Signals Bistro

This is a review about the Christmas evenings at Signals, where they offered a set menu and required diners to book in advance. This is different to how they usually operate.
Being vegan, it can sometimes be awkward to find places that will cater for my dietary requirements, especially around the holidays, but I’d heard good things about Signals so I contacted them and they were more than happy to provide vegan alternatives for me. They sent me an email with various different options so I could choose (unlike other places that will just provide one vegan dish) and the whole table-​booking process was made easy, I could even pay the table deposit over the phone.
The Christmas menu had four courses (starter, main, dessert and coffees with mince pies) and cost £25. A deposit of £10 per person was required. Each course had four different choices, although there was only one vegetarian option for a main course — Goat’s cheese, mushroom and leek pie. The vegan dish they made for me was a mushroom and vegetable pie with a creamy tofu sauce.
When we arrived the place was empty! But we had chosen to have a fairly early meal on a Sunday evening. However we were glad that we’d chosen to go at that time as, when we were coming to the end of our meal, lots of very loud people started steadily arriving to go upstairs for cocktails. All the drunken shouting, singing and walking in-​and-​out of the main door wasn’t something we’d expected at all. I felt sorry for the diners who were still just starting their meals with all that noise going on. This is the only reason I haven’t given Signals five stars.
Onto the food! Each course was presented so nicely that it really did make it feel like a special meal. And Signals had laid out Christmas crackers for people so it felt very Christmassy.
The food arrived in good time (courses arrived shortly after we said we were ready for them; there was no unnecessary waiting time) and the food was always steaming hot. My vegan portions seemed massive compared to everyone else’s meals (I’m not complaining though!) and we left feeling more than comfortably full. It all tasted wonderful, I don’t have anything bad to say about the food at all, and my dining companion said her food was lovely as well.
The service was friendly and not over-​bearing but available when we needed them, The drinks were reasonably priced and I definitely think the meal was worth what we paid for it.
I’m definitely planning to go back; I like supporting local businesses but I also want to support places that cater really well for different dietary needs. And I want to try some of those cocktails that everyone was enjoying!
Visited December 2014.