The Golden Boar Inn, Freckenham

4 of us visited here on Saturday evening (26th Jan).
First impressions were very good. The layout was well lit and spacious. The young barman was friendly and helpful and the drinks were reasonably priced too. They do 2 menus (a lunchtime bar menu and in the evenings a more expensive select menu). You cannot chose from both. The evening menu averaged about �17 for main meal which we all felt was slightly over priced though the food was very good. The problems started here. The service was slow with no dedicated waitress so you were never sure who was dealing with you. The staff seemed pleasant enough but we not very attentive or particularly 'smiley'. They did not wear any discernable uniform so at times it was hard to tell if they worked there or were customers. The table we sat at was small for 4 and wobbly and had the appearance of a 2nd hand kitchen table (the rest were similar). The cutlery had seen better days and was faded and marked and the place mats looked cheap and were all chipped in one place or another. The over all impression just did not go with the fact you were eating an expensive meal rather than a pub lunch. The chairs were very comfortable though and the toilet facilities were very good. Over all we felt that this was a pub trying to be more than it was ready to be. The attention to detail and customer service need some careful improvement so you could feel more valued and the experience reflected the cost of your time and meal there. At the moment this pub is really still a 'pub grub' venue with aspirations to be something more up market. We cannot comment on accommodation but if its anything like the pub building then they will be very nice. The place has potential but just needs someone with an eye to take the 'posh nosh' experience to match the food quality. Oh we did look out for the 'miserable owner'. think we spotted them.

28 Jan 2008 14:59