BITE user comments - wes_mantooth
Comments by wes_mantooth
OK pub, aimed squarely at the student crowd, and perfectly good at what it aims to do. Shame the side pub (the "Duck @ the Dog"), which attracted a slightly older (ie 20s!) crowd, closed and after a brief period as a cider-only bar, is now nothing more than another room.
23 Aug 2010 20:28
The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping
Was really looking forward to a Sunday lunch in this pub - if it's good enough for Sinatra and Princess Margaret, I thought I was in for a treat! The decor didn't disappoint - a great downstairs terrace, wonderful upstairs rooms and a further roof garden, and really interesting curios and pictures.
However, the food was a bog standard plate of reheated grease, with both the Yorkshire Pudding and the Roast Potatoes carrying a strong suspicion of being from a packet. The drinks were VERY expensive, and the Duty Manager moped around with a face like disinterested thunder, and a trip hazard of a rucked-up rug in the dining room was pointed out to the staff at least once every 5 minutes (after more than a dozen people fell over) but never rectified.
Needs new management, new staff and it will be pretty good.
23 Aug 2010 20:08
I can't quite put my finger on what is wrong with this pub - maybe nothing at all. It is clean, pleasant and well-stocked, with decent beer selection and friendly efficient bar staff. It's just a bit ... dead. I would say that if the interior decor was less black-paint-chic, it might attract more people, and get a better atmosphere. Overall though, a perfectly pleasant boozer.
6 Apr 2010 19:47
Gordon's Wine Bar, Charing Cross
Fantastic place, a real find with good atmosphere, great wine and passable food (the food serving area all looks very clean to me!) - if you can get a place in the smoky arches, it's a great location for both a date and/or a all day session. 9.5/10 (half a point deducted for not having enough seats!)
6 Apr 2010 19:43
Popped in recently for a pint when in London, and was disappointed that the former quirky local has been tourist-ified more than what should be necessary. It is always a shame to see a quiz machine, laminated menus and fake chalked noticeboards teleported into an old fashioned boozer, when you can get all those things in any Wetherspoons, and this really lets down what could easily be a charming pub with no other obvious faults.
Equally, the knowledgeable bar staff are now all clueless youngsters (which would be OK if they knew anything about the beer they were serving, which they don't) with limited command of the English language. When my first pint of Doom Bar was clearly off, the barman admitted he had only just put the barrel on and did not "pipe flush long time". It was like a bad cliche in a 70s sitcom.
Nicholsons should remember why it is people go to their 7 historic "gems" in London rather than a Slug and Lettuce, and have a god look at this pub. A real missed opportunity.
6 Apr 2010 19:40
Revisited this gem of a pub on an Easter evening and was slightly disappointed. Still a great surroundings for an intimate evening, with good-looking food, nice beer selection and a beautiful setting. However, the barman was surly to the point of rudeness (when asked for 2 Bloody Marys (a house speciality) he loudly said to his colleague "2 bloody marys for these idiots") and the prices have gone through the roof. All in all, worth a visit, but the bar staff need some lessons in basic courtesy.
6 Apr 2010 19:28
A real gem of a pub, with one of the best beer gardens in Portsmouth. Public bar more "spit and sawdust" than the more comfortable Lounge Bar, but equally welcoming and great atmosphere. Never hugely busy, but equally, rarely super quiet. Summer BBQs in the garden a particular pleasure. Very highly recommended.
26 Jan 2010 08:28
Used to be "the" place to go on Albert Road, owned by the marvellously sociable (if slightly one-trick pony) Mike. However, the pub became a victim of its own success, and after being sold to Fullers, couldn't really compete with the 4 or 5 almost identical establishments that sprung up within 100yds (most of which are owned by ... Mike!). However, notwithstanding the competition, it is still a bit of a "destination" establishment, and many people have considerable affection for somewhere they have always gone to in order to meet friends, or start a big night out.
The main problem with the Vaults is that they haven't redecorated the main part of the bar since taking over (although the toilets are now very plush, ironically!). As such, the walls are still the same bare plywood, the floors are the same (now very sticky) wooden boards, and the seats and tables are the same battered pews and wonky tables. This was charming in the mid 90s, when every other pub in Albert Rd was either a violent football bar or a tiny locals-only boozer, but nowadays it just isn't good enough. Compounding the problem is the smoking ban - with years worth of food, drink and vomit soaked into the wooden floor/furniture/walls, the place simply stinks (and the charming-but-useless teenage bar staff don't seem to know how to clean it).
The Wine Vaults is still an alright pub, but it rests on its laurels and relies on the habits of regulars rather than trying to right its faults - with only a small investment it could be a spectacularly good one. What it needs is a damn good clean, more comfortable seating (leather sofas, a few upholstered seats) and better training for the children behind the bar. For a barman to have to ask the ingredients in a "gin and tonic" is just ridiculous. My rating - 6/10.
26 Jan 2010 08:06
Worst pub in Southsea - a hellhole of horrible people, ignorant and rude staff, and filthy drinks in an otherwise decent area. A little corner of Guildhall Walk in Albert Road - AVOID AVOID AVOID.
25 Jan 2010 17:26
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The Phoenix, Southsea
Lovely local pub with a fantastic pub garden and some friendly dogs. Some of the locals can be a bit "off" if they don't recognise you when you walk in, but the staff seem perfectly nice and the beer is good. Fully recommended if you fancy venturing 2 minutes off the Albert Road...
23 Aug 2010 21:38