaty burger, with brilliantly chosen toppings, served with fries – and accompanied by the mozzarella dippers – makes for a huge and tasty dinner.

And even though it’s ‘just’ a burger, it’s also a variation that you wouldn’t make for yourself at home, making it feel more of a treat.

It’s an excellent meal, and one that’s made better by the excellent service.

We are also pleased to be supporting a local business.

George Madgwick opened the Knowle restaurant last summer, taking over the only restaurant in the village after the former Clifford Brown’s Brasserie closed unexpectedly.

He gave it a makeover and opened.

However lockdown saw him have to close his doors a few weeks later – a familiar story to George who also opened the restaurant’s sister venue the Wicks in Cosham just before the first lockdown.

The Portsmouth businessman kept himself and his staff busy though, turning his restaurants into a production hub, providing meals to those in need throughout lockdown.

Now back up and trading with a takeaway menu – for delivery and collection – the future for the Wicks is looking bright.

Let’s hope there are no more lockdowns on the horizon.

Dish Detective is proud to be supporting a local business.

But they’re even happier to be supporting one that’s been doing its bit during the pandemic.

As well as the delicious peri-peri chicken and burgers, the menu boasts pizzas and pasta, as well as British classics such as steak and ale pie and bangers and mash.

It’s got something for everybody.

Let’s hope this valuable asset to the community makes it through to the return of eat-in dining, as Dish Detective will be one of the first through its doors when it does.

The Wicks Bistro, Knowle

Tel: 01329 600408

Food: 4/5

Value: 4/5