BITE user comments - BarryH
Comments by BarryH
Called in the day before attending a family funeral as the deceased was a regular.
Clean and tidy, but no hand pulled ale. Bar staff explained that it was 'difficult to keep'. Was surprised to find that they didn't even stock any bottles of the local Cuillin beers.
27 Jul 2010 15:35
Shame this has a listing at the end just because it is technically in Wallacetown as opposed to Ayr. It's only a few hundred yards across the bridge and it's without doubt the best pub around. The beer is cask ale, not hand pulled, but excellent nonetheless. It's populated by a welcoming group of discerning locals and looked after by two charming ladies.
Our golf tour ended up there last week (3 June 2010) and enjoyed Red McGregor and two other guests.
Compared to the ale desert that surrounds it, Geordie's Byre is an oasis.
9 Jun 2010 16:26
Was working at Heathrow for a few days and was guided to this pub by this BITE site. Good range of well kept beers, including a topical set of 'electoral' choices. My colleague and I chose Spitfire and were not disappointed.
Friendly and efficient staff exuded quiet pride in what they were doing and the establishment in general. Leaflets describe a promising and interesting range of guest beers to be available across the summer.
Definitely worth a visit and, despite being just yards from the castle wall in the heart of Planet Tourist, prices are not unreasonable (�2.75 per pint).
We didn't eat, but the menu looked 'pub heritage' style with the odd twist.
29 Apr 2010 08:46
This is a little gem and it's not surprising that the reviews are all positive. The one that isn't relates to a Sunday lunch episode and I don't think you can judge any pub on the mayhem that this usually involves for all.
Any other time you can eat in the restaurant or the bar and have the same superb choice of menu. The food is imaginative and excellent but it isn't cheap: expect restaurant quality and restaurant prices to go with it. That said, they have a range of more 'pub food' offerings as well, such as burgers and sandwiches.
As to the beer, Farmers is not often found but is worth trying. When we visited (for dinner Wednesday 7 April 2010) they also had a well-kept guest in the form of Jennings Bitter. Well worth a visit.
16 Apr 2010 16:08
OK, so it's Planet Cricket, but it's done with a touch of humour rather than reverence. The beer's OK and the furnishings the same. It was quiet and the service was responsive . The beer is reasonable but it's a shame there are no guest ales. Didn't eat, so can't really comment.
I wouldn't make a special journey to visit it (we're from Matlock in Derbyshire, staying with family a short walk away), but given its immediate rivals - the weekend zoo of the Moon and the shambles that is the Crown & Horseshoes - it should do well.
7 Jan 2010 17:03
Typical Wetherspoons establishment with reasonable selection of ales - different each visit. Can be a bit of a zoo at weekends.
19 Nov 2009 17:00
This pub is shabby and the fabric is very tired. This is a shame because it has a fantastic site, right on the New River and with a huge beer garden. Called in on Monday 21 September 2009. The usual GK offerings on hand pump - IPA, Abbot - were OK and the staff were friendly enough if a little disengaged. The general air of delapidation discourages eating. Without some money spent on it, this pub is going to get a kicking from the very adjacent Cricketers which is currently closed for refurbishment.
24 Sep 2009 10:29
Didn't eat here, but it's a good beer pub. Our golf trip made this our 'local' for the duration after the shock that was Aikmans Cellar Bar (see separate review).
They stocked a good range of well-kept beers, including the local (Perth ) Inveralmond Ossian. Staff happy to provide a sample and very responsive.
8 Jun 2009 10:32
Aikmans / The Cellar Bar, St Andrews
This place is awful. It hasn't seen a paintbrush in decades. Nor has it troubled the hygiene industry much over the period. The toilets are a disgrace.
If you dedide to ignore my advice and venture down the steps for a drink, here's a tip. Either stand, or grab one of the stools that has had its upholstery stripped off. It may be uncomfortable, but it will avoid the smell of Aikmans sticking to your clothing.
8 Jun 2009 10:27
I'm happy to declare my bias in that this little hidden gem is my principal local. Pat & Emma, who took it over in 2007, run a friendly well-kept house with 7 real ales on tap. Pat is a restaurant standard chef and his pies (choice of filling and crust) are very popular. It does get very crowded, especially when people are eating - it's not really designed to cope. On a fine summer day there's nowhere better to enjoy a perfect pint with a view. Dogs are welcome and Mud, P&E's chocolate lab, is a tolerant hostess.
Last year, Greene King bought out the small local pubco that previously owned it. This resulted in some overdue investment in the fabric and facilities, but sadly they did insist on taking out the Deuchars.
Highly recommended - just don't take my seat.
16 Oct 2008 09:46
The Princess Victoria, Matlock Bath
Good news. This pub has recently been taken over by the owners of Old Poets Corner in Ashover which has its own micro-brewery. They have put the decor back to something more appropriate - stone floor and leather chesterfield style seating - and installed a range of their own beers. One Batemans beer was still available when a mate and I had a quiet evening there. Recommended.
18 Mar 2011 11:51