please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Cavernous pub originally a temperance billiard hall (hence the name) and there are still pool tables to be had. Unfortunately the upstairs area which I wanted to visit was closed for a private function so I couldn't go and see it. Instead sat downstairs in the tables centred on the island bar which is staffed by cheerful barstaff. Beer range small but beer good.
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Called here for a pre-match pint last Saturday-it was inevitably packed-four real ale pumps sighted,but no real ale!
Service was appalling-largely due to there being an offer on jagerbombs,which take a long time to serve and which appealed to the northen hordes.
The word is that planning permision has been sought to convert it into a Tesco local-although it's not a particularly nice pub it will be one less place to drink on my annual visit to Fulham FC.
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Having visited the Temperance in many of its former guises I was pleasantly surprised at this current incarnation of a landmark Fulham /Putney pub.
The food was well priced and the menu pretty much standard for this sort of mid-range establishment.
The service was quick and prompt the glasses well cooled - nothing kills a good lager quicker than a warm glass- and the ambience in general was quite appealing.
On the downside the toilets were a bit on the smelly side when I visited.
Also, as a completely superfluous bonus, the bar staff - of both sexes- all seemed to have lovely bottoms! Perhaps this is a policy so as to distract from the otherwise drab decor - the only thing I thought needed improving!
I shal
l definately be visiting again!
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This pub used to be one of our favourite pubs. My boyfriend and I like to suport the local, independent pub but over the last year or so we had noticed it slippng. However, we continued to be optimistic but after going there for dinner tonight we finally decided to give this pub a miss for good.
They used to have a great selection of beers and a few nice ciders but more recently the best ones were always out of stock.
One of the things I personally enjoyed on their menu were their nachos - they used to use flour tortilla's and have great toppings, but tonight the pub just used regular corn chips, store bought toppings and the cheese wasn't even melted! My boyfriend ordered a BLT which he said was ok, but again the chips were store bought and the frozen kind.
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I've been to this pub a few times and would recommend it and plan to go again. The food is good, as was the choice of beer. Not sure why there a so many negative reviews, hence why I decided to add this one. Particularly like the fact they have pilsner urquell and fentimans ginger beer (for when you feel the need for a soft drink).
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Wow, looking a bit further down the reviews I get a better idea of why this place was so quiet - it seems it has a shocking reputation. Unbelievable really, because the place is beautiful inside, there was a good selection of beers, including Sambrooks Wandle and Thornbridge Jaipur (which I hadn't seen before but was superb), and the service was spot on. Still no Guinness though, which is a shame, no real alternative to it either. Even the food was excellent though, I had a really nicely done pork belly. Spoke to the tall chap who I believe is the manager - perfectly polite, very knowledgeable, clearly knows his stuff and was able to talk us through the beer selection. He mentioned that there might be a refurb soon, which I suspect would do this place a world of good. On a serious note, if you had a bad experience there a year or so ago, I'd try it again, literally the only real problem (besides not having a garden) is how quiet the place is.
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this pub is so much better than the reviews below - it certainly has improved and the new menu is excellent, well done and will be going back!
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I'm not sure where these reviews have come from, I had a delicious meal in there with a colleague today. The chap who served me mentioned a new menu had started that day, so perhaps new chefs/manager with it? In any case, I can recommend the Temperance on today's evidence, very friendly service. Had a pint of Moorhouse Black Cat (I had asked for Guinness, but was offered this as an alternative) which was very nice too.
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THIS PUB IS THE WORST PUB IN THE UK. The food was absolutely disgusting - cold, late and inedible and it all gave us pains in our stomachs afterwards. The staff could not be less helpful or unfriendly. Utter rubbish. The pub was very cold as well, and it had absolutely no ambience or character. I will never return, and I strongly recommend that you never go to this pub either.
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this pub is a joke!
it took 15 minutes to get served, only to be told the pumps need changing.......20 minutes later the barman came back to tell me the ale I'm after isn't even stock........35 minutes wait to not get a drink is not great at any time! But when the news is delivered in possibly the rudest manner ever is not acceptable!
the staff are clearly overworked, but that doesn't account for the outright rudeness!
on top of that, the doorman doesn't let people in..........even if your friends are already inside and the pub is still empty.
the food is as bad, if not worse than the bar staff - the chicken burger i had in there once is outrageously bad! it was almost as if the "chef" had gone out of his way to find the stalest bread and cooked it as long as possible to get maximum dryness into the chicken!!!!
i'll not be going back and if you are thinking of going there - DON'T!!!! there are plenty of better pubs around the area...........unless of course you fancy a bit of verbal sparring with some uppity under-trained idiots, a 40 minute wait for a beer you don't want, and a cardboard sandwich!!!!
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This pub is an absolute disgrace. The menu changes to accommodate what the chef has in, with no warning to the staff or to us, the paying customer. When I went in with a group of friends, it took over an hour and a half to get a roast for 6, when there were only 4 other people in the pub. When they arrived...finally, the yorkshire puddings were still frozen in the middle, when I pointed this out, it was just scoffed at and a plate was handed to us to place our cold puddings on...they literally must have just shoved them in a microwave to heat up because they came back all soggy and limp. The (what seemed to be) manager had a blazing row with the chef and then proceeded to sit at the end of the bar and drink copious amounts of beer. This place is so unprofessional, and needs to be shut down. If health and safety got in there, they would be closed immediately, in fact, someone should probably call them right now. The toilets are disgusting and when I pointed this out to the staff, they just shrugged their shoulders and said 'so, what do you want me to do about it, I serve drinks not clean loos'. That's disgusting!!! The company that has the bar should sack the bar manager and the staff. The staff stand drinking at the end of the bar, are extremely unhelpful and blatantly rude - sorry if I was disturning your drinking time, but I would also like a drink!? Honestly, avoid this place like the plague...the service is crap, the beer tastes funny, the surfaces are sticky as hell and the places stinks...literally...bad bad bad form.
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came here midafternoon after a Chelsea game, Very nice decor and good selection of beers, Were offering St Austells IPA on draught. food also served food, IPA �3.00. Nice feel to it
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I can 100% support the comments of porcus_volans regarding the service and quality of beer here. On a visit last week I too received a pint which tasted of dishwasher chemicals, so evidently they need something fixing, pronto. And haven't done so in two and a half months.
My visit was on the day of a match at Fulham, and the three (matchday, thousands of thirsty punters in town, extra staff? No.) people serving were about as slow, rude and unhelpful as could be imaginable. When a barman passed by fleetingly and was asked for service, we were informed that we were at the wrong place at the bar to get served and would have to go round the other side. Even though the area we were stood in was equipped with barstools, presumably if you occupy one you have to get up and go round the other side of the square bar to get served. This was not a dish collecting area, but actually one whole side of the square bar, therfore 25% of the available serving area!
If you're in Fulham for the football, give this one a miss as they have no idea how to manage busy periods. Serve the next customer's pint whilst processsing a debit card? No chance. Stand there and bog your punters out, then serve whoever's nearest, regardless, slowly.
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Came here for Sunday lunch quite a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. The roast beef was amazing and very good value.
Very pleased to see Fruili on tap as well - one of my favourite tipples!
All in all a good place with good atmosphere and decor and pleasing ambience.
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was in here before the ireland v nigeria game at craven cottage on friday 29th.
it's large, comfortable and airy with plenty of seating and some quiet nooks and crannies.
we had an early dinner and the food was excellent. my chicken and bean cassoulet was lovely and my wife's burger and chips was excellent.
sadly, the beer wasn't. and neither was the service.
both the timothy taylor's landlord and the morrissey and fox blonde were cloudy. fortunately the sierra nevada was very good, although my wife had to take hers back because the glass hadn't been rinsed properly and tasted of dishwasher chemicals. i had seen a barman sniff a glass and rinse it before serving someone else so this is obviously a known problem.
as the pub got busier the service got worse. there was a crowd on all sides of the square central bar but the bar staff were all gathered in one corner serving only the customers around them. they only reluctantly moved their backsides to other parts of the bar when someone senior turned up and got a rocket from several upset customers.
a good pub that could be so much better with some very simple improvements - keep and present the beer better and train the staff in the basics of bar work.
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The Temperance looks intriguing from the outside. The interior is decorated with a mix of old and modern styles. My visit yesterday lunchtime was pleasant enough. But it was extremely quiet despite the fact that there was a Premiership football match on at Craven Cottage just through the park. In addition to the many continental-type lagers on offer, they also had 4 real ales - Taylor Landlord, Bath Golden Hare, Mordue The Dodgy Perm and Morrissey & Fox Blonde. For cider lovers, they have a Westons cider and both Aspalls and Addlestones on tap.
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Walked past this place after coming out of Putney Bridge Tube station. Then had to turn round and go in because the chance to have a pint in an Old Temperance Hall with the thought that members of the Temperance society would be spinning in their graves if they knew one of their former halls was now in the GBBG 09, was too good to pass over.
Can't really post a subjective review as I was virtually the first one in this lunchtime, so no problem with the service, and only had the one and didn't eat. But cannot complain about the TT Golden Best. Very nice.
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Shambles.
I used to really enjoy going to this pub when it had its initial makeover, a little over 2 years ago, but I feel compelled to write an updated comment from the one I left many moons ago.
This place should be fantastic - it has a huge and varied selection of beers, the food is generally tasty and decently priced and the place has plenty of comfy seating but that is where the positives end.
Firstly, there may be a large selection of beers but I have taken back 3 different pints in the same evening because they were off - the bar staff replaced them every time, a little more annoyed each time, but agreed that the lagers were indeed off.
Secondly, there needs to be some serious re-training of the bar staff in this place. General nonchalance is one thing, but complete ambivalence to serving customers, bordering on rudeness, is uncalled for. When 10 people are waiting to be served, it is not acceptable to stand there waiting to run through a debit card when you could be serving someone.
Lastly, the Gents toilets are a disgrace - unclean, mirror still missing from the wall for I think a year now.
There are other various issues that crop up on a regular basis - the 'we are only accepting cash today' has happened several times.
I recently tried the 8 bells round the corner from here and it is a world apart (and no, I don't work for the 8 bells).
Temperance - pull your socks up; I suspect the only reason you have not lost all of your customers is because The Larrick is currently being refurbed.
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I like the temperance a lot now. I have been visiting the temperance for nearly 2 and a half years and i think that this era of the temperance is a very good pub indeed. The beer range is cracking, like peroni at �3.50 when others not so far away charge �4.30. They also have my favourite cider, aspalls draught in a goblet, AND aspalls blush in a bottle. Over the winter they had some lovely seasonal ales too, which my dad enjoyed on a few occaisions at christmas. I like the artwork on the walls, i like the way the furniture is laid out, i really like the writing and messages on the wall and blackboards. I also like the food, the new menu has some really tasty bits on it, like the baby squid and lamb kofte with little bits of pitta and tzatziki. It's all fairly priced and the portions quite right for me. I think, by most, the kitchen has been sorted. for now!? (And have you noticed that the kitchen looks like it's sat in a giant chalkboard?! Just me then, after one too many aspalls!) The problem with the temperance has been inconsistency, it has definitely become more improved, and you can see the effort being put in at least.
And funnily, i had an incident with lipstick on my glass of rose at christmas, it wasn't rose, nor my colour. When i spoke to the manager he was nothing but gracious in sorting it out. He seems a highly capable and conscientious man, if sometime serious and dry humoured human being. But then I do love a man with a dry wit and a beard. especially a red one!
Anyway, the temperance is a great pub. And I like it!
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I went in the pub about 1 month back before the Fulham v Boro game. I am partial to a drop of cider from time to time so I orded a pint of Aspall's Suffolk Cyder. I paid with a �5 note expecting to get very little change and was pleasently surprised that the pint cost me �3.20. And, at a strength of 5.6% and a much better taste than the usual cider flavoured pisswater you get elsewhere I felt that the price was more than reasonable. The pub does have the look of a pricey gastropub but if I was to stick to the Aspall's on a night out I wouldnt end up spending much. You can have 3 or 4 pints and you certainly know you've had a drink. (",)
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I was served a glass of beer with at least an inch of head, which isn't my problem. After a sip I noticed that the glass was dirty and had lipstick all around the rim. I went up to the bar to the MANAGER and told him of my discovery. He replied "How do I know it's not yours (lipstick)" (I am male) then he said - "what do you want me to do about it". Thinking he just had twisted sense of humour, I decided to let these comments go and replied "serve me a new one?". He replied that I had drunk a third of it already when in fact it was a third of it was head! When he placed the new beer down in front of me and started to walk away he said in a sarcastic tone "that's ok", like I should of thanked him and that it was my fault they were serving drinks in dirty glasses!!??? This incensed me to which i replied that surely he should apologising to me. I was told that he shouldn't be spoken to like that and I was to drink up and go! I later went to him and asked to speak to the manager and that's when he told me it was him. When I pointed out his customer service/ interpersonal skills stank he told me to grow a personality and leave his establishment.
I have never, in my entire life met such an obnoxious man or been so angered by anyone serving in a bar. I have worked in the trade West End bars and others for years and i was under the impression that the paying customer is always right - not in the Temperance it seems! It's a shame as inside is really nice, but I shall never go back there again on principle.
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Oh No not another restaurant making like it's a pub just because it sells beer. Early Sunday lunchtime...empty except for two small tables with diners. No eye contact as we walked in..continued to be ignored despite the flag of a �10 note. Eventually "be with you in a minute" still no eye contact. Second bloke served drinks to the diners.."are you being served? be with you in a minute" Drinking companion returned from long visit to the (paint peeeling) loo. Still not served...still no eye contact. Obviously they are only interested in food orders...so we walked out thirsty after a very long wait.
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very good pub. like the beer mugs that you got fo0r your real ales, one of a very few that have them these days. did find the food was a bit sparce for the money, but great place. wish there late night licence had come as at the bar at 11:10 and they told us they had been closed for the last 10 mins.
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Very interesting. Looks like a barn of a place catering for the young, but actually seems to cover all bases - fantastic beer range, sensible food, very comfortable etc. The Meantime IPA was great, though the lack (temporary I hope) of real ale was a pity.
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Went there a couple of weeks ago for Sunday Roast. Staff were friendly and enthusiastic to please. Our group of 12 mostly ordered the Roast and all were impressed with the size and quality. Am going back today!
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Can only agree with the post below lamenting the loss of the O'Neil's Pub. Was in here twice in past seasons before and after Celtic friendlies against Fulham. Then it was a fantastic venue, with good staff dealing with hundreds of raucous football fans in a fast and professional manner. Live music after one of the games was great. But returned last night after the Ireland v Columbia game to find this fabulous pub has morphed into a dreadful 'modern-urban' faceless monstrosity! What football fans there where, were outnumbered by pseudo posh (jumpers draped over shoulders!) types! OMG! How a great boozer has fallen. And despite the fact that it was only a quarter full it took an age to get served...and they'd ran out of Guinness!!! Nuff said really...
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Very welcome addition of Timothy Taylors Golden Best as a regular beer on handpump in company with the Landlord. Also absolutely superb guest mild, Moorgate Black Cat, which I am also hoping can become a regular here - if not I suggest ale lover's sample this gorgeous mild before it all goes or before I drink it all!
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I was also in the pub on Boat Race day....and it was quite obvious the menu had been chaged to simplify and speed up service and was advertised all day (and at the same prices/similar to the normal menu) so don't see the issue.I know the management is relatively new but this pub seems to be going in the right direction with a great selection of Ciders and unusual beers available. Just have to wait and see but I find it about the best value in the area at the moment and with a nice friendly vibe too.
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Went in on Boat Race day to find there was no table service and the already pricey menu was replaced with a truncated menu designed entirely to fleece the casual punter. This would not be a problem except they took orders based on the normal menu, only to say we couldn't have it later and they wanted more money off us. There was 10 of us, we'd have stayed in there for ages but a complete lack of customer service and the ramped up prices drove us away. Very disappointing.
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Having posted before that this place was really quiet, I popped in on friday night and it was packed. Service very slow as a result - think it's time they took on more staff at peak periods.
anonymous - 4 Nov 2007 09:43 |
If you boringly bland & a poncy wannabee - head for the Temperance.
O'Neills Putney was the central meeting point for hundereds of vibrant people who loved to have a good time with friends, get some decent service and be part of an unrivalled atmosphere and experience. There was and still is no place to match it (Walkabout Putney and ZULU's are more specific in their clientele and not as good as the O'Neil's was). Friends and I (and many others) recall having watched many sporting event there which was the best in London as it attracted a variety of clientele from all sorts of backgrounds and at times was just as good as being at a ground - if not better! Many recall having watched the Champions League final there of 2005 and loved every second of it! We have also watched many rugby tests there on the unmatched big screens and everytime it was great! Would have been the perfect venue for the rugby world cup and it will be hard to find a place to match. The Putney O'Neills was able to provide that common place that all six nations and all other antipodeans supporters can use to meet up for the games? We certainly do!
And as for the St. Patrick's day celebration - those were THE BEST at the O'Neills in Putney. We are certain the O'Neills would be more of a success than the current Temperance which is not nearly as inviting nor can it be as successful. With the well priced drinks and decent food in O'Neills we would love to see a return of this more acceptable, more inviting and more appealing venue than the drab one currently found. A return of O'Neills would be favoured by the people who miss it and those whom have not had the pleasure of being able to go there having seen photo's and been told countless reminiscent and fondly remembered stories of the place.
PLEASE PLEASE BRING BACK THE O'NEILLS PUTNEY TYPE PUB?BAR FOR THE REAL PEOPLE!
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Had a cracking meal in there last weekend. Not cheap, but not bad for the area, and the food is definitely at restaurant standard. Really friendly barwoman - gave loads of advice on the wine and knew what she was talking about. Barmen looked a bit more grumpy though so I think we struck it lucky.
It's still really quiet - though O'Neills was never busy except for sport - which may or may not suit you.
anonymous - 17 Aug 2007 17:48 |
Nice bar but it's a shame about the satff. They were extremely rude and impatient when asking us to leave at the end of the evening, even though they had only sold us our drinks not 5 minutes earlier. It culminated in the waitress, at 11.20pm, screaming us all (of which there were at least 50) 'have we not got homes to go to'. VERY RUDE and needless to say I shall not be returning!! I suspect this will be the case with the rest of the clientelle.
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Lovely place with smiling, welcoming staff. Food was excellent. It's a million miles away from the S**t pit that was O'Neills
anonymous - 24 Mar 2007 14:20 |
Great looking bar. menu alright. handed out by a girl wearing a skirt so short you could almost see what she had been eating. the smoking area is good although my friend lit up without realising that. he asked if it was non smoking downstairs when he was icely told that it was, and "HENCE the lack of ashtrays". raspberry beer not needed nor will it ever be. students behind the bar are not good if you want to be this kind of place, you want someone who is on the ball and generating repeat business along with some passion. students are for the walkabout.
anonymous - 17 Mar 2007 20:41 |
The re-fit has transformed this place into more of a gastro-pub. Was quite taken aback at the price of the food, though there was an impressive sleceted, served throughout the day. I didnt sample any though.
The range of beers is outstanding...if you like the strong urine-coloured stuff from Benelux. My Guinness tasted pretty good too.
Staff were great (this was a Thursday evening) and very helpful.
Asked about big screens for sport (original O'Neills was the best in Fulham for 6N rugby for example) but now they only have small plasmas dotted around upstairs akin to those at the Sports Bar in Haymarket. Pity.
A totally different offerring from the previous two incarnations and I hope they are successful. I wont be rushing back there though.
If only someone would buy Zulus and convert it back to the good old days of a "pub for everyone"...ho hum.
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I have to say I didn't think this was the worst pub in the world when it was an O'Neill's, not brilliant but it had an acceptable level of mediocrity. However the change is still to be welcomed. The beer was very reasonably priced, we were paying �2.85 for pints of Peroni, and whilst we didn't eat the menu seemed to well priced also (�10 for a Sunday roast is pretty good going in this part of West London). All in all I found it a decent place - staff were good, beer tasted fine and the decor post the refurb is interesting and reasonably faithful to how I imagined it once looked. Looking forward to visiting again.
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I never came when it was an o'neils, but I am very impressed with its current incarnation. Great selection of drinks (3 ales, 5-6 lagers, countless bottles, and many wines by the glass). Food looks well thought out...
If only all chain pubs were refurbished to this standard.
Excellent.
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This is about as far away from the old O'Neills as you could get. As previously noted, non-smoking restaurant downstairs, loungey-type bit upstairs - although no separate bar. Nice decor, if a little dark, decent furniture and a good-quality refurb. Truly outstanding range of beers: I could be mistaken but counted 4 real ales and at least 8 other draught beers, including Erdinger and Paulaner. Reasonably expensive, but not off-putting prices as far as the drinks are concerned - lagers from about �3. Food looked a bit steep though. No real problems with the staff on my visit, and as for "undesirable" clientele, the manager was very quick to eject a girl who tried to use fake ID. Top marks for that.
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Interesting idea to keep the entire downstairs area non-smoking and looks to be proving a hit already.
I haven't tried the food yet so can't comment but the huge range of ales is particularly impressive.
The upstairs area has the comfier more loungy feel to it, but for that reason has an almost posh youth club vibe - that may just be because it has only recently re-opened but one wonders how long it will be until it has tempted over large swathes of The Larrick's regulars...
Initially impressed and it's great to have a decent pub in this area for once.
Now, how to get rid of Zulu's....
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This is a very nice place, I like the d�cor, the beer selection is good (lager and ales) and the food is top notch, although the menu doesn�t appear to change very often.
The absence of a TV and a no smoking policy makes for a pleasant change too.
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It's just not my sort of pub. Nice interior but drinks are pricey enough for you to expect a decent level of service and well trained, well mannered staff - and I'm afraid you may well be disappointed.
Food also not up to the match as you could see into the kitchen, and it seems the chefs did not know what was happening....well sad day for all
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Now the Temperance: a surprisingly good range of beers on draught, ales including Timothy Taylors Golden Best & Black Sheep (and an Old Ale, maybe Adnams). Smoking is permitted (for now) contrary to the suggestion in the previous review.
This pub was a really good example of how a quite pleasant drinking experience can be spoiled by a single instance of terrible customer service: There were an awful lot of staff on hand, and their purpose was made clear when closing time came around: clearing the bar as quickly and rudely as possible. They were much more enthusiastic in this effort than they were in serving drinks, that's for sure. I understand that it can be irritating and obnoxious when punters refuse to leave at closing time, but this is why a reasonable amount of drinking-up time should be allowed. Here, barely ten minutes passed between last orders and the demand to leave immediately. A real shame: I had a good night until then, but look how little I've written about that.
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This has been changed from the O'Neils to "The Temperance". Completely different - the bar is now an island in the middle and there is lots of dark wood in the place - floors, tables, etc. Possibly no smoking already as well. The area nearest the river was laid out as a restaurant (i.e. table settings laid) but I can't believe they'll be able to keep that up on a busy match day. Didn't venture upstairs but it was very full. There's a big view into the kitchen as well - but from the bar, not the restaurant.
Obviously it's early days yet so hard to tell how it will pan out. Staff were really good - guess they've just had a load of training and there were too many of them.
Either way, it'll still be in a different league to the O'Neills. Good change.
anonymous - 2 Dec 2006 07:48 |
