BITE user comments - MutoBoxes
Comments by MutoBoxes
Interesting interior attempt at a modern bar, largely successful, but with some very odd seating arrangements (teetering stools and cushions at small, square tables). Beer was alright, but only that, which is surprising as I presume it's a marquee venue for Shepherd Neame (who, in my opinion, do make some fairly bland ale). Food and prices perhaps inflated to reflect the prestige for which the brewery is striving.
I wasn't tempted to linger, as, while very busy with an agreeable crowd of mainly young drinkers and diners, it wasn't very relaxing, feeling a bit like a drinking corrall before dining. It's also difficult to get to by anything other than car, which is a good way to keep out hardened boozers and barflies, I suppose. Despite my experiences, I did appreciate it was being enjoyed by the presentable, attractive and happy young folk there, which is far better than the dirty, dingey boozers frequented by aggressive yobs to be found throughout Chatham.
6 Apr 2015 18:31
Has been a Beefeater for as long as I a can recall, so beer is second place to food. I've eaten a few times here out of necessity and not been disappointed, but not overwhelmed either. Service is very slow, even at quiet times. Its location is the main selling point. You can take your lager or Spitfire (I'm sure that's about as adventurous as the range of ale goes) and sit by the banks of the Medway and watch the vessels drift by.
6 Apr 2015 18:12
Has been a Beefeater for as long as I a can recall, so beer is second place to food. I've eaten a few times here out of necessity and not been disappointed, but not overwhelmed either. Service is very slow, even at quiet times. Its location is the main selling point. You can take your lager or Spitfire (I'm sure that's about as adventurous as the range of ale goes) and sit by the banks of the Medway and watch the vessels drift by.
6 Apr 2015 18:12
Limited range of Sheperd Neame ales, but all well served by friendly staff. The building, being a former barn, natch, is large and open plan but doesn't feel vast and overwhelming. It's well lit and warm, although there is limited seating if you're not eating: I suggest it promotes and serves more as a restaurant than a pub. It's a bit anonymous - not unlike an upmarket Harvester-type chain - but agreeable, quiet and relaxing.
I stop here on the return from Bluewater sometimes, to take a load off and unwind. It's regularly patronised by workers on their way home, and early-evening diners (mainly families). Very much a destination to stop off at, rather than head out to, but worth doing so.
6 Apr 2015 17:51
Best pub in Gravesend! Fine range of ales, served well by friendly, welcoming staff. Had two very nice pints of Adnam's Ghost Ship, which I'd never found on tap before locally. Large bar at front was filled with lunch-time diners enjoying some decent looking food (didn't order lunch myself). Adjoined to the garden at the rear, which sits under a lovely, large tree, and appears to form part of the Elizabeth Gardens pedestrian thoroughfare along the river, so no views from the seating owing to the high sea wall, but nonetheless a very pleasant retreat from the town centre. It's a good enough reason to return to Gravesend, certainly by day- no idea if the clientele and atmosphere are any different by night. I hope it exercises a stringent door policy to keep out the yobs that spoil Gravesend for normal people.
Overall, this pub and the surrounding area are set to benefit from much needed redevelopment in the main town. I hope it doesn't change the pub though, as it's good enough as it is.
6 Apr 2015 17:38
Nice enough place. Quiet location away from the main town centre. Good sized garden with ample seating (in summer, 2014). Bar cramped with drinkers. Beer OK, but only stayed for one (not cheap, either). Might be a bit local for the unfamiliar - I got the sense that it was very much a local's pub, which, considering its residential setting and familiar banter at the bar, could be the case. I suppose its appeal must be it is away from the main town centre, which has a generous share of pretty awful places, although there are a few improving if you can find them. I was visiting with a friend from Palestine, Texas, who declared it the best pub he'd been to in Gravesend. That's a long way to come for a pint, so it must be doing something right!
6 Apr 2015 17:17
Credit where it's due, Wetherspoons pubs can and do stock a good range of locally brewed ale beside the usual corporate drop, and their venues can be an attractive addition to the business and legacy of an area (the Peter Cushing in Whitstable is a choice example).
The Golden Lion is not one of those pubs. It's a long, narrow dark place with an atmosphere of total intertia clinging to the walls. Staff are sullen and not capable of pouring a proper pint (have had constant duff finishes on ale served here; bottom-of-the-barrel perhaps?), food is gradually and indifferently served (a vegetarian breakfast was served as a full English replete with sausage and bacon by clueless staff), the punters are to a man decrepit soaks. This is at the lowest end of Wetherspoons pubs. Higher standards can be maintained by chain pubs, and this place needs a bloody good bucking-up; having said that, its puttered along in desultory fashion for years now, so the locals must be happy with it, and the management can't be persuaded to make things any better.
1 Apr 2015 18:12
Large box of a pub. Dark and gloomy in winter, not much better any other time of the year. Suffers from being a former fire station, the accoutrements and features of which have not been incorporated into the legacy and furnishings of the place, which is a shame, as it could have given a certain character to the pub despite the depth and unfriendly scale.
Main bar completely fulfils the Wetherspoons’ policy of providing a vertical drinking arena for patrons. Tables are located in sufficient number, but the considerable standing-room only space mitigates further against fostering a friendly atmosphere. A tall flight of stairs leads to a decently-sized upstairs bar, with sofas at one end, and more chairs and tables. This venue is better appointed with generous windows allowing in light, but distancing drinkers from a decent view of the High Street owing to the doubled glazing. Furthermore, the sills are coated in an inches-thick carapace-like blanket of pigeon shit, which has been undisturbed since the place opened.
Staff were usual vague ‘team’ of dull teenagers, competently dispensing drinks when roused from conversation and when they made fitful appearances from the kitchens.
Clientele at 12pm were hardened scattering of well-seasoned drinkers, finishing off their pints of breakfast. Thankfully, usual foul language to be endured in Kentish pubs from was at a minimum. Otherwise, a few groups and couples of elderly shoppers enjoying teas and coffees, the price and generous servings of which are one of the things Wetherspoons gets right.
Boring range of lager, a few ales and Guinness on offer, but I didn’t trouble them, opting instead for hot chocolate and toasted sandwiches. Have drunk before in here but nothing special about quality, serving or variety, certainly nothing that you couldn’t find it a branch closer to home, or in better, brighter condition.
Could be a really good venue, capitalising on its size and central location, but let down by indifferent, corporate and anonymous design, lay-out and management.
1 Apr 2015 17:01
The Oak On The Green, Bearsted
This is a very atmospheric pub with plenty of character, adjacent to and without very short walking distance from the large village green. The food is excellent, the beer well-kept and well-served by friendly and welcoming staff, and the clientele a lively, mixed bunch of families, ale enthusiasts and locals. The emphasis is on eating, and I got the impression most people were visiting with families and parties to dine.
The interior is ostensibly dark, but it isn’t at all gloomy and claustrophobic: the furniture and wooden fixtures are heavy, comfortable pieces like an old-fashioned country inn, and the vintage low ceilings are festooned with hops. The bar can be crowded, as it shares space with a dining area, but the business isn’t overwhelming.
I enjoyed Summer Lightning and Oak ale in here, which were both damned fine.
Parking is tight in the rear car park, as it’s always very busy, certainly during the day.
We parked in a side-road and walked.
A bit of a trek to get to, but well worth it.
7 Apr 2015 14:29