The Longbridge Mill, Hook

Excellent Location... BUT...

A great place beside the River Loddon between Basingstoke and Reading should give this place some cachet. Unfortunately it does not have that little something which makes these old watermills wonderful. It doesn't have the staff interest in their customers.
We, a party of two couples, made a 'Let's go somewhere tonight..' decision last Saturday, 16th January 2010. The first Saturday evening after the weeks of snow should have been difficult to get a place to eat... however when we arrived, the car park was very sparsely occupied. I suppose this should have warned us but it didn't click.. Plenty of room, but we chose a table in the lower area underneath the mezzanine. We were well met and seated by our waitress, a charming young lady, looked after without fault to begin with.
The menu was not wonderful, but it could have been worse. There were very few choices in the meat department but we looked to the 'Specials' board for something better... Hmmmm. Ok. We live in a cosmopolitan world, but a board full of spiced and curried oddities is not what we expected. However, we all found something we liked.
Service was quite quick. No waiting for courses but again, with only a few tables occupied, so it should be.
Problems really began after the starter. For no apparent reason, staff decided that it would be nice to start moving the furniture on the mezzanine right above us. Incredible 'Graunching' and thumping from above which just went on and on and on. When the main course arrived I did ask the girl if the furniture removal was entirely necessary since we were trying to eat beneath it. No apology and just a sicklu grin was received but off she went to see the lumberjack on the next floor. Silence desended for a very brief time but, soon after she came back downstairs, we were off again. This time directly above us. Dust particles glinted merrily in the light from our one spotlight.... Amidst coughs and splutters we again asked why... Not even a response this time. We appeared to be just another nuisance on a difficult evening.
Will we go back?? Not a chance.

25 Jan 2010 13:48