BITE user comments - Lt_George
Comments by Lt_George
An utterly dismal experience, particularly when one considers the publicised re-fit that the pub had in May 2010, and the equally reknowned history of woeful service and below-par food and beer. Lunchtime today (a sunny Friday, with the pub heaving) saw one trainee behind the bar and one waitress trying to cope with over 40 covers. Sandwiches for 6 people took nearly an hour to arrive, and an additional bowl of chips (not a big ask) took an additional 20 minutes. One of those sandwiches was thrown over one of our party, and the replacement took 20 minutes to arrive. The food presented bore very little relation to the description on the menu.
There are many, much better pubs in the Chelmsford/Writtle area.
21 May 2010 22:11
It is worth going out of your way to visit The Compasses. It is a very welcoming pub, offering just the right amount of old-school charm, without being kitsch or trying too hard. The beer is outstanding, and the indomitable huffers served are quite a sight, particularly after a long traipse around the surrounding footpaths (the pub's grub is all produced with very local meat and veg). It is dog-, child- and bicycle-friendly, with plenty of parking and a large garden.
I heartily recommend the place.
27 May 2009 09:03
A dismal experience: poor food, poorer service and downright awful beer. It is clearly a struggling business, with the pavement outside the pub littered with signs advertising takeaway fish and chips, jazz nites and other incentives. Don't bother - there are much better pubs to visit in the area.
27 May 2009 08:53
A very quiet, red brick pub tucked away off the A143. A mixture of oak pannels and armchairs tradition (very welcoming) and a naff modern area of the pub with pool tables. Well kept Adnams and Woodforde's Wherry on tap. The Black Swan boasts a seriously attractive blond girl pulling the pints. The pub was quiet at lunchtime with a few local farmers and land agents talking shop. Worth a second visit.
6 Jan 2007 17:57
Disregard the comment I posted below, from December 2005. The Crown has been taken over by new management within the last 8 weeks. With hideous results. Everything that worked seamlessly under Barry's reign has been trashed. The food is now supremely awful, both in terms of ingredients and preparation (who wants 'jus' on a pub grub menu??). The Adnams patronage has been pushed aside, in favour of a move towards a gastropub. The genial bar-staff have all been replaced. And mysteriously, the prices have all risen.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it?
11 Dec 2006 19:12
I am really disappointed, having just visited this pub. A board outside proclaims proudly that is has been voted "Suffolk Dining Pub of the Year 2006".
Whilst the pint of Broadside was superb, the landlord was surly, and pretty unwelcoming. The lunch menu didn't even extend to a blackboard of substantial meals, as written below. Just a "Menu Rapide", with the ubiquitous Thai green curry/rib-eye steak/potted shrimp array of choices. Nothing even remotely tempting.
I'd probably head back to check out the evening menu, however with the ever-impressive Crown just up the road at Great Glemham, why tolerate the rude landlord in Snape?
31 Aug 2006 13:48
We stopped off there on the way to Whipsnade Zoo on a lovely summer's day for lunch. A good decision.
The food (pigeon stroganoff and a great sirloin steak) was marvellous, well presented and definitely worth a return visit to sample. Although I didn't try it, the pub had a huge variety of fresh (shell)fish on the menu that looked worth investigating. The puddings were sublime. The beer (Green King IPA and Courage Directors on tap), lager and wine was good. The staff were amiable, helpful and highly professional. The setting is great: overlooking rolling fields.
I'm certainly going again.
15 Jul 2006 21:06
Great, lives up to the Good Pub Guide review. Excellent beer and grub. Good location, friendly and efficient staff. Generally very welcoming and worth a return visit.
1 Jul 2006 15:28
James, you're doing a cracking job so far - The Enterprise is used by my firm as its watering hole, and slowly you're luring back the drinkers who headed to the Old Nick.
The whole atmosphere of the pub seems so much brighter after the previous cretins behing the bar departed. The service now is far more cheery and efficient, and devoid of extremist rantings from previous, oh-so pleasant barman. The Adnams is great, and I now look forward to heading to the Starship after work.
A lick of paint and some better lighting would be great though, if you're making any headway in your battle to improve the feel of the pub.
30 Dec 2005 19:12
The Duke of Cambridge, Battersea
This is geographically my local, and I rarely venture near it after dark because of the fact that it attracts trendy young things from Clapham. If you are after a good day-time pint of Youngs and a chance to read the papers in front of a roaring fire, installed on a plush sofa, there is no better place to be. The service is pretty dismal, and the bar staff seem oddly chippy and surly. Have yet to try their gastronomic offerings.......
30 Dec 2005 19:05
An absolutely superb pub - a genuine pleasure to visit. Barry Coote, the landlord, is a good egg. He's astonishingly efficient, friendly and welcoming. The pub does a roaring trade, and the Sunday roasts make even my mother's efforts look like the contents of an Army ration pack. I've never had a duff meal there, and the Adnams is just exquisite. The pub garden is very tranquil, and the setting of the whole pub is superb. There's a lot of good walks in the surrounding farmland.
Book in advance if you plan to visit for lunch on a Sunday. The Crown is also closed all day every Monday, much to my continued chagrin.
5 Dec 2005 20:49
The Buckinghamshire Arms, Blickling
Sublime location, overlooking Blickling Hall and its sumptuous grounds. Huge variety of walks nearby, as well as the usual National Trust experience (good fishing lake, amazing gardens). Lots of craft fairs and open-air concerts in the grounds.
The Buck Arms is definitely worth a visit. Small variety of well kept beers, notably Adnams and Woodfordes. Food is inconsistent, but can often prove good. Keen and affable staff. Children-free zones. Spacious lawn with plenty of tables.
30 Aug 2005 16:44
The Hurdlemaker's Arms, Woodham Mortimer
Good village pub. Greene King IPA, Wadworths 6X and at least one other beer on hand pump. Good rural prices. Average service. Wholesome pub grub that's hard to fault.
Spacious garden, with kids's play area. Barbeque area. Adequate parking.
30 Aug 2005 16:36
Good beer, London Pride if my memory serves me right. Didn't try the good, although it had the ubiquitous Mediterranean slant to it. A pub for the beautiful (and idle) people. Swift and efficent service, but with some pretensions - hand me my change, you lunatic, don't pass it to me on a saucer.....
30 Aug 2005 16:31
Seems to change hands fairly regularly. Good, if inconsistent food. Summer barbeques. Dog-friendly place. Huge garden, comfortably away from the tourists enjoying the Mere. Nothing special on the beer front. The food is far better than most places locally (stretching to Aldeburgh), but it's not a beer drinker's pub.
30 Aug 2005 16:21
It's like I died and went to Adnam's heaven..... brilliant place to try the brewery's wares. Good for a mid-week pint, and to munch some decent grub. Interesting array of paraphernalia dotted around the place. Real redeeming feature is that you can potter over the road to enjoy your pint on the sea wall. It's right next to the offshore lifeboat station, which gives you pride of place amongst spectators when the lifeboat is called out.
Weekends are hectic there, and summer holiday weekends means that the place is rammed with boarding school pupils let off the leash.
30 Aug 2005 16:18
Heydon is THE quintessential Ye Olde English Village, so much so that Jeeves and Wooster, Riders and God knows what else have all used it as a location. Simply amazing setting - conservation area, untouched by Mondeo Man. Ring ahead of visiting the Earle Arms, as the opening hours are somewhat bizarre. If you are lucky enough to be there when it's open, it's a charming pub. Not heard great things about the food, but there's a few good beers. it's worth the trip just to bimble over the road to sit on a bench on the village green, in the shadow of the church (which guards the gates to Heydon Hall), and soak up the view.
30 Aug 2005 16:12
The Fur and Feather Inn, Woodbastwick
Agree with the post below - it's a great place, particulary if you're lucky enough to blag a trip around the adjacent Woodforde's brewery. Good wholesome fare, but it's got the typical dining pub decor. Very efficient service, and delicious beers. Indeed, a delightful setting.
30 Aug 2005 16:08
Really good atmosphere, whether one is out with a group of friends, or just enjoying a lunchtime drink. Good stodgy food, very amusing, knowledgeable and efficient staff and a good courtyard overlooking the Maddermarket theatre. Some of the beers are sublime, some (particularly that vile cherry concoction, and the red diesel-esque 13% alcohol brew) are downright dangerous.
30 Aug 2005 16:02
Been twice, both in high summer. The beer remains good, but the new landlord has inflicted his mediterranean gastropub food on the place. The menu wasn't heaving with choice, and and whilst the food wasn't bad, it was somehow inappropirate for what should be a quintessentially English country pub. Wonderful traditional and spacious interior. Helpful, if slightly vague staff. Garden is also very enticing.
30 Aug 2005 14:45
Three Pigs, Edgefield
I thought The Pigs was a superb experience, possibly the best (gastro) pub I have ever visited. It wasn't particularly expensive for the sheer quality of the food on offer and the beer (Adnams, Woodforde's) was kept and present well. The 'Three Pigs' signature dish of pork belly, black pudding and smoky bacon beans sounds simplistic, but proved to be delightful. The thyme-roasted chicken was comparably good.
It is best to visit on a Sunday, to take advantage of the notorious Pudding Club offering (�5.95 for as many portions from the pudding table as you wish, providing you clear your plate). I nearly had to be stretchered out of the place after my fifth plate of queen of puddings on a bed of superlative chocolate brownies. Make sure you pick up one of the Pudding Club t-shirts (sporting the logo 'real men don't eat sorbet!').
19 Jul 2010 13:42