please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Since the last review, the name has changed again. This place is now called the Alba. The food is still Italian-inspired. Ales were Oakham Citra & Truman's Runner. I also told a lie on my earlier review of the William Webb Ellis when I said it was the only new pub I'd found real cider in. The Alba had Weston's Rosie's Pig. There are also a number of craft beers served from the rear of the bar. This pub was much quieter than others in this area. But that made for a better atmosphere.
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'October 2: Re-naming and re-launch party at the Aleksander pub: they'll be showcasing their new kitchen, complete with wood-fired pizza oven and a genuine Neapolitan chef, Francesco. And there will be food and drink samples to try for free. And as if that wasn't enough, they have a great range of craft beers, so you can enjoy your very own comparative tasting; from 16:00 to 23:00. Contact: Roger Davy, the new landlord.'
Not tried at time of writing.
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Definite improvements at this formerly indifferent pub. I've been in a couple of times and tried 4 different Surrey Hills beers, all on excellent form. The decor is better and there is no longer music piped into every corner of the garden. I'm looking forward to trying the pizza/pasta menu and some more good beer.
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TThe Richmond times reports today (Sep 07 p. 25) that the pub is to be renamed the Aleksander (for their 2-year old son) by the new owners, Roger and Magdalena Davy. It will be relaunched as a free house and family pub serving pizza and pasta on October 2. A children's playground is promised.
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saw the Youngs signs being removed the other day, so the sale has obviously gone though, but the holding tenant has been given notice to quit from what the regulars have said ???
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From CAMRA Richmond and Hounslow website:
The Marble Hill (ex Rising Sun), 277 Richmond Rd, Twickenham has reopened. The new management have been given an 18 month tenancy after which its understood Sainsbury's have secured a deal with Youngs Pub Co. The pub is expecting to be 'free of tie' in a month or so and will then offer a number of interesting ales from independent breweries. A further two hand-pumps may also be installed if the demand is there. Currently only Youngs Bitter, Special and St Austell Tribute. A comprehensive range of quality food available. Opening times: 11(12 Sun)-11.
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Passed by yesterday - now open under new management. Has the threat from Sainsbury's receeded?
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Sadly, this pub's demise is imminent. Young's are due to exchange contracts with Sainsbury's Local by end April 2012. Very sad. (Coincides with the same fate for The Old Anchor less than a mile along the road).
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Reportedly on the market - Youngs are selling it.
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We had my girlfriend�s birthday party here last weekend and were extremely impressed by the organisation of the staff and management. The venue was very smart and ideal for a party with a live band. There was enough space for people to dance or sit and have a drink with friends, there was also a quiet courtyard at the rear of the venue to sit and take a break from the dancing. The canap�s and cupcakes went down a storm and enjoyed by everyone.
From the initially meeting through to the friendliness on the night I could not recommend this venue enough.
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Went along to the excellent Open Mic night - held the second Sunday of the month. Good atmosphere and an attentive audience. Pub was ok - not a great choice of drinks, only Youngs Bitter on, plus the usual array of lagers, and limited on the non-alcoholic drink front too. Staff seemed hard working and coupled with the quiet, back street location, this place could build up a good reputation as a music venue.
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I had the misfortune of being 'treated' to a meal at this eatery!!
According to the menu the meals are freshly cooked. If that is the case I can't help wondering why my chips were 'cardboardy' (suspect they were re-heated from the day before) and why the pot of mushy pea's had a crust, which when removed, had nothing underneath!!! Obviously the mushy pea's were dried out due to be anything but fresh!! The pate was very unyeilding in so far as it simply would not spread on the toast. When it was pointed out to the waiter that two of the glasses of wine had cork in the bottom he simply looked, said 'Oh' and walked away. Not the response I would expect given the prices they charge.
Would I recommend this place? No way - you couldn't pay me enough to ever return there!!
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Dull, Dull, Dull. This pub has the ambience of a morgue, ssssshhhhh
tilly - 21 Mar 2011 18:32 |
Not a bad llittle pub albeit a little bit overdoing it on the comfy chairs. That said a decent pint of Youngs Special at a good price. Was suprised that the place was almost empty at 6.30 on a Friday.
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The Marble Hill is a fantastic pub with a lovely atmosphere! The staff are far from sullen - they are friendly and welcoming. My husband and I were so impressed with the place that we decided to hold our wedding reception there earlier this year. Right from the start, the manager was extremely accommodating and friendly. It was very obvious that he cares and values his customers. Our night was well organised and ran so smoothly that we could just relax & enjoy it. All our guests commented on how nice the staff were, how good the food was and how great the pub is generally. The Marble Hill really helped to make our day very special & we will be forever grateful. I would recommend it to everyone!
AbbyR - 16 Nov 2010 23:00 |
Dreadful place. Looks lovely and has potential. Sullen staff. Overpriced for drinks and crisps etc. �1.50 for small pkt. crisps? Mid afternoon and empty. Glasses not collected and ashtrays not emptied. Ladies loo pretty dire as nappy changing table takes up whole area.
Service with a smile...................forget it.
.
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What a fantastic little pub! Directly opposite Marble Hill park so great for an after dinner stroll! The food is fantastic and the atmosphere is faultless, lovely little booths in the garden for the smokers among us and the prices aren't terrible either! I like to visit when popping in to twickenham as it's a convenient halfway house for me.
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My first experience of this fantastic pub was a sunday lunch with friends, we arrived mid morning not realising it wasn't open yet (as we had the children with us not hardened drinkers!) and they had no hesitation in letting us in and made us feel truly welcome. The service was great, food fantastic and the staff were warm and friendly.This positive experience lead to me booking this venue for my sons christening. After the service we were greeted by Oliver who had the prosecco on ice and duly served every guest on entry. The choice of food was incredibly varied, catering for all tastes which made for some tough decision making! The food was delicious and plentiful! To quote a guest "real posh nosh!" it was beautifully presented and served and nothing was too much for the staff, they catered for our every need, constantly asked if everything was ok, in short it was a great day and I would not hesitate in reccomending this venue for a special occaision. There is a great snug at the back of the pub, perfect for containing the children and also the park over the road was great to take the kids too when they got bored!
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What a gem! Clean, modern (yet cosy) shame that becuase of its residential location it does not attract more custom. Perfect for couples and those wanting to relax over a cool drink. Beer garden very nice at the moment but not sure it will age very well and lots of delicate features. Tried food last night and both my partner and I very impressed. A bit expensive but this would not put me off.
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We recently had our sons Christening lunch here, we were very well looked after, the staff and mgt v tolerant of children and the food very good. Great place teh staff very helpful and friendly and we had a very lovely afternoon. Also we went before for Sunday lunch which was also pretty good.
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Excellent Roast Beef Dinner today. Really like the new Management at the Marble Hill they are so switched on and have changed the ambience of the pub and will definitely go back for more delicious food and wine.
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The location is great and a decent pint of ale for a change
Me and the missus seen some top wines on the menu there... Paul Zinck, Robert Skalli (!) and a few others.
Good grub too!
Perfect pub? Well maybe not but very close.
Will surely have to come back to try some of the wines.
John
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Tried it out for Sunday lunch - friendly place and I quite like the decor, great place to lounge around. Slightly spoiled by one of the two barmaids being unnecessarily rude (twice doing a "talk to the hand" gesture when asking a simple question, then disappearing...) but maybe she was having a bad day, seemed a bit stressed. But would go back, food was good, beer was excellent....
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Tried the renamed pub this evening. Very nice well-kept pint of Young's Kew Gold (�3.10 - expensive but typical for this area). It's still one large barn-like room in three sections, each unfortunately with its own TV so you can't get away from it indoors. Outside in the garden area, there are covered booths which would be OK but they have piped music. Does anyone anywhere liked piped music? It was like sitting in a hotel lift.
Getting rid of two of the TVs and the piped music would be a big improvement. But tasty beer so we'll try this place again in a few weeks to see how it's going.
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This pub has been renamed The Marble Hill. The old website is defunct and there is no sign of a new one yet; there is a menu outside. I have taken lunch there once and can report that it is definitely a gastropub [i.e. cooked meals cooked to order] and doesn�t do �pub grub�. The naff decor created by Youngs� refurbishment only a year ago remains unchanged.
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This pub has reopened as the �Rising Sun/Marble Hill�, a �food led pub� under new management which is �open all day offering freshly cooked food, great ales/beers and specially selected wines�. The new tenant is Jamie McCarthy of Marble Hill [UK] Ltd, which is said to be backed by Chinese restauranteurs. I have a report of a friendly welcome the other day but have not yet been in myself. The website has not yet been updated. The pub has lost its entertainments licence so it is no longer a music venue.
Marble Hill is a very fine park opposite the pub stretching down to the Thames, so the Rising Sun, the White Swan and the Barmy Arms offer a congenial pub crawl from Richmond Bridge to Twickenham Riverside on a summer�s evening. There are loads of buses to get back to Richmond at the finish.
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The pub is shut most of the time now. The word on the street is that the current landlord will leave in June. It may become a gastropub. We must wait and see.
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I make no comment about this pub, as I haven't been in since the refurb - except that I've tried to, twice: one at lunchtime and once in the evening and both tiomes the place has been locked and dark! What the F is going on?
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I've had to write this pub off since the refurb, mainly because the opening times are unpredictable at best. In it's previous guise, it was a reminder of what pubs used to be, a place where you could go for a relaxing lunchtime drink if you needed a break from the daily grind.
Ok, the place was a bit shabby and you only had to follow your nose to find the toilets, but these are the things that give a pubs character, and the Rising Sun had it in spades! There was also the most amazing roast on the menu, just �3.99 for the kind of portion that would make the St Margrets Tavern's eye's water. It's a shame the place has gone the same way as all the competion in the area.
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Can't believe how this place has changed from the sad old man's pub it used to be, really comfy place very friendly staff. Have seen some great bands here at the weekends. Place deserves to do well.
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Well its open again and the bombardier was up to scratch.
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Closed for refurbishment; opens end September; the "history" page on their embryonic new website looks a promising sign of an interested and active landlord - here's hoping.
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Allegedly has new landlord. Reports welcome.
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I went to the Rising Sun last night & I must say I was pleasantly surprised!!
Looks a bit shabby from the street but more than makes up for it with good beer & a warm welcome! well worth a visit!
Lets hope when Youngs "do" the place up, this time they will actually think a bit & not make it a carbon copy of all the other pubs!!
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Unusual pub, sort of like a blast into an episode of Pheonix Nights. Haven't seen it packed unless there is a concert in Marble Hill park across the road and then a ton of very drunk people arrive to sing karaoke.
Sunday roasts are popular. I actually quite like the rising sun, it's one of the few non gastro pubs left in the area. Once The Crown closed it's doors on being a nice normal pub, it became our next port of call. One suggestion, the whole area is really missing a pool table --please!!! We are sick of gastro pubs!!
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Im sorry to hear the Jazz night is stopping on a Thursday. It will be a sad loss to the local community as they really managed it well. Please dont tell me the comedy night at the Turks Head is to cancel.
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Again, I am a local to the area.
This pub has a northern charm much like taverns I used to visit in the north of England.
The north of England 'pub' is loosing it's charm. I believe pubs like the Rising Sun will be more like my much loved warm, toasty, old school pubs, than the developing country up north. Not that the north's development is improving, just changing, what ever it I'm not happy and that's why I'm here.
Anywho, a lot goes on this pub and I believe there are loyal customers here. They have developed are really interesting set up of gigs and bands. Which, you would normally only see the likes of in Camden or Shoreditch or somewhere bloody ages away.
Unfortunately for this 'style' of pub people in St Margaret's don't want oldy worldy right now.
This may because there a many young families/ parents/ young adults here and they simply don't have time for an old school pub. They need high flying, bright, 'popular' pubs that make them feel in touch with the movement of the young people.
They love expensive cheap, second hand, mildy ruffled, arm chairs with modern art and a menu written on a black board. How gastro. How now.
Well the Rising sun has arm chairs that are great.
In regard to the food. I have not got round to trying a Sunday lunch yet, so it would be unfair to comment.
The alcohol is great. They have plenty and serve you at the table. Nice one!
Don't be put off if you go and it's quiet. Be clever and find out when a 'night' is on, and go then. Similar to a quiz night. You wouldn't go the night after, when everyone has been. Or maybe you would if you wanted peace.
Whatever, don't skit it until you tried it.
Sorry if my grammar and writing language is bad. I am not gifted with a pen (keyboard).
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Nice beer garden, charmingly situated infront of the park, shame theres a big road in the way and everything is concrete. Went inside for a lager, thought I had gone blind from thirst, couldn't see my own feet, smelt like my grans gin soaked living room and was just as exciting. Something reminiscent of the Mary Celeste, nobody around, then out of no where an eerie pale figure slid behind the bar, A GHOST! nah, that really would have been too exciting. In actual fact it was an lady who funnily enough did bear a startling resemblance to my gran. thats what i call excitement, well worth a visit, if you look like your in pain when you walk and enjoy the odd game of bridge with a large sherry.
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Went here a few Saturday nights ago having noted that it won some pub of the year award. It was terrible. Practically no one there and the atmosphere of a unpopular morgue.
matjc - 24 Apr 2006 00:15 |
food place not a pub my mums cooking is better and thats not great only keeps going i would think because of the entertainment
anonymous - 26 Jun 2005 16:21 |
They make you pay for 3 courses at the Sunday carvery when a starter (and dessert) with all that roast is entirely unnecessary. Food was good tho. Too much furniture. Felt uncomfortable in here, wouldn't go back.
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Without a doubt the worst Youngs special inside the M25 - in fact all the draught beer was crap.entertainment was good, but they cram way too many people in so the meal (part of the entrance fee) couldnd be eaten)
Harley - 8 Aug 2004 16:45 |
Beer nothing special; food ditto; tries way too hard to be a"comunity" local - comes over as desperate. Has Russian Scrabble set, which is a redeeeming novelty.
anonymous - 27 Jul 2004 14:31 |
Great neighbourhood pub! Went there last Friday night. Delicious steak pie, lots of tender meat, good pastry top. My sister had the fishcakes which she found tasty too. The entertainment was fun. Wonderful voices and great piano playing. An older crowd but lots of fun! My husband liked the beer. Service was friendly and fast.
Terry - 29 May 2004 13:31 |
I found the staff and manager rude obnoxious and ignorant, the food was bland and overpriced not a good atmosphere and the general feeling in the place is not a welcoming one as the staff seem so put out having to serve you.
Claire - 11 Apr 2004 17:04 |
Well i must disagree with the previous comment. We have found this pub to be great on a Sunday and mid week. Ths staff and management are good and friendly makeing a new customer feel very welcome. We have been told that the entertainment Fridays and Saturdays is very good, so shall try over the coming weeks. Sad to say there is no Port available, and the Youngs Speicial and Ordinary are nothing to shout about, but the place is relax and comfortable and the food excellent value.
anonymous - 7 Mar 2004 16:39 |
Rude manager and staff. Said to wlecome kids but go out of their way to make them uncomfortable. Roast on sunday was ordinary. Much better to be had in these parts
Sam - 28 Jan 2004 10:58 |
