BITE user comments - alelover100
Comments by alelover100
A cavernous restaurant with excellent, stylish, chef-prepared food at an affordable price. Yet a large front bar and front outside terrace where they give equal priority to supplying an excellent glass of ale (Doom Bar, Twickenham, Pride) without any pressure to eat. Real test was coming pre-match for Rugby at Twickenham when they were 100% full and under tight time pressure - they delivered excellent food from a shortened menu, spot-on ale, all with a smile and arranging a cab to the match was all part of the service. A quality pub with a large restaurant attached still well-grounded enough to still be a local to meet friends for a (excellent) pint. Congratulations!
14 Nov 2015 19:44
Greatly improved since bought by Fullers. Was a 'drinking barn', and still big, but interior now cleverly sub-divided into differentiated areas - cosy settees, open fire in winter, great views from 'eating' area, newspapers, sensible range of ales with good balance between regular well-kept Fuller's brands and a guest ale or two. Friendly and obliging staff who still manage - just - when the huge garden can be almost overwhelmed in summer with perhaps a shade too-liberal attitude to children
14 Nov 2015 19:31
The Tide End Cottage, Teddington
Recently re-vamped by Green King as their idea of a gastropub - it fails on all counts. A huge 'eating area' that owes more to Berni-Inns 1980 than anything more recent. Their 'cheap' 2-for-1 meals that appear to come from the freezer and microwave. Money wasted on some trendy, uncomfortable furniture with manager strictly enforcing 'policy' that customers must not sit at any bar - perhaps why it can be empty mid-evening onwards. 'Average' real ales never achieve excellence, and rarely a full measure with a never-ending rotation chosen blindly by the lager-drinking manager. An empty fireplace that's never seen a fire. Pub just about makes OK in summer when you can sit outside; zero interior character or cosiness for a winter's pint. There are many better pubs within a 5 minute walk; all understand what customer service is really about - Anglers, Clock House, or the King's Head that does excellent gastro food without need to call it 'gastro'.
Shame it was, and could be again, a friendly, cosy local pub. Unlikely under current manager and until Head Office realise missed opportunity of their revamp.
14 Nov 2015 19:05
The Builders Arms, Teddington
Yep - a good old fashioned local of the kind that's disappeared across so many old blue-collar areas. Slightly tatty, not making a fortune but very friendly, back-street boozer. 3 real ales - Youngs, Pride and Doombar - 20p less than the high road pubs and sometimes variable quality (throughput?) but anything below par always changed without query. Lovely log fire in winter (when they have the logs!) - not a food pub but will lay on a buffet on request. And the free roast spuds come round at half time when there's a match on. Try a visit.
14 Nov 2015 20:00