please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A decent pub ruined by an ar*ehole of a landlord/manager and their bar staff. We were having a quiet drink at the weekend when the manager came out shouting and swearing at this group of people who'd cycled to the pub. He was totally obnoxious and threw these paying customers out of the pub, apparently because they'd asked for some water. We won't be going back! Horrible place with horrible bar staff.
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In response to Tina 1666 who doubted that any restaurant/pub would accept a booking for 25 or so without a deposit, that has not been my experience. Some places have been delighted to get that kind of business with no ifs or buts.
I still maintain the snob factor applied at The Golden Boar. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll turn up in a Porsche (if I had one) and see what happens.
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HAS ANYBODY ELSE NOTICED THAT ALL THE RECENT POSITIVE COMMENTS ALL COME FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE SET UP THEIR ACCOUNTS ON THE SAME DAY THEY REVIEW AND THEY ONLY REVIEW THE GOLDEN BOAR ON THEIR PROFILE ?????
A CYNIC MIGHT THINK THAT IT WAS THE OWNERS/STAFF LEAVING THESE GLOWING REVIEWS.
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And to pick up on the previous point, I doubt that any restaurant, anywhere, would take an advance block booking for 25 people without securing a deposit or payment in advance. This has nothing to do with it being bikers and everything to do with sound commercial practice.
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Having escaped from central London ten years ago the only thing we've missed is top class dining. The Golden Boar ticks this box and then some. This venue offers fabulous food, fabulous service and a fine dining atmosphere that is simply unrivalled in the area. (And Lord knows we've tried 'em all). My notoriously difficult to please (feed) partner all but licked his plate clean after devouring a particularly gorgeous fondant chocolate dessert - devastating the rest of us who rely on him refusing to eat what he's ordered so we can have more! As for the rest of the meal, the belly pork starter while visually 'minimalist' was satisfyingly flavoursome - and the dressed crab, simply divine. From the entrees, John Dory with baby squid was a wonderfully complex dish, complemented by a fantastic salt cod mash that I could have eaten happily on its own. Mr Picky had a beautifully cooked rib eye steak and from what I managed to steal from the other two in our party, the lamb rump and sea bass dishes were equally delicious and well presented. The head waiter (Luke) was attentive without being obsequious, knowledgeable about the food (and accompanying wine choices) and clearly very adept at managing a very busy service - the restaurant was packed on the night we were there. For a less formal eating experience, the bar is friendly, clean and very comfortable (armchairs and sofas) and the bar menu wide ranging and very tempting. The Golden Boar even has takeaway fish and chips (and it's not every day you get these cooked by a top-notch London chef). Having said that, there's not a whiff or hint of the deep fat fryer - both menus are built around fresh, locally sourced meat, fish and vegetables. I would recommend the Golden Boar for family meals, celebrations, business lunches/dinners and any other social event where good food and a great atmosphere are an imperative. It's not cheap but for quality and service, it's incredibly good value. Go there now. You won't be disappointed.
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Having agreed with the chap behind the bat that they could accept a booking for approx. 25 people, I then get a phone call from a snooty female demanding payment up front. When I told her that was not possible she said "We don't operate like that" The fact that we were motorcyclists rather than horse racing punters may have had something to do with her attitude.
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I was a guest at moterhome55's wedding, congratulations again! the wedding was beautiful and it was the first time I have been to an all day event and not been hungry!! The Golden Boar served the finest hot buffet ever! Everything was home made and delicious, and the welcome we all had was 2nd to none. Amazing old building and a beautiful setting, Very child friendly. Obviously the place is under new management and hopefully the new owners will rise above the previous negative reviews, check the date folks. Thanks to all the staff at the Golden Boar. Its an absolute must for good food and a good night, with good rooms should you need them.
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Well what can I say, we have just had our wedding reception there and we had an excellent time, they took the stress out of everything , food was of exceptional quality and everybody commented on it! I would highly recommend this pub for anyone looking to hold their weddind reception there, the owners made us feel very special and they are lovely accomodating people, nothing was to much bother, very professional, putting the wedding reception to one side the pub has a lovely feel about it and we have eaten their in the restaurant which was also lovely, please just try the roast potatoes they are delicious! Thanks again guys
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Myself, my partner and our 14 year old daughter stayed here at the weekend and i feel compelled to write a review (not something i often do). After deciding we needed a well earned weekend away from the big smoke i booked a meal and 1 night on recommendation from a friend who has stayed here a couple of times for Newmarket racing weekends away.
On arrival we fell in love with the pub straight away. There are parts of it that are around 500 years old! It was busy with locals enjoying a few drinks and a chat with the landlord and his wife but it didn't feel at all intimidating, not even to us stressed out Londoners. In fact it felt homely and welcoming, we started to relax and unwind instantly. After a lovely glass of dry white at the bar ( wish i'd got the name of it) we were shown to our table in the conservatory restaurant.
High ceilings, wooden beams and white table linen give the place a light airy feel. Head waiter Luke is friendly, knowledgeable and efficient, explaining each dish with enthusiasm.
I opted for the roast duck breast with chorizo sausage and grilled fennel which i must say was a beautiful combination of flavours i hadn't tried before but enjoyed immensely. My partner had the roast sirloin with bone marrow crust and after tasting the perfectly cooked, tender steak with its unusual crust we wondered why we'd never experienced such a flavoursome partnering before? Our fussy teenager chose the same and declared that she could eat the same for dinner every day, especially the creamy, delicate garlic mash!
The freshly made desserts are to die for, we had the vanilla brulee and the english toffee pudding and ice cream. The brulee is thick and creamy while the gooey sweetness of the homemade jam compliments it perfectly. The pudding is moist and not too rich with sauce that makes you want to lick your plate clean!
And so to bed! Whilst enjoying this delicious feast our bags were taken to our rooms which we found to be spacious and very clean. They were nicely decorated and in keeping with the homely feel we'd noticed earlier that evening. The beds are very comfortable and the linen fresh.
Breakfast ( all local produce), in the morning was eaten in the sunshine in the garden which overlooks a stunning pink cottage complete with thatched roof............bliss.
All in all we had a lovely time at the Golden Boar Inn and cant wait to go back. In fact im in the process of organising a night for all our friends to sample the whole roast suckling pig for 14 people. With food and hospitality this good im sure it'll be a night to remember. Keep up the good work Golden Boar!!
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I was recently recommend to the Boar by a friend so decided to pay a visit for my birthady and was not disappointed. We had a fantastic meal, a thoroughly good time and will definately return soon.
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Regularly lunch at the Golden Boar with friends and absolutley love the place. Decided to write as I totally disagree with the previous review - think the food is wonderful particularly the fish and chips! Maybe "TRKs" wife was in a bad mood because he had treated her to bangers and mash on their 25th wedding anniversary - good husband, he must really love her! Enough said.
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MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL OF THE REVIEWS.
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We booked a table for our 25th anniversary. The bread was very good, but the food was NOTHING like it was the last time we'd been there, which was well over a year ago. I just shove food in my mouth, but my wife's bangers and mash were not up to scratch, to say the least. The bangers were not cooked properly, the mashed potatoes had hard, uncooked bits in them, and our veggies had been cooked MUCH earlier and microwaved before they were brought to us and they were burnt. The bangers and mash and veggies had been replaced, but with very little improvement. After the "owner" came over to see what the problem was, he admitted that the veggies had been prepared earlier and microwaved, then said that was how they have always been done. He then stated that his chef was going to London for a competition. I asked if the chef was going to serve fresh veggies or if they were going to be microwaved. He said they'd be done fresh. I replied "Then why aren't they done fresh here in your pub?". Would NEVER eat there again as the "owner" had very bad manners, couldn't even look at my wife at first while she was speaking to him. Enough said.
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I have been a regular at The Golden Boar Inn for the past 8 months after moving nearby. The food is exceptional and seems to be ever-improving!!! The staff are always courteous and helpful. I took my family out for a meal on Easter Sunday after raving about it to all of them for such a long time. And after reading the review by "snewton" I'm shocked by the inaccuracy and unfair comments that were made. The Golden Boar's reputation is fantastic both with locals and food lovers! The new owners have done a great job of re-inventing this place in such a short space of time.I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates real food!
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Excellent food and great beer. A real treasure.
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Stayed here for the last two nights. The accommodation was lovely and the food including breakfast was superb. Great pub in a beatiful village.
anonymous - 27 Mar 2008 21:46 |
Visited here for a 40th birthday and had a wonderful time. Food was fantastic and the staff friendly and very helpful. Thank You we will be back!
anonymous - 27 Mar 2008 21:32 |
After booking the Golden Bore for Easter lunch to have with my family we were asked to leave the premises after my 10 month old daughter was dropping too much bread on the floor as it was a ' Health and safety' hazard.
The nasty- sorry- evil owner made it clear from the start when we arrived with children in tow that we were not welcome, even though when i booked i stated there was a toddler a 10 month old and a newborn.
The children were all as good as gold, i had my kind and inoffensive parents there along with husband , brother etc. We were all smartly dressed and were our usual polite selves, so what was the owners problem??
The waiting staff were unfriendly and unsure of themselves and certainly had no idea how to serve a table although i did get the feeling that they were terrified of owner. Finally when our food arrived we discovered it was processed lamb ( you know the lamb equivalent of turkey roll ) Yukkk! The owner turned very nasty and asked us to leave saying that booking a table for eight people had taken over his restaurant and with our children we were customers he'd rather not have. My poor brother had his meal snatched from him, and as for my poor old mum, well, what can i say.
Basically i have never had an experience like this in my 36yrs. Now i'm home i can laugh, but he totally ruined our Easter. He even had the cheek to escort us out of the car park like we were a bunch of Chavs that might key a few cars on our way out. In essence, don't go, save your money for somewhere the food is edible and the staff can crack a smile.
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4 of us visited here on Saturday evening (26th Jan).
First impressions were very good. The layout was well lit and spacious. The young barman was friendly and helpful and the drinks were reasonably priced too. They do 2 menus (a lunchtime bar menu and in the evenings a more expensive select menu). You cannot chose from both. The evening menu averaged about �17 for main meal which we all felt was slightly over priced though the food was very good. The problems started here. The service was slow with no dedicated waitress so you were never sure who was dealing with you. The staff seemed pleasant enough but we not very attentive or particularly 'smiley'. They did not wear any discernable uniform so at times it was hard to tell if they worked there or were customers. The table we sat at was small for 4 and wobbly and had the appearance of a 2nd hand kitchen table (the rest were similar). The cutlery had seen better days and was faded and marked and the place mats looked cheap and were all chipped in one place or another. The over all impression just did not go with the fact you were eating an expensive meal rather than a pub lunch. The chairs were very comfortable though and the toilet facilities were very good. Over all we felt that this was a pub trying to be more than it was ready to be. The attention to detail and customer service need some careful improvement so you could feel more valued and the experience reflected the cost of your time and meal there. At the moment this pub is really still a 'pub grub' venue with aspirations to be something more up market. We cannot comment on accommodation but if its anything like the pub building then they will be very nice. The place has potential but just needs someone with an eye to take the 'posh nosh' experience to match the food quality. Oh we did look out for the 'miserable owner'. think we spotted them.
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Miserable owner with bad attitude. Food was awful & wouldnt stay there again.
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Older bartender was very friendly. Food just wasn't that good. Won't be back
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Best pub meal to date. They have a wide selection of food and a good selection of real ales. Always busy so I would recommend making a reservation.
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I really am 'torn' when it has come to submitting a review for this establishment.
One side of me wishes to publicise it widely; the other to keep it quiet to prevent an influx of 'Cockerney' scrap metal dealers and used car salesmen accompanied by their "Tango'd" wives, dripping gold and un-ruly despotic offspring demanding 'chips', 'burgers' & 'beans'. That would be disasterous for all concerned; the charming regular and loyal clientele and people who happily, 'discover' the pub during meanderings about Suffolk.
However, here we go.
I have a poor reputation amongst my colleagues when it comes to booking places to stay; I am told that I err on the side of 'seedy', so it was with some trepidation I fixed on something of an 'unknown'.
It has to be said that it has been one of the happiest discoveries of the last few years.
The pub is, in a word, beautifully appointed and a cred to Kate & her staff.
The accomodation is palatial with many small touches that make things feel very homely.
The beer on offer, Wherry, Pride, Landlord are carefully kept and dispensed with panache by attentiveand friendly bar staff.
We ate dinner their on both nights of our stay.
We were totally amazed at the menu and the diverse range of dishes on offer.
The food would put the large majority of 'Grand Hotels'totally in the shade. their pate is to die for. Their Slow Roasted Loin of Pork with Prunes and Roasted New Potatoes & Parsnips.....words fail me. It was so good I had it on both nights!
Pub games, such as dominoes are freely available and helped us to round off a perfect stay - a game of "3's & 5's".
I'm not given to hyperbole but they fully deserve the ultimate mark which I cheerfully award them!
We hope to be back soon. Thank you so much.
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Pub with good selection of traditional beers
Good resturant facilities
Good accomodation
Brian MArkham - 25 Jan 2005 23:13 |
