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At Chow Bella we go crazy for $10 lunches, so you can only imagine the excitement we felt when the sign outside George and Dragon English Restaurant and Pub advertised a $5 lunch. Once the happy feelings wore off, a bit of skepticism crept in, because how good can a $5 lunch really be? We had to check it out.
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From 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. lunch options include fish and chips, shepherd's pie, Cornish pasty and a quarter-pound sirloin burger, but after perusing the menu, you'll find only three menu options are $5, and the other choices can range up to $8.99.
Sticking to the $5 selections, the shepherd's pie was an obvious choice. Regular price is $10.99. It wasn't until after the meal we realized that G&D charge extra for cheese and gravy on the side, making the total $6.50.
The mashed potatoes had a smooth consistency and were perfectly seasoned, making them the most memorable part of the dish. The gravy was just a bit warmer than room temperature, and the ground meat inside wasn't much better. On the bright side, the meat was seasoned well, partly making up for the temperature mishap.
The portion size was appropriate for lunch, and for the $5 price tag, we just wish they would've offered us more to be more thrilled about.
The quarter-pound sirloin burger rings up to exactly $5, but again, nothing special to report on, just a dried out patty with virtually no seasoning -- and a stale bun.
It's safe to say this wasn't the best $5 we've ever spent. We'll stick to drinking at George and Dragon.