The Ivy House, Tonbridge

Visited for dinner and have to say that the haddock with bubble and squeak was one of the very best meals I've ever had. Yes, the food is pricey, but as with most things these days you get what you pay for. The Harveys I had was also in very good condition and there is a good wine list (indeed there seemed to be a few people who'd just come in to share a bottle of wine and not eat). I'd agree with mrse1 that it's really a restaurant where you can have a drink rather than a pub that does food but all in all I thought this was a great place and the food was clearly better than that of other "gastropubs" in the Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area.

12 Mar 2010 11:05

The Bloomsbury Tavern, Bloomsbury

One of the better pubs in the West End - decent Shepherd Neame beer (Late Red when I visited, plus Spitfire etc.) and my brother happily polished off several pints of Asahi. The upstairs seating is nice and a good place to get away from the hustle and bustle outside. My only small gripe is that the beer is a slightly pricey, even by London standards.

5 Nov 2009 17:34

The George Inn, Newnham

Lovely pub - for my money, one of the very best in Kent. The Shepherd Neame ales are well kept and there is a nice garden to use in the summer. In winter its very cosy with the low beams and fires going. The food is very good and good value for money. All in all a great pub; I wish I could visit it more often.

24 Apr 2009 17:30

The Punch and Judy, Tonbridge

Went in for a few pints after work - good atmosphere and a great pint of Harveys. They had run out of salt & vinegar crisps but they can be forgiven that. In short, a nice little boozer.

21 Apr 2009 14:19

The Chaser, Shipbourne

Went there for a quick pint or two on Monday afternoon -- the Hyde's Jekyll's Gold was very good and there were a couple of other ales on, as well as the obligatory Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale. However, it's clear the place is more of a restaurant than a pub and I'm afraid it seemed to fail quite badly on this front. 'Food served all day' actually means food when they choose serve it -- one old dear approached to order some desert only to be told by the barman that he'd "have to check" if anyone was available to prepare it!! Other diners experienced similar problems -- including one guy who got quite irate as he'd already cracked open a bottle of wine to go with a lunch he was told he couldn't buy as all the chefs were "in a meeting". Given the prices (e.g. �10 for a burger and chips and around �6 for a starter) you can understand why they were annoyed -- the place clearly positions itself as a 'gastropub' but seemed to struggle to deliver even though it was less than half full. The setting is incredibly pretty, the beer was pretty good and it's a very nice old building -- but on yesterday's performance I would avoid it if you are planning to eat there.

21 Apr 2009 13:43