Old Beams, Shenley Lodgeback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
St Patricks Nite on 17 March was such a disappointment. We paid �20 apiece for a meal (which was awful), live music (which could barely be heard above the noise) and Irish dancers (who we couldn't see because all the other non-paying patrons got the better view!) We were asked to stand behind the bar to see the dancers, who only came on for about 10 minutes for their first stint. We were cramped, uncomfortable and getting in the bar staff's way. When we returned to our tables we had to shoo away people who had taken our seats, and two minutes later the miserable-looking, very unfriendly pub landlord/manager came around collecting money, apparently for the dancers! We'd already paid for this event, most people didn't even see the dancers and we still had to fork out for this privilege! They kept letting people into the pub until it was so cramped that people were practically standing on top of us, and we left in disgust before 10pm. Will never go here again, felt quite ripped off!
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Decently restored pub with McMullens ales (Country Bitter very good) and food very acceptable at a reasonable price. Friendly staff and service usually quite sharp too. Well worth a visit.
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A strange mix of old and modern, this is apparently the result of a large fire a few years ago that destroyed much of the original building. That being the case, they�ve done a sympathetic job of restoring it, and whilst it inevitably doesn�t have quite the character that it must have had before, it�s nonetheless a pleasant enough place.
It�s a good sized pub with a decent patio area on one side with plenty of tables, many of them covered. Inside, the main room is a cavernous affair with a large vaulted ceiling and plenty of wooden rafters and beams. Whilst these are presumably not original, they�re attractive enough, and there are one or two upright support columns that certainly do look to be original. The flooring here is polished wood, and there is also a small amount of wood panelling on one of the walls. It�s an L-shape room that leads on round to another area with a large fireplace and a huge stack of logs.
In the other direction, past a slate tiled area with several low leather sofas and arm chairs, you come to a separate bar with a much cosier character. The ceiling here is quite low, there are wooden beams supporting it that are suitably sagging, pine flooring, another fireplace and canary yellow paint along with a few black and white pictures on the walls. All the tables were laid up for food though. The landlord could have been a bit more cheerful, and an acknowledgment or apology while I was waiting wouldn�t have gone amiss.
Food features prominently here and there was an extensive menu divided in to sections such as Char Grills, Fish & Salads, Main Courses, etc., with most of the mains being around the �8 - �10 mark. What I had was ok, although nothing special, and arrived suspiciously quickly. Couldn�t they at least try and pretend that it�s not straight out the micro-wave?
Only two beers on tap, both from the McCullen brewery, the rather unimaginatively named Cask Ale and Country Bitter. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately.
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I've been here since it was repaired after the fire. This pub has lost its soul. It is an estate pub now, albeit a good one.
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Agree with deliveryman - they've done a decent job of rebuilding this place. Nice large patio by the pond and inside there is now more room by the bar. Have heard mixed views about the food and the menu doesn't look as enticing as previously. However, a nice place to stop for a few beers.
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Hi all The pub is now open July 07 after a complete re build,a very good job indeed, good food.
worth a try!
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Recently burnt down. True! Just to save you a trip. Hopefully they will rebuid it - it was pretty good.
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This place was excellent. Good food, good service and good environment. The staff were the most knowlegable and confident about cooking for people with special diets that I have ever met. And I should know ordering special food for 20 years! Brilliant!
julen - 16 Mar 2005 13:54 |
This is my local pub. The beer is good with one or two guest beers from time to time, selection of whiskies is OK and plenty of fresh and packet bar snacks to choose from.
The 4-strong management team (husband and wife managers with husband and wife deputy managers) are fairly miserable most of the time for some reason, maybe low pay, long hours, ambitions not fulfilled, low opportunities... I simply don't know. They have difficulty smiling and don't often make friendly conversation, although they can converse well if the topic is interesting. Sometimes they are grumpy and don't seem to like kids very much.
The hired bar staff are mostly friendly, but change from time to time and again a bit of customer service training would not harm. Whatever happened to the busty barmaid??? Those lumps would take our minds off the grumps.
The managers (came in about a year ago) have improved the quality of the restaurant and bar food no-end, before then it was unacceptable (flies still on lettuce is a classic can't-be-arsed chef). Now I'd say is was generally good without any disappointments so far for the last year or so.
Kids are welcome before 9pm with adult supervision, but they don't like them going to the bar!!!
The central area of the pub is smokey so plenty of passive smoking most of the time. The non-smoking end is pretty fresh and often the smoking opposite end is usually fairly smoke free.
We used to enjoy the daily newspaper in the gents, especially when still hungry, but the new managers don't seem to have the time or the inclination to put a sheet or two up anymore.
If you don't mind grumpyish and non-smiling staff, the service itself, restaurant and bar, is good, the beer is good and the food is now good, so overall 7 out of 10 is fair, with some genuine smiles that could go to 8+.
In winter, if you have no kids, plan a visit after 7pm to avoid the odd screaming kid, with kids plan to leave before 7pm or 8pm. In the summer kids are generally around up to 9pm to 10pm outside, but most types of punter seem to enjoy the garden.
When your kids are outside there's no enclosed seating / play area, so make sure they don't run into the estate road or pub drive, or climb on the antique hay cart or tree, we know of 3 broken arms already from kids falling out of the tree and there's a 5ft deep pond where non-swimming kids and toddlers will surely meet their doom if not watched closely.
The brewery should erect a kid-proof fence to enclose a seating or play area, maybe with a play sand-pit and small climbing frame with padded floor. If you're outside you'll need to watch 'em closely, especially toddlers and under 5s. The pond does dry out during the summer usually, so the danger from drowning receeds when the water is low.
IT - 8 Apr 2004 08:44 |
Looks nice and cosy when you walk in, all oak beams and soft lighting, but turns out to be a grossly unfriendly pub with rude staff and delusions of grandeur. Couldn't tell you what the beer or food is like as the staff's attitude wound us up so much we walked out. Avoid it like the plague
Tim - 29 Mar 2004 15:50 |
Hi Guys, its Sarah. This place is my new local. its one of those olde worlde pubs that Mk is so famous for with the low beams that threaten anyone over 5'8 with concusion. But the beers nice, the atmosphere is warm and friendly and the food is highly recomended, very british (meat pie and jam roly poly pudding all the way) and quite cheap. Also what with it being a local pub ite relatively free of kids as long as you avoid Sunday afternoons. If anyone wants to come visit I'll take you there..
Sarah - 24 Oct 2003 21:43 |
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