Woodman, Ide Hillback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The really good thing about this pub is how easy it is to use. There's loads of room so you can always get in, even on a Saturday night. Car park is massive too. Friendly staff and swift service. Nice atmosphere and clientele. The beer, wine and food are all pretty good and reasonably priced. Whilst I would not call this a foodie destination, it's always a nice experience to eat here. The South African specials are particularly good if you like that sort of thing (which I do). Music on Saturday night adds to the pleasure. So, whilst other places may score higher on individual things, this place ticks all boxes very well. Brilliant location too - feels like the back of beyond but very near M25, Sevonoaks etc.
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Great pub, loads of parking, nice beer garden. VERY friendly management and staff.
Food is great and every bit as good as you would expect from a pub. It is not a top restaurant, people should remember this. Some reviewers have slated it, well they obviosly are deluded.
I live some 5 miles from the woodman and I think it's worth spending 20-00 on taxis to get there and back for a good evening out.
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I've been going to this pub for roughly the last 5 years with my wife and her parents and it's always been a pleasant experience.
The beer is well kept (Youngs, Bombardier and Doom Bar were on last time we visited) and the food - whilst it won't blow your socks off - is consistently good.
It's a large pub in an old-country style but never feels too big as it has lots of cosy divided-off areas.
Ideal for families, easy access for prams.
Recommended.
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Having passed the Woodman en-route to Ide Hill & being impressed with the setting I booked a table for 4 on the 22/4.
The whole setting & the olde world interior leads one to believe that standards would be high.Regrettably that was not to be the case.
On entering the Restaurant we found out that it was a "DIY" operation.Ie the customers do all the work hopping up & down to order drinks/wine/first corse/second course/dessert/coffee even to finally paying the bill at the bar.
I found that amazing especially as there was at least 8 staff on duty.
The prices were certainly not even competitive �14 upwards for most mains.
After duly visiting the bar on 3 occasions to place orders .
The wine was brought to the table & plonked down with 4 glasses Staff evidently unable to open bottles & pour wine.
An order of duck bread was tough & impossible to cut with the cutlery supplied.The Venison S African casserole could have been any kind of meat as it had been cooked to death.It was served in a ridiculous iron couldron with a pot of rice.How was I expected to eat it out of such a ridiculous recepticle.A typical "JUNK GIIMIC" in my estimation.
On to the desserts Apple crumble was a some kind of apple slime surrounded with cream.Again complaints were made & some sweet yukky cheap ice creanm was served.Again complaints were made this time to the "Manager"Apart from deleting the cost of unsatisfactory meals & a request for the bill to be provided to us personally NOTHING HAPPENED.
THIS ESTABLISHMENT SUFFERS FROM BAD STAFF ATTITUDE PROBLEMS BEING A POORLY MANAGED OPERATION..
I SUGGEST "THE MANAGEMENT" TRAIN ALL THE STAFF STANDING AROUND CHATTING & DRINKING HOW TO OFFER SERVICE TO THE TABLES.QUALITY OF FOOD SERVED EMPLOY A CHEF WHO IS CAPABLE OF COOKING THE ITEMS ON THE MENU & REPLACE THE "BROUGHT IN DESSERTS" WITH HOMEMADE.
I would add that the Chaser in Sittingbourne is booked solid for the next 3 Sundays & Sophies choice A Restaurant with a high long term reputation provides excellent service to the tables wine is poured for sampling prior to filling all guests glasses subsequently.Allmain courses are circa �10 & a three course meal with wine & intro drinks is circa �25 This includes copious cups of Coffee with mints as well at the end .Tipping is a pleasure here .
Having worked for 30 years in Management in the catering Industry my advice to th "Management" of the Woodman is Leave the Indusrty & let someone take over who knows what they are doing & what the Competition is like.
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I read the last comment for the woodman and I have to say I haven't had a bad meal there. In fact when I go married in June 2011 we had our small reception there and they did us proud. The food was beautiful and the staff excellent. They helped make a special day even more special. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to others.
Mrsfm - 13 Jan 2012 16:12 |
The Woodman is a beautiful pub in a lovely setting and one I have told others to visit. I have only been here a couple of times previous to my not so good experience today and enjoyed each visit with good service and good food apart from some under cooked chips but nothing to moan about. Today however 13.08.11 I had a terrible experience. We set off at 14:30 for some lunch and as I have enjoyed the baguettes at the Woodman I suggested we go there. I ordered 2 Prawn Baguettes (usually come in the form of a sandwich) but staff were happy to accommodate our request followed by 2 BLT�s however one to be a sandwich and the other to be the usual baguette as stated on the menu and once again staff were happy to accommodate our request. When lunch arrived, the order of 2 BLT's were incorrect 2 baguettes appeared at our table so I asked the waiter to kindly take one back and have this made up as a sandwich as originally asked for. The sandwich came back minus tomatoes however we weren�t too worried about this. When eating both the BLT Baguette and BLT Sandwich it was quickly noticeable that the Chicken was not Breast (however not stated on the menu) but chicken that was of poor quality and contained, bone, skin and fat. I quickly apologised for the fuss but went on to show and tell the waitress this cannot be eaten so please can this be taken away and changed for something else. At this time the waitress mentioned it should be chicken breast, we showed her others wise. The next thing was just appalling. The waitress came back from the kitchen and said to us she would be happy to take another order for something else but we had to pay for it. I couldn�t quite grasp the fact we hadn�t eaten and had already paid for those meals but was now being asked to order and pay for another two meals. I asked the waitress if I could speak with the manager, however he was out. Then another lady sitting nearby called the waitress over and said her BLT was disgusting and she went on to say it looks like a chicken's foot is in her baguette (this isn�t a joke, however I can�t say I see this). The waitress then took this back to the chef. When the waitress came back we were once again told he wouldn�t be changing our food as no one else had complained earlier in the day. At that point I said how can he justify us not eating but having to pay for extra meals. When the waitress came back from asking the chef this question she then said he is now willing to change our meals. We opted for a sausage, cheese and onion baguette and just a normal cheese and tomatoe sandwich. The two meals arrived however the sandwich was a cheese and onion sandwich, so once again this had to be taken back as onion is a big no no for me. Finally the sandwich arrived. I never made a fuss that I had paid over the odds for a normal cheese sandwich as opposed to my BLT, however on the flip side I was not offered a drink or much of an apology. The chef on this day was Adrian and I will be contacting the manager to discuss this dreadful experience. I have never experienced this and what a shame however there is so many wonderful pubs within the vicinity so I will be making the most of them.
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On the basis of the comments below I visited this 'pub' for a bit of lunch and was slightly taken about by its vastness and character, to be honest and it wasn't all positive for all that.
If it had been branded like a Vintage Inn then I would not have been surprised although I realise that the food style was quite different and there was obviously a S. African influence with accents from the floor staff etc. and this has something to do with the owner's country of birth.
The food was OK to middling but the desserts were, in my opinion, rather expensive as was the filter coffee at �2.55p per largish cup/mug.
We'll probably go there again as it is a matter of change of venue from the pubs we regularly go to but it is certainly not one of the best but not bad, however.
Each to their own I suppose.
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Walked here at the weekend from Ide Hill village and had a brace of Speckled Hens whilst sitting at the bar.
This place is gorgeous inside with lots of nooks and crannies if you would rather tuck yourself away.
We didn't eat here but friends recommend the food and visit regularly.
The staff were very polite and friendly and the beer fine.
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Visited this pub on a Sunday lunchtime recently. As always, the food was very good and reasonably priced. The thing that lets the pub down for me a little is the beer and particularly the real ales which are always Youngs, Speckled Hen and Bombardier and none particularly well kept. All round the bar area walls are beer mats depicting many of my favourite ales from around the UK, but never have I seen any of these on draught. As far as I know the South African guy who runs the pub own it as well so not part of a chain. I guess though that as it's always popular and quite full at weekends he doesn't need to cater for us real ale drinkers too much.
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Been here twice now, beautiful pub, lovely decor and friendly staff. The food has been excellent on both occasions. There is a snack/sandwich menu and main menu plus lots of specials, so lots of choice, also food is served all day. Will be going again and would definatly recommend this pub.
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So nearly excellent. Nice atmosphere and two lovely pints of Youngs.
Food acceptable, but not special: 'Game Pie' was meat and gravy with one of those puff pastry lids dropped on top - not what I think of as Game Pie. Plates not warmed, and food on the cold side. Green beans beautifully done, and meat tasty, but cauli and greens watery and flavourless. Fab chips though!
All problems can be forgiven when staff are pleasant, and today they were absolutely lovely.
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Found this pub on 28 March 2010 � Nice atmosphere, very friendly staff and beer well kept. Nice pint of Wells Bombardier. The food that others had looked good and home cooked, in keeping with the rustic look. Sunday Roast was a bit disappointing. Good value, roast potatoes and veg all good, just let down by the meat. Very thinly cut, almost transparent looked and tasted like Fray Bentos. We would happily have paid a couple of quid more for hand carved slice.
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