Lunch at the Debenhams Restaurant in Debenhams in Kingston-Upon-Hull

Debenhams Restaurant, First Floor, Debenhams, Prospect Street, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU2 8PQ.

The Debenhams Restaurant is a cafeteria style restaurant on the first floor of Debenhams in Hull, with the restaurant overlooking Ferensway and being reached through the store itself. Nearby parking is either on street or in pay and display car paraks. It was visited on a Friday lunchtime and was moderately busy, although there were still plenty of tables available.

The place serves a variety of hot and cold food and drinks, both bottled and draught, with two manned counters as well as unmanned or self service cabinets and displays. Food available included a carvery, soup, jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings, paninis and toasties, sandwiches and salads and a range of cakes and crisps, with some cakes being pre-packaged and others available for selection from a stand in the centre.

Once the food has been chosen and paid for, cutlery and serviettes can be obtained from a counter, and bottles of condiments from another, with packet sugar, salt and pepper available on the table. Hot food, if it isn't ready when ordered, is brought over to the table afterwards.

The drink chosen was a draught Pepsi, which was served in a plastic glass from a self service drinks machine, and was as good as could be expected from this type of soft drink.

Main Course

This was a Chicken and Chorizo Panini, which also included some cheese and a few small pieces of red and green pepper. This was ready by the time the food was paid and therefore did not need bringing over to the table. A portion of chips was ordered to accompany this, which was collected from the hot carvery counter on the other side of the restaurant.

The panini was sliced in half and served on a plate which was covered with some blue check paper, and the chips were served in a tall bowl. The panini had been toasted and was warm enough, and the cheese was melted, but it wasn't piping hot. The chips were fresh and hot.

There wasn't an overabundance of chicken or chorizo in the panini, but the chorizo had a definite flavour to it and wasn't bland.

Dessert

A Fruit Scone was selected from the cake counter in the centre of the restaurant. Butter appeared to be included in the cost of the scone, but jam was extra. An individual pot of Tiptree & Sons raspberry jam was selected, and there were other flavours of jam available. The scone wasn't claggy as is so often the case.

The cost of the food and drink came to £10.63. The restaurant doesn't have table service, which is inconvenient when dining alone, as, if more food is wanted, it is necessary to leaves the table to order anything else.

The individual cakes on the centre counter were unfortunately not covered which, given that all the traffic through the food section flowed past it, was not a great idea. The panini could have been more generously filled and been hotter, but it was otherwise fine.

The service was polite and was handling the amount of custom well. The food itself was a bit on the high side for the type, but not too expensive, and is comparable to similar places.