BITE user comments - Soldrax
Comments by Soldrax
I like wierd, and I like quirky. I like food, and I like ale. So this place should work well.
Certainly, I have always been made to feel welcome by the operatic landlady - but the clientele is limited to the same very small clique of "characters" each time I go there.
Through no fault of the hosts then, it has lacked atmosphere on the times I have popped in. Maybe more obscure choices of ale would lead to a more eclectic bunch of folk, or perhaps I've just not times my visits well.
I do like it though, and will keep popping in, hoping that it becomes one of the new gems of Ramsgate - it has many of the right ingredients.
The sign on the outside of the pub is absolutely awful though.
3 Jan 2013 15:13
I don't know what is done in the "cellar" of this pub, but any beer drunk here tastes better than anywhere else, including at the breweries from whence they came! This may seem like hyperbole, but I am being absolutely serious when I assert that.
The banter among all of the customers in this small pub, and the lack of any non-ale distractions make this the original and the best Micro-pub. Always worth the schlep!
3 Jan 2013 15:07
Colin: a real gent who makes for a nice pub - micro or otherwise.
The ale choices can seem to be chosen by proximity to the pub rather than by quality or style though - so I can be drowning in lacklustre choices from Gadds' [sic] or Wansum (that's not to say all their beers are lucklustre), rather than something a little more engaging from further afield.
That said though, I have tried some lovely things there at times - trouble is, I always feel like it will be a loteery as to whether there will be some style of beer that I will enjoy when I visit.
3 Jan 2013 15:03
I don't know if the pipes aren't cleaned enough, or whether beers sits in the cellar too long, but on my last three visits, I have been unable to finish a pint. Adnams Broadside and Youngs Best were my choices, and I ust admit it ruined my stay.
In fairness to the landlord, the pints were taken back without any funny business, but needless to state, it can put you off choosing it as a place to sup.
A pity, because both the the location and ambience I quite like.
3 Jan 2013 14:57
When beers are on, they are very good. The landlord shows enough humility to ask advice of those he knows have a decent degree of knowledge of ale.
The landlord and landlady are both very welcoming - though at times there are staff serving at the bar who are best described as chocolate teapots: they are unable to multi-task and serve drinks at such a ponderous pace as to annoy.
The clientele is definitely different from other Ramsgate pubs. They're better washed than Belgian bar customers, but still have a whiff of the Guardian about them. Still, you can't have everything.
3 Jan 2013 14:53
The landlord (Nigel) is a very odd sort. Made us feel very unwelcome until he thought that he could get something from us, at which point he warmed up considerably. Beer very poorly kept and ludicrously priced in comparison to all the other ale purveyors in this part of Kent.
He's opened a second ale spot in Broadstairs in an old bookshop - I wonder if he will try and get that beer to cellar temperature?
7 Nov 2012 17:02
Beer not cooled effectively and not much atmosphere from the people sitting in there, each one minding their own business.
7 Nov 2012 16:59
A landlord who is a proper gentleman, and who follows the ethos of the Butcher's Arms in most ways - but is too nice a chap to carry off the curmudgeonly qualities that Martyn Hillier has made his own!
I love the pork pies, and the ale is kept scrupulously well.
I sometimes fear the choice of beers has been made by the heart rather than the head though, and sometimes, I see a range of local beers rather than a range of tasty genres.
31 May 2012 21:10
Always a nice drop of beer, and with the feel of a side-street local which is all too painfully rare these days.
I enjoy this pub a lot, though the hours do mean that I don't get to visit as often as I would like.
31 May 2012 21:07
I now feel rude if I return a bad pint in this place (though the staff never begrudge it when I have done), I simply leave it.
The landlord seems a nice chap, but I wish he could improve his choice of ales and keep them fresher.
Would love to use this pub more if that was done.
31 May 2012 21:05
The Churchill Tavern, Ramsgate
A very nice chap as landlord, but rather than keep good beers on the bar (often stale and inspid beers), the good stuff is "out the back" for those that ask.
Perhaps putting on one less ale on the bar so as to increase turnover of the remaining ones would be an answer.
31 May 2012 21:03
My favourite local ale house. Will be happier when the stained glass is finally fixed - will make it easier to get in and out of again!
Ale always well-kept, but one pump always has the dreadful Doombar - this is usually made up for by an obscure smattering of excellent guests however.
31 May 2012 21:01
Curmudgeonly banter and a place unapologetically about the ale. I could not ask for more . Or rather, I don't need to ask for more, because best of all the cellarmanship here is absolutely first class.
Martyn could double his prices and probably not lose so much as one punter, or see a drop in beer turnover.
The only trouble with a place this good, is that I end up buying a huge amount of take-home beer (kids, sweet-shops, you know the sort of thing).
I love the eclectic mix of folk who come here too, every one a character at that. I travel here with friends from Ramsgate (about 18 miles away) as often as we can. A more uplifting pilgrimage I cannot think of.
31 May 2012 20:58
Four Candles, Broadstairs
Beer better cooled, and banter more free from folk now. Very friendly welcome from the lovely lady who works there on Wednesday evening.
4 Jan 2013 19:18