please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
New people have taken over. The only thing lacking was customers. The food was excellent in quality and quantity and there were three ales, one from St Austell and two from Surrey Hills including the rarely found Ranmore Ale. Between the four of us we sampled all and they were in top noch condition. On the food side we had tiger prawns and then steak pie/a vegetarian flan/fish and chips and puds. No complaints. I wish the new people well and hope they keep some local beers on and don't get persuaded into main steam nationals like DoomBar. They must niche themselves and don't become like all the competition
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Nice location, food standard pub fayre, beers ok nothing to write home about, all in all average.
This pub has mostly in the last few years poor management.
anonymous - 13 Jul 2013 18:49 |
Even worse manager now, short dummpy guy.
Years ago this was a top pub, not anymore.
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Quite right gooding. The 'landlord's name gives it away,- JOHNNY, well he certainly is one.
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Have to say, I was looking forward to going there today after a few years of non attendance. I knew the minute I walked in I would not be staying. Having booked a table for lunch, we were positioned by the kitchen in a place which was at best a third full inside. A pint of Otter, Star and a glass of white wine took an age to be poured. The lady behind the bar (who was not serving me) was walking around, confused and ignoring waiting customers, the man serving me was all over the place as well. After waiting an age I had to call a waiter over and ask if we could order and he said 'no, can you order at the bar (which would be fine, if they hadn't said we will be over to take your order) we are a bit overwhelmed today'. Needless to say we finished out drinks and did the off. I said after it was like a TV show where someone gets told they have to run a pub with no experience and make a success of it. Dismal from start to finish. You're fired.
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Lunch took 1 hour 30 minutes to arrive ( we were told 35-40 minutes) Roast very ordinary.
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Visited today just before 3pm hoping to have some food.
On arrival the pub looked busy but not overcrowded as plenty of people were in the garden.
We looked at a menu at the bar before ordering drinks & food & overheard a customer asking how long her food would be. We took this as a bit of a bad omen and wandered outside, debating whether to leave and look for another pub. However, the food we saw did look good so we went back inside and ordered some food and drink (although when ordering I did hear somebody else asking where their food was!).
The girl behind the bar took the order & did advise that there may be a 35 minute wait for food but we weren't in any hurry so got a couple of packets of crisps just in case and took a seat outside.
We were pleasantly surprised when the food came after only about 15 minutes and it was really good. The chips were fresh and crispy, the burger was homemade, thick and tasty and the garnish was very nice. My girlfriends haddock was lightly battered with mushy peas, chips and tartare sauce and well received.
Nice pint of Tribute and a pleasant enough experience and I think that food prices are about average these days. Would pay a return visit if we were passing.
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Halfway through a very hot and humid ten mile walk and after getting lost in The Holmwood, the Ramble Then Lunch team approached the White Horse with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.
Anticipation because we were all dead thirsty and needed a drink. Trepidation because some of the comments below were less than enthusiastic.
The pub is fairly basic inside, decor from the rustic school. Beer was a number of the usual suspects, including Tribute and Greene King IPA. The beer was fine, but I just can't get used to finding Cornish beer all over Surrey when there are so many more local options available.
The food, although a little bit more expensive then usual, was actually very good, and when it's good you don't mind the price so much. My Pork Belly with Chickpea and Chorizo stew was unusual and very good. My fellow rambler's fish and chips was rated highly by him as well.
Negatives ? Well, I'm pretty certain that both the landlord and the lady who served our beer and food didn't smile once during our stay. They weren't rude, just dour. More levity please folks.
And we were adopted by the two pub dogs who decided to sleep under our table. There is an assumption from many dog owners that everyone likes dogs at all times, which I'm afraid isn't true. Dogs are fine, by not under my table when I'm eating, and we were not asked if we liked this situation.
But on the whole the White Horse wasn't bad at all and if we were walking in the area again, we'd be happy to pay a return visit.
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Friendly service and a beautiful location. Decor a little dated and the food is basic and way overpriced. A children's portion of sausage & chips is �6, the portion size was small even for a three year old and the chips were overcooked. Nothing exciting from the menu and expected better quality for the prices of the meals.
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We had our return visit last night.
Everything was exactly as you would hope for. Chef was genuinely apologetic and we had a great meal including starters, main course and drinks.
I had the same dish as I had previously, and it was exactly how it should be - good quality meat well cooked.
My wife is thinking of returning for a cinema evening, so our fait has been restored.
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Beers is well served and has a lovely garden at the back - not eaten there so can't comment on the food
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Well, we've had a call from the chef in response to my original and rather lengthy and cross rant, offering a replacement meal and explanation/ apology.
10/10 for retrospective customer service, and fingers crossed that our faith in what was a good pub is restored.
Well done and Thank You Chef for having the initiative and customer service to get in touch.
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Visited 17/07 after many previous good visits. I don't know whether the place has changed hands, or whether we were unlucky, but we had a shocking time.
We arrived, and were greeted well.
We were pointed towards a table next to the kitchen access, which had all manner of rubbish and clutter. There was a reserved sign, but not for us, so we wandered around til we found a table with our mis-spelt name on it. We sat down at it.
"Not sitting at that table?" asked the barman, pointing at the original table. "No - it's got a name on it, but not ours, so we sat at the one that had our name on it.". He huffed.
After 25 minutes of no service or interest, our order was finally taken by the barman, who consigned it to memory.
The starters duly arrived, and it was immediately obvious that one starter (crab) was correct and the other was wrong. We queried this with the barman who said he thought we were wrong, checked what was on the system and acknowledged his mistake. In fairness, we were offered the option to change, but as we'd already considered the one delivered in error and wanted to eat together, we accepted the mistake.
Both starters were very nice.
The main courses duly arrived. I had the Aberdeen beef at �18.95. The first thing to note was that the wilted spinnach had transformed itself it into chopped runner beans. I queried this with the waiter who strugged his shoulders before wandering off non-commitally. He duly returned to tell me that they had run out of spinnach. Surely professionalism would dictate that they mention this at the time of ordering, or at least before cooking?
The steak was the most rank, gristly, fatty, sinewy piece of crap I have ever been served. It was not what was advertised and was some other form of steak that had been folded over on itself to resemble, from the moon, the original dish.
Had the staff been inclined to actually ask how the meal was, I would have commented. As it was, and probably wisely, they kept themselves out of sight. My wife's brisket was very tasty and well cooked, but swimming in fat.
I left 90% of my crap meal, and we went to pay.
There was still no enquiry as to whether we had enjoyed our �65.55 meal for two. I paid, and then asked the barman whether he cared whether we'd enjoyed our meals. He looked at his shoes. Before he could adequately answer, I listed the problems, but to spare his blushes didn't mention that neither he, his colleague nor the waiter had demonstrated any discernable positive customer service qualities.
No allowance was made on the bill and no real apology.
We went to The Old Ship on the Portsmouth Road and I had a very nice mexican chili bowl.
I'm writing to the White Horse tomorrow, and will post a favourable comment in their defence if they reply, and a follow-up if they don't.
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Was charged �3.45 for a pint of Tribute tonight. Is this a record? This pub's prestige is not equal to its premium.
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Charming setting for a country pub I thought, and I should imagine quite lovely in the summer. Not great garden weather on our visit but I look forward to enjoying a summers afternoon with some friends outside soon.
Excellent ales anyway. The Harveys Best was a particular favourite, certainly the best pint of Sussex that I have tasted for a long time anyway. I didn't try the lighter beer that they had on, though the St. Austells Tribute was very tasty, if perhaps a bit strong for my lunchtime visit!
Good selection of beers for the space that they seemed to have anyway. It was good to hear the enthusiasm with which the barstaff talked about the care that they take in looking after their ales as well. Always nice to hear that some pride has gone into your pint.
Food was good, though the lunch menu at least didn't seem to quite suit the setting and character of the pub. Could be a bit broader perhaps. Most of the meals looked to be little filling for lunch. That said, the fish and chips was lovely and it seems that at least everything is cooked fresh to order which is certainly worth something.
Anyway, the service was good on our visit, the bar staff all seemed to be local and were friendly and helpful on the whole.
Certain parts of the pub were a little tatty and not brilliantly arranged, though the loos and tables were clean which is something that I like to see. Could certainly do with some more pictures on the walls though.
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What has happened? Almost like someone is hoping to sell, absolutely rubbish and used to be very good, although always a little expensive but you don't mind paying up if it's good.
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Simply dreadful. Didn't eat but saw other people's faces when their food came out. Staff surly, beer cloudy. Whole place seems to say 'decay' - peeling pub sign, rotten garden furniture. Used to be so good - seems to have changed places with the Harriers at Hambleton just over the hill - was apalling, now great.
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I visited here in the summer with my young family. I had some overpriced, average food with some flat coke for my kids. When I approached the landlord (who was sat on a nearby table swearing with his mates) about the coke, he dismissed my complaint. Unfortunately this attitude still persists in UK pubs where poor service, and poor quality are the norm and anyone complaining is seen as a troublemaker. I will never go here again.
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i have to say this used to be a very good place to eat and drink....i'm refering to the days when a certain celebrity used the place. now i'm afraid this is a tired sad excuse for a country pub...not even serving food in the restaurant unless you have booked a table..
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Upmarket pub in charming village serving decent but not cheap food. Our group of eight were served promptly and efficiently on a Saturday lunchtime. Beers: Tribute, Hook Norton, Harveys.
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The best thing I can say is that the orange juice is good.
We arrived on New Year's Day for lunch, there was a special menu including things like Chilli con Carne, Beef stew, Cold turkey and champ, Ploughmans etc.
Having arrived at 1pm, the food turned up after 2.30pm. The mashed potatoes were not mashed. The cold turkey was out of a packet of slices from the supermarket. There was no apology for the delay. The soup arrived after the main course.
All around us people were asking for the food to hurry up, or indeed to cancel their orders. What a waste of a great location.
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Bit surprised to see how poorly this place rates, but then I only saw it on a weekday lunchtime. Ham, cheese and pickle sandwiches were cut into what I think of as 'hotel triangles', ie a bit too small to pick up without dropping some of the contents, but were fresh and tasty. Chicken Caeser also good. I had a pint of something Cornish, which was lovely, and the friendly and rather fetching barmaid did a good job. The sun was out, we were in a classic car, so we were naturally in a very good mood and the pub did nothing to spoil it.
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The last comment sounds like a bit of old sales speal to me or do you only walk to this one pub patrick123 ?
The place is still lacking in every aspect except the prices.
Far better pubs and quite near by.
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I visited this pub on a Friday lunchtime, when it was quiet. Excellent sausage and mash, and burger - enough to keep us walking all the way to Guildford. I then read other comments on this website, and didn't understand. I went back on Sunday lunchtime. A rightly short menu of freshly prepared meals with no mass produced ingredients. Medium rare lamb and beef were particularly good, served by friendly staff. This place takes care to produce good food from fresh ingredients, and even though it takes a bit more time, and a bit more money, it's worth it.
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Overpriced food and beer and a complete lack of care or enthusiasm. Anything to do with the newspaper headlines and connections with a certain Chris Evans perhaps? Could be a great pub with right management and staff (both front and back of house) Garden could be one of the best in Surrey.
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Although the drink and food was good (I had my favourite pineapple juice and The White Horse burger), I wouldn't recommend this pub. The service was poor (most of the staff was unfriendly and unsmiling), my boyfriend had to steal some of my gherkins, steak, tomatoes and order an extra side of chips as his portion of sausage and mash was too small... This pub therefore doesn't enter the "Picsou price" category (i.e. quality food for a reasonable price).
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This pub benefits from the fact that it is mentioned in a number of cycling / walking guides as a starting point. Maybe this is why they think they can charge nearly a tenner for the worst sausage and mash dinner I've ever had tried to force into my mouth. Even old Scrouge himself wouldn't serve up such a miserly portion of mash with just 3 pathetic looking sausages.
This was one of the cheaper meals. A pub with this kind of exposure should be nearly full but when I went it was half empty. Not surprising really given the miserable faces on some of the people working in there. At least the younger bar staff tried to smile, but how can you be positive when you know your boss is asking you to serve up misery and starvation in the form of pathetically small meals in a cold miserable pub.
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Quite simply, the worst pub I've been to in the UK. The staff were rude, unfriendly, unhelpful, slow & couldn't even manage to get a drink order of orange squash correct. The food was extremely over priced for very average, burnt meals. The roast beef was like eating an old shoe, the burger was cheap meat and a lettuce leaf on a stale bun, served cold.
Myself and friends were planning on bringing a large group of friend to this pub, and I'm so glad we decided to try it first as it would have ruined our day. Needless to say we've booked elsewhere...where staff can manage a smile and food does not mimic cold Tesco value ready meals.
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Went for the lunch the other day. What has happened?
Freezing cold back bar, bare walls, very limited menu, blank specials board, very average food.
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I was very dissaponted to lunch here in December. I'm not an expert foodie, but the cheap sausgaes were easy to detect in the sausage and mash I ordered. In addition, the lovely setting was let down by the interior - the bar was practically bare, I thought it was their last day of trading before a refurb. "could do better!"
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I was really disapointed. I feel that I paid too much for the food that we received in this overcrowded and untidy pub.
We are not local to the area and it felt that the pub and we did not feel valued or welcome by the staff. Just before we left a barman put his shoe on an empty chair right next to mine, to do up his shoelaces.
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Having been regular users of this pub prior to the change in ownership, we were very disappointed to walk into such an unwelcoming atmosphere this lunchtime. The pub was physically cold, the only fire was in the public bar, the decor seemed rather sad and uninviting. With Christmas approaching rapidly I do feel that some tasteful decorations with large church candles and foliage from the garden would have helped immensely. Added to this only one of the 3 staff on duty managed to smile, the service certainly was not amiable.
The sandwich was nice, there was no garnish of any description however making it appear lonely on the plate and did not warrant the �6+ price tag.
A very disappointing experience in general and in stark contrast to visits prior to the changeover.
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Have eaten Sunday lunch twice there twice now, and have had an unusually long wait both times - a carvery roast.. what can cause the delay?
Having learned from my first visit, I booked for the second, only for the booking to be 'lost' and be shoved over in the corner - was a bit of a squeeze for 4. Being sat next to a screaming child didn't help, but that's not necessarily the pubs fault. Though I am against children in pubs.
The food itself was okay, nothing special, but why doesn't the roast have Yorkshire pudding? I thought this was standard throughout the World. Don't be too ponsey with the presentation, and give people an option on the horseradish sauce. I like it, but some may not want there dinner smothered in it.
The crackling on the pork was excellent.
Will probably return to try the garden in the summer.
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Hello Again...I'll try keep this one brief. :)
Biker - thanks for your comments.
Stroller - sorry - I am well known for waffling a bit on my favourite subject - pubs!
h1234 - fires have been lit since the cold kicked in - about 2 months now. Pictures have been rehung since mid-august - not as many as before but I'm sorry some of them were truly horrific and I couldn't bring myself to rehang them.
We do have some candles throughout the pub now, not just in restaurant. I think they are slightly ugly though so have ordered some nice white pillar candles which I think will work better.
Menu - I'm sorry but I just can't budge on this - huge choice is not something that can be achieved with fresh food. You may be surprised about the microwaves and frozen food - I definetly was when throwing it all out.
In terms of specials - because we try and change things every day, this approach negates the traditional need for specials - ie to get rid of low-selling stock. I won't be doing things like curry as they do not fit in to my vision of the type of food we should be doing. We did a homemade chilli for almost a week a little while ago. there is always a burger on the menu - made to nearly the same recipe as before but with a few twists to make it a bit tastier.
As mentioned in previous post I have had Venison Wellington on a number of times in the past few months and it is very popular.
anonymous - trying hard to keep this one short but failing I think.
neil10 - yes I don't do a specific childrens menu. I do children's portions of our burger, fish & chips, sunday roasts, pasta. Whilst this is a pub for everyone - we actually don't get a huge amount of kids except on weekends and school holidays. To prepare fresh food for a non-existent clientele would be a waste. I have found that most parents are kind of happy to get their kids to eat proper food instead of the usual chicken-in-a-basket. However I am definetly considering doing something like chicken/fish goujons for the busier kids periods.
I remember when I was growing up and taken out by my parents (very often they hated cooking) I was always told what I would eat and that was always the same as the adults - I like to think this helped in preparing my pallet for the extensive, exciting eating adventures I have had in my life so far. :)
Re staff: all the staff are the same. I have brought Chef with me from London and had to hire a few part timers for the bar and wash up but otherwise all kitchen staff are the same as before. And, I must say, absolutely loving the new style and management.
Anyways, its early Sunday morning so I better get ready for the rush. Hope to see you all soon and thanks for the comments.
ps. by the way I went to London yesterday and ate at Andrew Edmonds in Picaddily - absolutely the best restaurant I have eaten at in years - I had visited Gordon Ramsays new pub The Devonshire in Chiswick the night before but this restaurant kicked him into touch. Check it out next time you in the big smoke - I promise you won't be dissapointed. (have the Cassoulet).
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having eaten here under both sets of owners i do feel something has been lost. don't get me wrong the new owners are trying, but they will not do a childrens menu. correct me if this is not the case.
i think one of the chefs is still the same, but something has been lost in the months gone. a little tlc needs to be shown to this very nice pub.
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Bet the reply to the last comment is longer than War and Peace!!!!!!!
anonymous - 13 Nov 2007 14:15 |
I posted my original message as I was so struck by the change in the pub since my previous visit some months ago. OK, I accept there is always a settling in period, but surely it only takes a little effort to hang a few pictures, light the fire, and perhaps a few candles to give some atmosphere?
There used to be a huge choice of dishes to choose from, that were delicious and presented to a high standard, so I am surprised by your comment that they were microwave and frozen dishes.
There is nothing wrong with marketing this as a gastro pub providing you deliver a menu that the customers want. The previous traditional style was popular with so many people and rather than knocking it, build upon the pub's reputation, and perhaps expand the menu to give a little more choice. How about a specials board, reintroducing a few of the original favourites such as beef wellington, chilli, spicy curry and the homemade steakburger, and see what sells!
h1234 - 12 Nov 2007 19:28 |
Thanks for the reply JFG got to say i have read shorter books thou...
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Okay, I'm convinced. Any relatively new Landlord that directly responds to his customers in writing on this tried, trusted and tested website has got more about him than most. Apart from that, his explanation to Stoller regarding new menu ideas is well worth supporting and in keeping with the basic principles of pub-food.
Biker - 12 Nov 2007 13:15 |
Thanks for the wishes stroller.
On doing 300 covers routinely - I have been in the business a while and 300 covers never becomes routine.
I agree that pubs should stick with proper food not fancy restaurant rubbish - I guess it depends on what is considered restaurant food and what is considered pub food. I will admit to leaning slightly towards the so called 'gastropub' side but in a very traditional manner - my chef and I who have worked together for 7 years draw our inspiration from landlords like John Fothergill. I personally consider pubs like The Walnut Tree in Cornwall, the Eagle in Farringdon, The Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith, The Havelock Tavern in Brooks Green, The Swan in Chiswick (i used to manage that one) and The Anchor & Hope in Waterloo - to be the epitome of good pub dining. Admittedly most of these pubs are in London so the food does have some pretentions!
However what we are trying to do is strike a balance between both. I have eaten at so many pubs where the food may be fine but is basically just a variation of meat and veg. Yes we are going to get fresh and interesting carrots from Secretts down the road and yes we might smash them up with some parsnip and herbs. Is this then gastro or is it honest good food?
Yes our menu is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine but only because this cuisine offers the best use of seasonal fresh ingredients.
Yes we are going to do more traditional things, but a lot of what will come we are still inventing. Trying to roast a pigs head (very english and traditional shurely?) and make it appettising to the average punter is hard. Is having the occasional side of crispy deep fried polenta a bad thing or is it introducing new flavours to the customer?
I will admit that finding the line between restaurant food and good pub food is a hard one for me draw.
A taste of things to come:
- Chef and I now have our own sausage machine and are busy trying out recipes - hopefully we can soon put a distinctive White Horse Banger on the menu with real meat, fat and gristle in it!
- Our supply of Venison looks fixed for a while so expect Venison Pie and Venison Wellington (very popular at moment) to become fixtures
- We have finally found a good recipe for pigs ears and trotters so expect a few interesting things cropping up.
- Also this week we are hanging a few pheasants so will be playing with them soon
- We are also going to start our 'mother' or 'starter' for our bread - if all goes well we shall soon be producing our own loaves of sourdough and possible a granary.
Once again thanks for the comments and keep them coming. As a landlord I rely on your feedback to ensure the pub is great.
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Firstly we wish you all the best with this venture JFG.I agree you do have some dismal neighbours who`s pubs are far to restauranty or wine barish.But you also have some very good village pubs that do very good pub food which is shorely what a pub should do not all this fancy restaurant rubbish.
You say that you commonly do over 300 meals on a sunday so really speaking there is no excuse for poor service as your used to this number of people.
ps you prob. won`t have time to read this as the pies still cooking.
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I'll start by declaring my interest as Landlord of The White Horse since July 18 2007.
Biker 31 Oct 2007: sorry you thought the food pretentious I actually think the menu to be very simple - without any of the crappy 'Jus this' or 'bed of that' that so many 'pubs' have on their menus these days. Pricewise we are actually cheaper on 95% of items on our menu then the previous management. i also think our portion sizes to be the most generous of the all the pubs I have visited in the area. Quality - i disagree.
coco-merlot 31 Oct 2007: All your points are justified and I apologise for the many failings you encounterd whilst visiting. My only excuse is that Sundays are the busiest day and we commonly seat and serve over 300 people in 3 hours. My sincere apologies and I hope you will give us another chance.
annonymous 5 Nov 2007 - thanks. we are a very popular pub with walkers and I'm glad you enjoyed your visit.
hi1234 5 Nov 2007 - i'm sorry you don't like the 'improvements'. We changed the menu to reflect a fresher approach to cooking - there are no more microwaves in the kitchen and frozen food from Brakes is no longer purchased. Pubs which run large and seperate menus invariably skimp on the quality of their ingredients and cooking. There are plans to put more pictures back on the wall, just trying to find some that are appropriate. The beam was removed to open up the pub and let in more light. it also facilitates easier access to the bar for busy periods.
Sorry it wasn't very busy on sunday night - we had just done 324 covers for sunday lunch (undoubtedly the busiest lunch service within miles) and it was the end of Bonfire weekend - we were rammed from Thursday night through to Sunday afternoon.
General -
Our intention is to take the White Horse back to where it should be - ie the best pub in Surrey.
My experience in serving fresh, home made food in several very successful London pubs, led me to believe that the people of Surrey might enjoy something that was not microwaved or frozen.
Things change, pubs move on but this pub will emphatically stay a pub now instead of having a half ass attempt at a restaurant or turning into a wine bar like so many of our dismal pub neighbours.
Thanks to all for your comments (good and bad) and please keep them coming. feel free to message me at anytime. Now excuse me whilst I go and watch my chef cook up a fresh venison pie for dinner service tonight.
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anonymous - 5 Nov 2007 10:25, if you are seeking to defend this (declining) pub, it's best to use your username ! Otherwise your review could have been written by anyone eg. staff, owner, crony customer etc.. If you are new to this site, click on usernames and you will see where others have been and what they've written about other pubs.
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Visited this pub Sunday evening (7.30-9.00pm, 4 Nov 07) and were informed that it was under new management.
The charm and style of a once great pub has disappeared, along with the beautiful beams in the restaurant. Pack em in canteen style seems to have replaced the previous traditional style of dark red furnishings and old hunting pictures, and the result was a bland, cold and unwelcoming room. For the first time in 20 odd years, we walked into this pub to find no customers or atmosphere. Even the fire had gone out. It used to be crammed full of locals and visitors, plenty of noise and laughter, and roaring fires. We used to enjoy the traditional english food, chosing from an extensive bar menu and separate restaurant menu. Unfortunately the "improvements" mean that the menu has been reduced to a single list of pretentious dishes, that did not sound very tempting. We made do with a drink and then returned to Godalming for a kebab.
Please stop trying to "improve" these wonderful country pubs. Just look back at the reviews from 2005 and see how great it used to be. If people want a dire dining experience, there is ample choice in Guildford. Bring back the simple, traditional, quality english food that we enjoyed for 25 years, which made the journey from Hook Heath, and now Guildford, worthwhile.
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Visited the White Horse with group of 8 walkers on 4th November 2007 and totally disagree with the previous comments: we all found the food to be excellent, the service fast and cheerful, we enjoyed ourselves and would gladly return. The landlord told us that he had recently taken over the pub and is trying to establish a menu based on locally sourced fresh food. He recognises that the internal decor needs attention but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't let earlier negative reviews put you off giving this pub a try.
anonymous - 5 Nov 2007 10:25 |
Agree with last few reviews. This use to be a wonderful place and we had enjoyed several evening and weekend meals. We had booked in for a family meal last Sunday. We arrived to find a tiny table for 6 of us, a broken lighting fitting (making it very gloomy) and a artic breeze hitting us due to being seated opposite the open back door. When we eventually got a member of staff's attention, the female member of staff grumpily told us that the door had to stay open - she then added 'move if we could find a space' - she did this in such an awful manner that we left and probably won't ever return. What a shame!
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One visit here was enough for us, pricey and pretentious without the quality. Not worth the journey out so will stick with the safe and known ie the Three Compasses at Alfold. Visitors should beware, most of these so called country pubs are not what they appear to be. Guildforddrinker has also given two good recommendations below. However, the Jolly at Bramley is a little 'hefty on the shekels' also but very good. 4/10 and I really am being generous.
Biker - 31 Oct 2007 15:14 |
I`m totally with you Mr Q but we either go to Bramley (Jolly) or a little further on to Wonersh(Grantley) as this pub has changed so much.
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It's being going downhill for a while and it's pretty sloppy these days. The worst time to visit is when it's busy and you're hungry. The place is always packed which defies logic but unfortunately encourages complacency. The staff tend to get tired and so the service can be pretty unresponsive. The roast dinners are overpriced and invariably cold. One assumes they have to make them en masse (the roast potatoes are awful). The last time I was there I decided to play it safe and have bangers and mash. How hard could that be? The sausages were literally inedible. I was with polite company and didn't want to complain (which I regret) as I felt really quite angry. If you do visit, go when it's quiet and stick to the very decent beer selection. For food consider The Sun in Dunsfold (a lot more friendly and a lot less pretentious) or even head into Godalming and visit Bel and the Dragon where the food is only a little more expensive but infinitely better quality than the White Horse.
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Very Surrey but nevertheless good. Alays a few idiots who park their cars right outside blocking the road when there is extensive parking at the rear.
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A good pub, popular with walkers. Beer was good and this was one of the handful of places which served salad dressing with their salad. Very busy and deservedly so.
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One of the best pubs in the world. Excellent food, drink, and atmosphere. Good friendly service. Admittedly this does not come cheap, but makes a refreshing change from the second-rate chain oub nonsense served up in town centres.
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Extremely popular country pub. Very busy at weekend lunchtimes. Large garden with many benches for families & groups. Usually have a couple of real ales on.
Food, as with many country pubs, is the lifeblood of places like this and is very good. Have an extensive blackboard of specials, with some interesting dishes and several fish dishes.
Also a restaurant for 'finer dining' which is also recommended as a safe bet for a good dinner.
Richard - 23 Apr 2004 12:09 |
Popular and busy country pub serving delicious food, good beer and fine wines. Advisable to book on a Sunday, otherwise get there early. Walkers leave boots outside.
Walter Bilas - 10 Nov 2003 13:35 |
