The Boathouse

You HAVE to try their Best Ever Sandwich!
Cheddar, beetroot and crisps!
No — seriously!
It is divine!!!
This is a lovely wee café — I love the spoon/​bird decorations (a local artist I think??)
It is always busy on a dry weekend but worth the wait.

We were at Electric Glen last night, and thankfully I had the foresight to book a table at The Boathouse for dinner afterwards. It is conveniently located at the end of the walk through Electric Glen so there was constantly people coming in to see about whether they could get a table.
We hadn’t tried The Boathouse, despite it being in our local park. When we arrived last night I was impressed by the décor — they’ve definitely gone for a boating theme but it’s done in a very classy, relaxed way rather than being naff and tacky. We had a comfortable table for 4 by the window looking over the pond which would be an excellent spot to dine in summer.
I was initially a little disappointed by the menu as it all seemed like standard café grub and the prices gave me the impression it might not be a great standard. There’s sandwiches, baked potatoes, burgers, wraps plus a hot dishes section with fish & chips, macaroni cheese, beef chilli etc. And they have a separate breakfast meal (my favourite meal of the day!)
I then read the cute little info box on the menu that says «real people make real food from real ingredients» and all outsourced food is marked on the menu so you know what is/isn’t made on site. Understably things like ice cream, pasta plus some cakes/​bread are bought in but it was pleasing to see the rest is made on site.
I opted for the mac cheese — after doubling checking with the waitress what she thought of it. I think the price was around £5.50 so I was a bit worried it would be tiny or substard. When it arrived it was in a decent sized ramekin with garlic bread and side salad. It was incredibly cheesy and creamy and I’m pleased to report it was one of the best macaroni cheese dishes I’ve tried to date. Big call I know, as I eat a lot of macaroni cheese! My only comment about it was that the noodles were really small (perhaps maccheroncelli pasta which I had to google to check the name of!). But that wasn’t anything to complain about, just something to note! The extra side of chips I ordered were also really good — nothing to rave about, but decent chips all the same.
Service was exceptional — even without having to take into account how busy The Boathouse must be while Electric Glen was on. The place didn’t feel busy, the staff didn’t seem rushed and they were all calm and helpful. The waitress even came back to ask what I thought of the macaroni cheese after I’d finished it which I thought was nice of her.
The bill for a meal for four people (mains only, a soft drink each) came to a very reasonable £40. If you want to have some drinks, they are BYOB with no charge for corkage. They also have free wifi. Seriously — this place is awesome.
For proper, decent food right on our doorstep, I’m totally kicking myself for not visiting this absolute gem sooner and can’t wait to go again.

Been here twice now and equally impressed both times — can get busy around twelve but the staff seem very organised and deal with things well
Food is a good mixture of staples (burger, mac and cheese, toasties etc) with more adventurous specials.
Fresh milkshakes, great coffee, nice vista — will come back for dinner ASAP