Top five restaurants in Locks Heath / Western Wards

We have a wealth of restaurants to choose from in Locks Heath / Western Wards - something to suit every taste and occasion.

I have picked five of my personal favourites. Let me know what you think! You can leave a comment here or - better yet - add a review to the business directory on the Website.

First on my list is Rumours in Warsash. Rumours Restaurant can be found in the small parade of shops on Brook Lane. The menu is good basic Italian-style cuisine in a restaurant with a a Mediterranean feel and an intimate atmosphere. Popular menu choices are traditional stone baked pizzas, pasta dishes and basic tasty main courses such as steak, sea bass, poached salmon and honeyed chicken.

Rumours has been owned and managed for the last 12 years by Grace Davis, helped by her daughter Michelle Brown. It is an exceptional restaurant as not only do they cook absolutely everything completely from scratch on the premises but they will accommodate any food allergy or intolerance.  

"We are very allergy aware here," Grace told me. "Every meal is cooked to order so we are able to tailor our meals to our customers. One recent client who had coeliac disease was so impressed with the choice that they recommended us to the Coeliac Society, which was nice of them."

All their ingredients are locally sourced - vegetables from A&T Coopers in Park Gate, Meat from Hadlows in Titchfield and fish from Bradley's in Moody's Boat Yard.

The restaurant can seat up to 42 people comfortably and is often full - if you want to visit on a weekend evening booking is essential. Their mid-week special menu varies week to week and is good value at £5.95 for one course, £8.75 for two courses or £11.55 for three. The dessert menu also changes on a regular basis which means it never becomes boring.

Rumours has also just started to serve breakfast, lunch and teas on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays which is proving very popular. At less than £5 for most choices this is good value too. One local diner said:

"We have been going to Rumours for many years - excellent food! Especially the sea food. The Specials Boards and puddings will keep anyone's taste buds satisfied! Great selection of Wines and above all fab Service, always with a smile, and they never forget a face!! Their breakfast and lunch menu is great value too - one of my favourite restaurants."

You can peruse the menu and book a table online on their website.

My next choice is the French Restaurant the Nook and Cranny in Hook, Warsash. The lovely characterful 18th century restaurant sits next to Hook village green one mile down Hook Lane from Warsash Road. It is a family run business owned and managed for the last 24 years by Colin Wood who is also the chef.

"People say our restaurant has a homely, cosy sort of feel. We use all fresh local produce and our menu changes every three weeks or so as the seasons go by. We always have a steak, poultry and fish choice though - We get fish straight off the boat - and everyone compliments us on our vegetables."

Colin's wife Pamela serves front of house helped on a part time basis by their two children Katrina and Paul. Inside the decor is friendly and welcoming with lots of old-fashioned charm. The restaurant is in two parts and can serve about 50 people in one sitting:

"It is handy having the restaurant split into two sections. We get quite a lot of parties and we can cater for the large parties in the top part of the restaurant without disturbing the customers at the front," Says Colin.

Colin has an extensive wine list that he has built up over the years. He buys his wines from Peake Wine in Fareham and Hampshire Wine Shippers in Southampton. 

Third on my list is one you just can't miss - the well known Kams Palace in Park Gate. The purpose built impressive entrance gives way to an equally impressive two storey interior that can seat up to 270 guests, so is perfect if you want a venue for a big party. In fact private functions including wedding receptions can be hosted here easily on either the upper or ground levels, as the ground floor has a fully equipped dance floor with disco lighting!

They serve a wide variety of food. You can choose from the extensive A La Carte menu or from three Set Menus that range in price from £22 - £31 per head. They also serve from a traditional Chinese dinner menu which they say offers exactly the same taste and experience as Hong Kong restaurants. Chinese Dim Sum is available every day from 12 noon till 4.30pm.

Menus are based around the three distinctive regional styles of cooking: Noodle and bread-based recipes from Peking, hot, spicy and peppery dishes from Szechuan and sweet fruity meals from Canton. Although prices are on the more expensive side at Kams Palace - averaging at £6 for a starter and £10 for a main course they do have an excellent reputation for quality.

You can peruse the menu and book a table online on their website.

Park Gate Tandoori, otherwise known as The Curry House at Swanwick Train Station, is positioned in an unlikely seeming location for an Indian Restaurant - right next to Swanwick Railway Station, but don't let this put you off. Downstairs is the small takeaway area and bar, and the restaurant itself is upstairs in what feels like someone's cosy home. Small and intimate the decor inside is appropriately designed like the carriage of a train.

One customer said of the restaurant: "I would rather drive to collect a curry from here than have a delivery from somewhere else. The resturant is small but the food is so good - it is always busy! The staff are very friendly and attentive and the environment is very very cosy. Be prepared for a bit of a rattle when train passes by the station! I think that adds to the evening!"

Lastly, Nautical Nellie's. Located in Universal Marina on the bank of the River Hamble with a beautiful private garden, Nautical Nellie’s offers something for everyone for any time of the day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, cream teas, tapas trays... They have a daily homemade special board with dishes such as Moussaka, Chunky Chilli, Tomato & Pesto Soup, Courgette & Stilton Soup, Chicken Cassoulet & Gourmet Burgers including the infamous "Nellie's Belly Buster" (I'd not heard of this however!)

Owner and manager Tracey Thurlow, who used to manage the Cork and Cheese in Park Gate has put together her wine list using her 14 years of experience in the wine trade, both selling and making.

"Life is too short to drink bad wine," she says.

Nautical Nellie's also has a website - look at their menus here.