Lunch at The Hendrix was a Purple Haze for me. Psychedelic sweet chilli prawns sat proudly on cubes of cider-marinated pork belly served with a pineapple and lettuce salad followed by a deconstructed banoffee pie with banana parfait, dulce de leche and flambéd banana AND a gorgeous lemongrass and basil infused creamy posset, served with vanilla mascarpone and summer fruits…deliciously dreamy.

At The Hendix, classic combos are given the Ariel Guivi treatment. Under Ariel’s mantra of ‘soul food’ there is plenty to fill your belly and indeed feed the soul. There is a good balance of dishes on the menu to cater for all such as: mushroom linguine served with wild mushrooms collected from the Campo area, homemade burgers; served medium, fire-roasted aubergines drizzled in tahini, beef skirt with chimichurri, warm goats cheese salad, classic fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce served with mushy peas, as well as Ariel’s classic hummus with toasted pine nuts served with warm pitta bread – a dish Ariel created in his days working at a previous local establishment. And for those nights watching the game or those mornings after, there is a plethora of deep fried breaded bar snacks to choose from too.

The food is delicious but there is no mistaking, this is not a restaurant but a pub; a gastropub, with very good food. Ariel is passionate about his menu and the quality of his product which he insists should be fresh such as the wild mushrooms in his linguine (cutting this dish from the menu should he not be able to source these). He is very aware of what he wants to achieve for The Hendrix and is keen to raise the bar of pub grub in Gibraltar. His previous experience under the tutorship of Matt Birtwistle and now as his own boss with his own team are the ingredients to make a successful gastropub of The Hendrix.

The waitresses were very pleasant and provided a very good service with attention to detail. The drinks menu with its cocktails and fancy lemonades sounded as if this might be the sort of place you’d want to sit at on a summer evening, or even after work! Instead of walking past it, pop in. Having read some previous diner reviews, the majority of people would be very happy to return and eat there again. Those that wouldn’t, I’d say give it another go and try something else.

I have to admit, I was originally tempted by Miss Piggy but settled on a Hendrix Purple Haze (same same but different!)

…I guess I’ll just have to visit again!