BITE user comments - pbmpbm
Comments by pbmpbm
This is a very nice little pub, about half a mile from the centre of Twyford - a pleasant walk. It does a variety of beers and wines and the prices are reasonable.
It is particularly good for food with a thoughtful menu. My girlfriend and I went there for lunch last week and were really impressed.
A major draw of this pub is the pretty beer garden that has ducks and geese wandering around. I can see that this would be very popular with kids. At the end of the garden is an enclusure with more animals in, mostly chickens, I think.
The downsides - if you go at lunch times during the week, you'll find that the offices opposite descend upon the pub and so you'll have to learn to ignore inane office banter and overly loud mobile conversations. An annoyance, rather than a problem. Also, there are no televisions for sport (that's bad in my estimation, myabe not so for others).
Overall though, definitley worth a visit.
20 Mar 2007 13:37
This pub is a little more "gritty" than the others that you'll find in Twyford. There are pool tables, darts and the beer is basic fare with a heavy focus on lagers. If that's your taste, you'll like it but others should avoid as there are better pubs in Twyford such as the Duke and Royal Oak.
That said, the TV is a good size and so it's fine for watching sport. It's also very close to Twyford station.
20 Mar 2007 13:27
The Waggon and Horses, Twyford
This is a nice pub with a very traditional feel to it. It's got some low wooden beams which gives it character and is segmented so you should be able to find a peaceful corner. The ale is good and generally they are all available. There is a good food menu and portions that are generous. It's not the tastiest fare that I have ever had though, ny girlfriend's Lasagne was just a bowl of molten cheese.
The downsides are that the television uses freeview and the reception is not good in this part of the world. Also, the clientele is towards the more mature end of the age spectrum, targetted at the retirement blocks next door. There are signs which tempt you in with OAP specials which may (or may not) work for OAPs but probably tells others that this pub is not targetting them.
One last plus point, is the very pretty beer garden.
20 Mar 2007 13:20
The Duke of Wellington, Twyford
This is one of my favourite pubs because...
1) It does very good beer. There are three cask ales - Brakspear, Brakspear Special and a guest ale. They are reasonably priced (under �3) and so far, they have only been a couple of occasions where I have been in and one had been unavailable. Good choice of lagers and wine too.
2) Great atmosphere. The staff are friendly and so are the clientele. It has a very welcoming and inclusive feel.
3) It is excellent for sports. There are three large widescreen televisions spread throughout the two bars and the landlord is very clever in managing to show all major sports events (football, rugby, cricket). They also show match of the day on a Saturday night, if you request it.
4) Good food. They serve food at lunchtimes from Mon-Sat. It is a basic menu but is priced accordingly. This is sensible because Twyford has great Italian, Thai, Chinese, Greek, Fish and Chips and numerous restaurants.
5) Great staff. Always friendly, nothing is ever too much trouble.
6) Good beer garden. Great in the summer.
Grumbles? It can get smoky in there and sometimes it can get busy at random times, i.e. not just Fri and Sat nights.
20 Mar 2007 13:04
At the time of writing, this pub is shut. I am not sure whether it is having a refurbishment or whether it will re-open as something else. I suspect the latter, as most pubs in the area are packed out throughout the week whereas this stays quiet. As other reviews allude, it's a pretty grim pub in an area where quite nice pubs/chains prosper.
20 Mar 2007 12:54
I visited the Settle Inn on Sunday 24th September and was not impressed. My girlfriend and I sat down at a table and were reviewing the menu when a member of the staff approached us and advised us that the table "had just been reserved". I told her it certainly had, we'd been sat there for five minutes! (There was no sign to indicate that it had been reserved when we sat down). However we were told that we'd have to find another table. I pushed the point that it was pretty poor to move people for no other reason than the pub wanted someone else (who wasn't even present)to sit there. However, she seemed not to understand/care. We left. The fact that I feel the need to add that we are "not tramps" or messily dressed should give an indication of how we felt we'd been treated. Enjoyable Sunday lunch? I think not!
The pub's decor is very nice but I have since found other people who have been treated pretty poorly there too, so I'd recommend any of the pubs nearby or better still, head over the river or to Lavender Hill/Northcote Road.
27 Sep 2006 16:18
This is a very pretty old pub with a great history. It's got wooden beams and open fires which make it good in the winter. Plus, it's got a large triangular beer garden out the front, which makes it great in summer. There is a good selection of wine and beers. I liked the beers particularly as some of them weren't "pulled", but were taken straight from the keg behind the bar.
My major gripe with the pub is in line with the other reviewers here. The food is expensive for what it is. For some years the pub has tried to re-brand itself as a more upmarket establishment, the prices go up and things like wood pigeon appear on the menu. Then the pub goes a bit quiet and a more conservative menu comes back, which means that it gets busier and then it re-brands. So the loop continues. It seems to have found a more manageable menu now but it's still a lot more expensive than similar pubs near by for very similar quality of food. There are some great places in Windsor and Bray that cost about the same, for much better food.
So, overall, I'd say pub, beer, wine, atmosphere and location all get full marks. Just beware of the food unless you've recently been paid your bonus!
15 Apr 2006 17:30
The Cricketers has got a great location, set about 100 yards off a relatively busy road - meaning that it's easy to get to but still quiet when you're sat outside. It's got a good range of beers and wines too. However, the pub does not know what it is trying to be. Over the last few years it's had many makeovers to try to turn it in to something it's not. They have extended the bar area, re-done the restaurant and now the bar area is extended in to an area that was the restaurant. It's menu is pretty limited and on the whole, uninspiring. The quality of food can be quite mixed too. There appears to be some work being done at the time of writing to develop the kitchen, so more development work (although this did not disrupt the pub).
On the plus side, there's a big beer garden and kids play area. This is great in summer on hot days - but inevitably can get busy. There's also a lot of ground next to the car park that's well deployed as a fireworks area each November.
So overall, if you want a nice pub in the summer with a great beer garden or a good place to go to see fireworks, then I'd recommend it. Otherwise, approach with caution.
15 Apr 2006 17:14
Very good pub in a quiet location that's not too far from Bracknell. The layout is quite cavernous so even when it's busy you don't get tend to get overcrowded with people standing around you. It's got quite a traditional feel to it with some open fires -particularly nice in the winter.
Beer-wise - there are two (sometimes three) ales that are always well kept, plus the usual lagers and a good selection of wines. There's a good menu that changes regularly too. Always good meat-fish-veggie options.
Minor gripes - some of the antipodean staff are excellent, some not so. Also, some of the food dishes can be quite expensive for what they are (side portion of chips is �2.75), so choose wisely.
Overall, a really good pub though.
15 Apr 2006 17:02
The White Hart, Wargrave
I visited this pub about a week and a half ago but it wasn't something that I'd do again. The decor is very nice and it is certainly trying hard to position itself as a gastro pub. The left side as you walk in was showing the football and the right is the dining area, so there was a nice balance.
However, the experience was not good though because the food was awful. I paid �8.50 for a Penne Arrabiata and when it came out it was Penne with some "doritos dip" style tomato sauce on top. There was just no imagination, flavours, herbs, spices or anything to it. When the manager asked if we had enjoyed the meal as we paid, I said no. When I explained why, he sniffed that he would tell the chef who would be "upset". No offers to make amends, or even an apology.
There are lots of good pubs that do food in Wargrave (and Henley and Twyford). There are also lots of great restaurants. As such, I would strongly recommend that you avoid this one.
20 Mar 2007 13:58