BITE user comments - Gorodish
Comments by Gorodish
The Cumberland Arms, Tynemouth
One of Tynemouth's more traditional pubs, catering for a mostly - but not uniquely - mature clientele. The small front bar is ultra-trad, with a nautical feel - unsurprising given the location (the North Sea is at the bottom of the street). There's then a narrow seating/standing area parallel to the bar before the large, more modern rear section. Decent selection of real ales including the local Mordue Workie Ticket etc.
3 Aug 2007 15:06
Changed in 20 years? I don't think so - in fact I know so, because I drank there then, and can testify that it has hardly changed at all. This is to the bar's credit. Why change a cool classic? Having said that, it could really improve a few things in order to keep up with (or ahead of) the competition. First, the toilets are a disgrace - this is no longer a sign of edgy nonchalance. It's just lazy and shows contempt for the paying customers. Second, the beer is not bad, but the range is ludicrously limited. when places like Tilley's, Bodega, Forth, Head of Steam * the Ouseburn pubs are galloping ahead, the Trent is lagging badly in this respect.
Yes, the jukebox, decor, in-jokes etc are great, but there's something a bit 'rest on your laurels' about it when it clearly has the class to go 'ha!' from time to time.
1 Aug 2007 16:00
Having been a semi-regular at the old Bacchus, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the new bar. Of course it's not the same, but piecing the old place together would have been impossible, and absurd. (Shouldn't have knocked it down in the first place, but that's another issue.)
Fist off, the beer choice - and quality - is excellent. The clientele is as mixed and as un-charverish as you could want. The design is, I think, tasteful - not garishly trendy, but not affectedly Olde Worlde. The old black mark is the Burberry carpet on the stairs which, in any event, is looking a bit tatty already.
Good 'snug' area for cosy gatherings.
Decent wine - but a bit pricey.
1 Aug 2007 15:32
On a visit to the area, was recommended this pub and didn't regret the tip. In fact, I went back several times. Beer garden excellent, beer just as good - local real ales - and staff pleasant. (In fact, one of the bar staff was very fetching - say no more.)
Locals seemed a relaxed bunch who weren't put out by outsiders. Experienced none of the stuff posted by others, have to say.
1 Aug 2007 15:25
Good looking bar - obviously new, but made to look old. Doesn't sound like it should work, but it does.
Nice staff, passable food (a bit overpriced though) and a great pint of Hoegaarden - funny I had to ask for the wedge of lemon, but that's hardly a big grouse.
1 Aug 2007 15:21
I blow hot and cold with this pub, because I've had good and bad sessions here over the years. Conclusion: it's pot luck. Yes, it often gets full of the worst the 'stag/hen/chav' modern pub scene has to offer. Take Bungie's point about prats spoiling for fights and about nasty women - but the fact that none of them have ever draped themselves around me does nowt for my self-esteem. Certainly not the classiest bar around, but to be fair, I've been in here and the atmosphere has been fine, with a fair mix of people. The bar staff and door staff have been OK too, and that's good considering that the bar staff often have to work their butts off. As the man says, one of the better pubs on the South Parade strip - but it's all relative.
1 Aug 2007 15:06
A mile or so north of Whitley Bay town centre - but good for a stroll along the coast. Almost certainly the best pub in the area for real ale - the regular mini-festivals are excellent, with some obscure gems, and all well-kept.
Comfortable - but, being near the golf course, and in an affluent area, it gets a matching clientele. And the crowds at the weekends, on the look-out for the food can get a bit much. But there are far worse things - especially in the Bay!
1 Aug 2007 15:00
This pub has been no better than average for years - but things may be looking up! On a recent trip, the manager talked a good talk: he said that there'd be a refurb soon that would see 6 cask ales installed (there are no more than 1 or 2 at present). Also, he wants to see more freshly prepared food rather than the catering pack stuff. We ordered a Sunday lunch, and 15 minutes later (which I didn't think was too long) we heard him asking his kitchen staff about it. All without us asking (it arrived soon after). Promising.
1 Aug 2007 14:54
Turks Head Hotel, Tynemouth
Arguably Tyemouth's best trad pub. Front area - where the big TV screens spoil the effect a bit - gets a bit over-blokey. Best to slip down the side to the cosy rear bar. Good choice of real ales on draught and in bottles. Music can get a bit intrusive sometimes. Known locally as the 'Stuffed Dog' due to the presence of said canine in a glass cabinet set into the wall. Story goes it was the pet of a regualr many years ago. How much character do you want?
3 Aug 2007 15:10