Wavendon Arms, Wavendonback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Gastro to the point of being greeted with a stand handing out menus in the entrance way. Posh interior, large posh/formal dining room, bar area with high stools and sofas but at £4.80 a pint, its not aimed at the drinkers.
Doom bar and TT Landlord on. I asked for the Landlord. The waitress said "I'm just a waitress". I asked again and she said "Do you want me to fetch the Landlord".
I resorted to pointing.
£4.80, but of course, you are paying for the service.
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Good pub, albeit very pricey.
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As other reviewers have said, this is now called The Wavendon Arms. Whilst this is no doubt a traditional old village pub, it�s clearly had a makeover at some point, possibly quite recently, and now has a very contemporary feel to it. They�ve actually done it quite well though, and retained one or two original features. Whether or not it�s an improvement on what it was like before I couldn�t say, but as modern pub interiors go, I thought it was pretty good.
The drinking area is at the front of the pub, and this has dark brown paintwork on the walls which can sometimes make places feel a little gloomy, but that doesn�t seem to be the case here. Perhaps the judicious placement of hanging spotlights, or the colourful old artwork on the walls made from old spirits adverts brightened it up. Flooring was a mixture of straw matting, wood strip, and some attractive granite type tiling. The wall behind the bar was made up entirely of small pieces of pale grey slate, as was the front of the bar counter. A couple of illuminated shelves behind the bar highlighted the range of spirits on offer.
A dual aspect fireplace made from some type of natural stone housed a metal rack containing a pile of logs, although I suspect these may have been more decorative than functional. A couple of large baskets housed further piles of logs. Indeed, wood seems to be a central theme here, and there were beams on the ceiling that appeared to made of old driftwood, and well as a sofa made out of something similar. The cushions on here were made from old sacks of coffee beans. Seating in the bar was small tables with soft leather armchairs, and whilst these were comfy for drinking, they were a little low and laid back if you wanted to eat in the bar as opposed to the restaurant.
The restaurant area itself was at the rear of the pub, and this had a similar open, contemporary feel with lampshades apparently fashioned from bits of old twig, and a large wooden free-hanging chimney in the centre. One or two brick pillars remained, although these had been whitewashed. The food menu was extensive and consisted of various sections such as pizza�s, fish, �leaves� (salads), pasta and regular. Prices are difficult to pigeon hole as they varied considerably depending on what you chose, but I supposed averaged somewhere around the �12 - �15 mark, but with some dishes such as the lobster being considerably more at �24.95. That said, my Chorizo and Tiger Prawn Linguine was a decent and very tasty dish, and good value at �8.95 for the smaller portion, even though it could perhaps have done with a little more prawn and chorizo and a little less linguine.
Beers on tap were a little limited with just Doom Bar and Ubu Purity. Cider�s were both from Aspall�s with their Suffolk and Harrow Sparrow. Staff were pleasant and helpful, although as is often the case in such establishments they spent rather too long making coffee for diners in the restaurant which could lead to some delays at the bar. This is a tricky one to mark � I actually quite liked it, it had decent food and the staff were friendly. But it�s not really that pubby, and beer choice was limited, so it really depends on what you�re after.
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Nice pub with good decor. Mainly a food orientated pub I think. We ate off the early evening set menu (2 courses for �12.50). Food pretty good but nothing too memorable.
A couple of real ales were on. Nice pub to visit on a sunny day as a lot of outside seating available. Number 3 bus stops outside
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The Wavendon Arms... Amazing real cider, great ale, great service, food wonderful ,lovely environment. Can't ask for anything more. Just wonderful
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Different owners than the Swan in Salford, same owners as the Swan in Woburn Sands!
Nice draught selection, over priced food and a total lack of atmosphire.
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This has now been refurbed and is called the Wavendon Arms. I think it is owned by the same people as the Swan at Salford.
Nice refurb, friendly bar staff plus they have Edelweiss on tap. Food is of a good standard for the price but the service is extremely slow and they only serve Sunday dinner til about 6/7pm.
Always busy which is always a good sign and no hoodies/chavs/neds in sight!
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Sign now fixed!
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Excellent rant below.
Can confirm that letters on outside still say "Leathern Otte".
Looked more appealing than it was. RHS very rough, LHS not as rough but nothing special. Bombardier good though.
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May I just point out that the reason for my rant below was that the pub's name had been spelled "Bottle"?
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Based on extensive research involving looking out of the window of the number 10 bus on its circuitous journeys between Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard, I do assert that the second word of the pub's name is actually "Bottel". I note that there's a similarly-named (and just as quaintly-spelled) establishment in Wokingham, Berkshire. Now, this, of course, changes everything. Don't you find that, even without visiting the place, the ale seems somehow hoppier and the sausages have that bit more of a bang to them? BTW, one assumes that "bottel" is an archaic spelling and not a typographical error at the brewery's inn-sign studio.
Spellings like these, whether intentional or accidental, help make pub-life somehow more interesting and authentic. On this very page we have the "Cask Marque" -- not "Mark", mind you. It'd be even more daring and exotic if it were "Casque Marque".
The proposed licensed victuallers' regulator, OfPub, may well institute a committee to supervise the controlled and plausible implementation of quaint spellings. The relevant White Paper mentions how pubs employing antique nomenclature might need to have been in existence for at least 18 months. It would not be acceptable, for example, to erect a nautically-themed vodka- and sushi-bar made out of reinforced concrete and plate-glass underneath Heron Quays Docklands Light Railway station and then, from the first day of trading, start calling it "Ye Olde Jolly Jack Tar's Merrye Seafarynge Tavern", even if all the staff were required to wear stripy jumpers, peg-legs and eyepatches.
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It's ok, but no more. A good place have a beer before going on to the Stables.
I was told it was a gay bar! Couldn't tell, but who cares anyway?
Allan - 25 Aug 2004 11:54 |
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