Forester, West Ealingback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
What is it with this area and the need to inflict pre-school children on the drinking public - they've got McDonalds FFS why inflict your brats on the rest of us ? At least they were well behaved here and not running round screeching and knocking things over like the last two establishments.
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Paid a return visit to the Forester last night, after sampling the Owl & The Pussycat, a new micropub nearby that is not yet listed on here. We sat in the middle room of 3 this time. The bar at the front was reserved for a private function, whilst some were taking advantage of the Thai food served in the room at the rear. The ale range was Fullers London Pride & ESB, Gales Seafarers, St Austell Tribute, Black Sheep Holy Grail & Castle Rock Preservation. They have now stopped serving a real cider. Has gone down in my estimation. But there is more competition locally now.
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A big pub with several different bar areas, it's a Fullers pub so decent enough beer on tap, we stayed for a couple of pints and sat outside enjoying the sun, busy on a Saturday afternoon with people watching the FA cup final, prompt and polite service.
Nothing to do with the pub but if you use the benches outside be prepared to see some local "rat boys and girls" hanging around waiting for their "dodgy" friends to drive up so they can get some "gear"....adds a bit of local colour!
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Beer was good, I like the Fullers seasonal ales especially Traitors Gate and Red Fox (quite into my red ales). They had an array of certificates apparently confirming the landlord’s good cellarmanship and there was plenty of space to choose a suitable table. If I were a spy trading atomic secrets with a rouge state, I would chose the Forester as a discreet but spacious boozer to exchange papers and microfilm to their agents. With rooms to hire for the night upstairs, it would also be a suitable location to inspect breifcases full of used banknotes, or spend the night with a honey trap.
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What a lovely place — definitely our find of the year so far! We went yesterday, when there was a very well run beer/cider festival and craft fair, and the atmosphere was great.
In the pub itself, the service is exceptionally friendly and efficient. It’s spacious and comfortable, and there’s a decent choice of food. Perhaps the only downside is that the women’s loos, though clean and well maintained, seem a bit on the inadequate side for such a large place (though I may have missed the fact that there’s more than one).
We live on the other side of London, and we’ll definitely make the journey again. If we lived nearer, we’d be there much more often.
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It's a lovely building, but am also a proper locals pubs with a really lively customer base. Fullers beer range good, and decent quality.
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Have been wanting to try this pub for quite a while now and finally got around to paying it a visit yesterday morning. It's a good traditional boozer with a Fullers tie. Whilst I only visited the front bar, I could see there were further rooms at the rear with separate entrances. Beers on were Fullers Red Fox, London Pride, Seafarers & ESB, Moles Best, whilst Westons Old Rosie cider was also on. There were plenty of staff on, which seemed good at first until one barmaid tried to charge me a second time for a couple of drinks I'd already paid for! Still a pub I'd recommend.
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The Forester pub is one of the nicest pubs in the area, all the staff are really friendly and polite, they provide the best customer care. i often go in there with all my friends for a drink, and we have a great laugh, all the staff are really hard working and the atmosphere of the whole place generally is fantastic. i have only just moved into the loocal area, and people have said this pub used to be really run down and rough and the new owers have refurbished it. its always spotless and very trendy and everybody is always taken into consideration. They have a quiz nyt on a wedensday and it is so funny. the sunday carvery is absolutely brilliant, everything is always cooked to perfection. Everyone should make this pub their local, me and the girls love it!!!
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We held my Fiance's surprise 30th birthday in the function room above the pub last weekend and I have nothing but praise for Dean and all the staff of The Forester.
From the moment I went to see the room and discuss what I wanted I was really pleased. There was no pressure to order food or anyhting we didnt want. They let me decorate the room (which is gorgeous), let me set up a presentation on the LCD TV in the room and basically were just laid back! (in a good way!).
On the night the staff were really helpful and everyone said so. The girls in the room did a great job manning the bar and were helpful when asked to turn off music etc so presentation and speeches.
The pub itself has been done up to a high standard and is really nice. We will be going back for Sunday lunch soon.
All in all, the new people seem to be doing a great job, the place was packed on Saturday night and i'm sure it will be a new haunt for us and our friends.
Great work!!
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This is and always has been a lovely looking big pub, which for some years served nice Thai food at a decent price, and had open fires and some music.
As a local for the last few years this was a pub I'd wander into every now and again. The previous landlord wasn't the friendliest, but once he recognised you he would serve you quickly and even crack a smile. The prices were good enough so it was fine for the occasional pint. So when I heard it had been bought over I knew it wouldn't take much to make it a great pub...
So is it? Well, it has been tidied up, new wallpaper, the toilets have been painted as has a lot of the woodwork, some of the furniture replaced and upholstered. It is now looking as it should, but it really didn't need much, the good stuff was already there. It is busier now and there is a friendlier vibe, though there was little trouble when I walked in, which I'd never seen before, but to their credit they handled it very efficiently.
The prices however have went up significantly - I bought an ale and a soft drink and walked away just short of eight pounds poorer, which I think is ridiculous for a draft lemonade with orange concentrate from a basics range and a standard ale. Also in my handful of visits since the re-openeing I've realised the staff are not the most efficient and a lot of them don't seem to really know their way around a bar, you will wait to get your drink no matter how quiet and there isn't much in the way of character or banter.
In the area it is your best bet, but as there isn't much to choose from that wouldn't be hard. Having worked in a lot of bars when I was younger I would say this bar could still be so much more. For now it has improved, but not as much as its prices would like to have you believe.
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Hallelujah! For years we have been trying this place, hoping that one day it would improve as it seemed such a good location and size. And the old landlord has gone, along with his family and friends playing Wii in the front bar. Now with the new staff ... it's bright, revamped, airy, still has the good Thai and Sunday carvery now too. Big big beer garden (frankly that was one of the only good points from the previous regime). Great range of beers. Met the new landlord and he seemed very friendly and seemed to take us seriously. Overnight this has gone from being one of the area's worst pubs to being one of the best (although now much busier to boot!). Just shows what getting in a better management can do. Well done guys. We've moved our regular Monday night drink from the Plough to the Forester. Praise indeed!
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Tried the Forester on Sunday for the first time in 5 years and was gob smacked
Gone is the grumpy bar staff, and shabby d�cor, and in probably the finest pub in London. The staff was very helpful and couldn�t do enough for us, my wife and 2 children was seated and we had a truly home cooked Sunday lunch. The pub was completely full, and had a fantastic atmosphere. I will be returning for a pint on my way home from work and definitely for Sunday lunch. I have found my new local. Well done to all concerned.
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In short: was poor, now great.
This pub had the same landlord for many years, who seemed to think that customers were just an inconvenience, as you can see from the older reviews.
It has recently been taken over and everything has changed. The new owners have done a bit of restoration, replaced the dirty carpet with a wooden floor, and got some better beer. This, along with the more friendly bar staff, has made all the difference: from being a mostly-empty pub it now seems to be lively every day and was very busy at the weekend.
They have a number of ales, served well (of course the main thing for a pub), which have been different each time I've been in. Perhaps some of the selection has been a bit predictable, but then I'm probably being too picky, and it's early days for the new owners. On this front, it's certainly as good as anything in the area.
They have kept the Thai food, which was the only redeeming feature of the pub when it was in the previous owner's hands.
A good pint in a large, proper London pub with lots of character.
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We�re the new owners of the Forester Pub, Leighton Road. We took over on 31/08/2011 after many months of negotiating with the previous landlord. We are delighted to get one of the most beautiful traditional pubs in London and want to bring the pub back to its former glory, with great service, fantastic Thai food from Sue with a new energy serving the local people of Ealing. Sue�s Thai kitchen will run from Monday to Saturday including take-aways and on Sundays, a traditional Carvery with a selection of five roast joints, with all trimmings.
We aim to be a traditional pub serving 6 real ales along with a fine selection of beers, wines and spirits.
We have kept the pub to its true character which will have the 2 Fires going in those cold winter months.
Thank you all for your kind comments and support to the re launching of the pub on this web forum.
We will keep you posted for the opening night, coming soon.
Looking forward to seeing you all
Kind regards
Sam & Paschal (New Inn and Kings Arms)
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I used to drink in here a bit, and its always been a quiet regulars pub. Joe the Landlord can be a bit brisk and customers service isnt his strong point. However like most "local" pubs once you get known and know the regulars and staff its a good boozer for a quiet couple of pints and a chat....... lively and bustling this isnt.
The Thai Resturant is very hit and miss and last time i ate there i decided that i wouldnt bother again, there wasnt anything hugely wrong with the food, but it wasnt exactly special.
Having said all of the above, word is that Joe is selling the pub and it has been bought by the same owners of the Kings Arms In Ealing Broadway, so worth keeping an eye on the pub for delveopments. As anyone who remembers the old kings arms will agree that the change has made this pub.
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Kicked us out at 22:40 so they could knock off early.
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Does anyone ever go in this pub????
mrbee - 10 Feb 2011 19:36 |
Thai food in the forester is very average. The owner's attitude of the thai restaurant is very shocking. We ordered a beef pad prik and the beef was so hard that we couldn't chew. When we called him and mention that the dish was not right he said ' beef is tough, we do not use sirloin steak' did not even offer to change the dish. If i knew i would have bought a metal denture speacially !! Even budget chinese take away places knows how to tenderise beef !
If you want a good meal i recommend saignon saignon better than thai on chiswick high rd. Superb food and service.
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The Thai food is very good, but the pub has an odd policy about running a tab. It seems that you can only run a tab if you are sitting inside, otherwise its cash only, which is disappointing if you want to eat outdoors.
The landlord should consider investing in some customer relations training as his staff are quite rude. I would say that one of the women behind the bar is one of the foulest mouthed individuals I have ever had the misfortune of encountering.
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A bit dark inside, but rejuvenated to an extent by the Tao restaurant, which is well above average Thai food. Good pint of Courage best and Guiness. A local's local, and I rather like it the way it is.
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I think I noticed it shut once too.. Not very useful at all if they want customers. If you can't trust it to be open then you're not gonna make the effort to go down and visit now are you? Stupid. Only been once (when choosing which house to buy in West Ealing!) and it was ok. Barman reasonably friendly but it was very much a locals local.
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I have actually had this pub close on me at half nine, whilst attempting to order a second round for myself and three mates - apparently there wasn't enough people in to warrant staying open. That said, it's not a bad place to have a quiet pint - seldom busy, which probably explains the above! It's a huge place, two bars that are open and a Thai restaurant at the back. I have drunk in the rarely open pool bar...once. Nice old place, has film crews visit regularly, no doubt for the 'traditional' pub feel.
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Have lived near this pub for years but have only visited a handful of times. When it's open the service is totally average but to be honest, it's closed randomly for no reason. Why would a pub be shut on a Saturday evening at 9pm? Or a Friday evening at 10pm? Bizarre, am surprised they have any customers apart from people who can walk there and not be bothered about it being closed whenever they feel like it!
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Great bar. Beer is good, company is unusual, but nice. Beautiful building, a bit dark inside though.
Food is excellent. Well worth a trip.
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A wonderful 1930's heritage pub (almost breathtaking in its rarity), so worth visiting for that reason alone. It's a cavernous, dark-wooded affair inside and it can be a bit gloomy on a summers day, but on a winters evening I imagine it really comes into its own.
Two beers on my visit - Courage and Hop Back Summer Lightning - which were OK. Reckon that if they were more adventurous with the beer, they could really pull in some more punters. There's a lot of space inside to fill.
Landlord did indeed seem to a bit grumpy. Not sure why, given that the three of us had just doubled his attendance on an early Saturday afternoon!
Completely worth seeking out for its unique architecture, but not necessarily for the beer, sadly. Could be a real gem though.
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Awful customer service: I went once to the thai restaurant inside which is very good. I then phoned the pub to get the restaurant's telephone number and the person I spoke to was extremely rude: when asked to please repeat the number to me (I was in a noisy place)the person told me that he had already told me and hung up on me. I then phoned again asking him to please repeat the number and he started shouting at me that he had already told me and that he had business to attend (it was 1 in the afternoon) and hung up again. I felt really frustrated and helpless, and for no reason whatsoever!
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Strange place. Veers from excellent with good beer to really grim. Landlord is a miserable type and the pub always seesm cold.
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Quite like it here-thai food is good
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Imposing Edwardian pub with an unusual mix of tiling and woodwork on the splendid exterior and much ornate mahogany inside. The pub is in the CAMRA Regional Inventory of pub interiors of special historic interest. One of the rooms is home to a Thai restaurant. The other rooms were mainly full of locals drinking either lager or Guinness. This is not a pub for the real beer connoisseur - only Courage Best, not one of my favourite beers, was on offer, so I went for the Guinness. "The landlord takes good care of his Guinness, so he does" a regular at the bar confided in me.
This is an impressive pub - recommended for lovers of traditional and impressive pub interiors and exteriors. For the historians among you, it was specially built for the Royal Brewery in Brentford, who were taken over in 1926 by what is now Courage.
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