BITE user comments - TrevorT
Comments by TrevorT
The Prince of Wales, Tunbridge Wells
Can't speak for the beer as I am always driving when I visit. However the food is excellent value, roast pork plus full works for �7 to full "like mum used to make" standard. Have also had a very tasty and tender steak there in the past.
Friendly staff and not too busy, a haven from the retail hell of the adjacent Victoria Place shopping centre and a good alternative to the "usual suspects" food court there.
2 Mar 2011 08:26
Pleased to see that this pub has suddenly (and justifiably) become so popular with this forum. I add my recommendations purely as a satisfied customer, nearby resident and someone who doesn't get to the pub as ofter as he would like!
22 Mar 2010 11:08
The Nevill Crest and Gun, Eridge Green
Note that the pub now seems to be closed for refurbishment although there is no signs indicating as to by whom. If it becomes part of the "Brunning and Price" chain it should be good, if pricey.
12 Dec 2009 23:38
My views stated in January still stand having visited again yesterday. Driving unfortunately so unable to sample any of the Badger Ales on offer. Once again went for the Steak and Mushroom pudding, lovely stuff and didn't really feel the urge to eat anything else until this morning.
Well worth a visit if you are walking on the Forest, or even if you aren't!
28 May 2009 12:03
Used to go here regularly 10 years or so back in the days when it was a King & Barnes house (RIP). Good food and ale was always assured and it was always busy despite being a little off the beaten track.
Visited this lunchtime - the first visit in several years. Found friendly attentive staff and excellent food. I love meat puddings but don't do kidney so when I saw Steak ale and mushroom pud on the menu there was no other option. Large, tasty and with a good serving of proper veg it kept me going for the rest of the day. Driving so unable to sample the ales (now from Hall and Woodhouse). Also do small (yet still quite generous) portions of some meals for those less hungry than I!
28 Jan 2008 22:48
Renewed my acquaintance with this pub today after a gap of several years. Nothing seemed to have changed - good unspoilt pub, excellent pint of Harveys and a barman who seemed genuinely pleased to see me. Mustn't leave it so long before going back!
31 Dec 2007 23:24
Visited for a pint and a bite to eat today. Got there just in time to get a seat at around 1245. Good pint of best (although in view of the proximity of the Brewery I wouldn't have expected otherwise), friendly staff and a good value plate of Gammon and Chips promptly served.
Justifiably popular.
31 Dec 2007 23:16
Visited today at lunch time - first visit for many years.
Comfy interior, nice pint of Old, unfortunately couldn't see anything on the menu that took my fancy so off to the John Harvey....
Looked to be a nice pub tho' from my brief visit.
31 Dec 2007 22:09
Visited this pub just before Christmas on a Thursday lunchtime. A vast improvement on the dump that it was before, although I though the interior decor was a little sterile IMHO. Only a handful of people in there, my wife and I opted for burgers, 1 Carnivorous, 1 Veg. In spite of the pub being quiet seemed to take a long time to arrive. However what did arrive was good, chunky chips, a proper homemade burger with nice garnish. I thought the food represented value for money although the menu choice did seem on the short side.
30 Dec 2007 22:04
The Mark Cross Inn, Mark Cross
Visited yesterday evening and enjoyed a very nice meal (featuring proper hand cut chunky chips and a proper enormous hand made steak burger) and a few very pleasant pints of ale from the Westerham brewery - crystal clear and well kept.
Definitely a "foodie" pub but a good one IMHO
25 Nov 2007 22:28
Further to my previous comment the pub has been closed since the spring for a fairly serious and probably expensive makeover. It is due to reopen next Saturday and the signage indicate that it is to be a "family friendly" pub.
If it gets it product and pricing right (and some decent real ales) it should clean up as there are many families who life within easy walking distance. Presumably all the chavs who used to frequent the place will now take their trade elsewhere.,
Watch this space for a comment when I got to try it out!
21 Sep 2007 21:33
Visited on a grey Dungeness day " between trains" on RH&DR - their station is a few minutes walk away. I believe that the pub is converted from an old army building - it doesn't look much on the outside but the inside is roomy and confortable and tastefully decorated with lots of local memorabilia and pictures.
A Sheps pub, nice pint of Masterbrew. Standard pub fare menu, I don't do fish but my Chilli was just the right "hotness" for me and good value. A quick look at the other punters meals suggested that you get a decent plateful and it all looked appetising - the chips also looked as thought they may have been home made!
Verdict: nice pub in this most distinctive of places.
23 Aug 2007 21:22
Visited recently on a Monday with my two young daughters and their Grandparents. Excellent childrens play area, massive climbing frame, trampoline and bouncy castle (not inflated - probably not much demand on a Monday in term time)plus some farm animals to look at.
Driving so unable to comment on beer quality -Harveys Best and Tom Paine seasonal on the pumps. Seemed quite busy with diners, sausage and chips all round for us - nice sausages sadly the chips looked as though they may have been rejected by McDonalds for being too skinny - I like my chips chunky. Menu looked ok, not cheap.
Verdict: A good place to go if you have kids in tow (and it is a fine day), for grown ups the Peacock and Griffin (both around a mile away) are probably a better bet.
11 Jul 2007 11:17
Have been visiting this pub (with long intervals between visits) for around 25yrs! Visited last night with friends for a meal which proved highly enjoyable. I had Steak and Guiness Pie which was crammed with tender steak, others in the group all enjoyed their meals, good choice including veggie, not cheap but I considered it offered good value.
Couple of minor gripes. Some extra gravy with the pie would not have come amiss and if you are paying �1.60 for a coffee I would expect at least one "waffer thin" mint and a refill would also be good.
Harveys Best, Green King IPA and Fullers London Pride on offer. Lovely old building, nice gardens, very popular so I would book if you are tempted to visit.
1 Jul 2007 20:51
Visited today at lunchtime - arrived just before noon and therefore missed the "finish early today as it is the Friday before Christmas" crowd - or perhaps it is always that busy!
Had a very fine pint of Old together with a very pleasant good value home made burger. This came with a very impressive salad (pity I don't do greenstuff) and very fine chips which could possibly have been home made. The other meals passing by me looked equally as appetising.
...and then the short walk over the road to stock up with some Christmas draught carry outs at the shrine which is the Brewery Shop!
22 Dec 2006 23:30
Visited this pub last Friday - a sweltering hot day. A small group of us wished to partake in drinks and a quick snack. Arriving at around 1230 there was no sign of life of custom until a gent who appeared to be working on the roof advised us that the pub didn't open until 1300!!
We waited patiently in a shady part of the garden - my young daughter played on some of the play equipment(a relic of the days when this pub was geared to the family market) - unfortunately much of it appeared to be covered in "Guano"! so she was discouraged!
Come 1300 no sign of life - however a door appeared to be have been opened so I went to explore the gloomy interior. The roof repairer was now serving behind the bar and cheerfully advised me that there was no food as the kitchen was being refurbished.
...There also appeared to be no customers either! Waste of a once reasonable pub - either someone needs to invest serious money in trying to win back the family market (of which there are many within easy reach) rather than the "alcochavs", or it will be houses within a few years.
24 Jul 2006 21:57
Visited on a glorious evening, Tom Paine was crystal clear and perfect - have yet to try the food. I don't recal having any substandard pints here.
21 Jul 2006 19:47
Nice old pub in attractive rural setting. Harveys house with a good selection of their excellent beers. Visited on a Sunday when it was packed with folks indulging in the Sunday carvery which looked very appetising. I understand that there is a full menu on weekdays, on Sundays ploughmans, sandwiches and baguettes replace this.
I opted for a sausage baguette (generous serving, proper butchers sausage) together with that rarity of rarities, real home made chips!! Nice pud as well (Blackberry and apple crumble).
Outside there is a large garden with plenty of seating and a large climbing frame/slide for children to amuse themselves on. A word of warning - there are quite a few places where small children can escape to as we saw (fortunately he was discovered hiding in behind a shed).
Difficult to get to without a car - there is a sporadic weekday bus service stopping outside which would enable a daytime "mini crawl" as it passes the Brecknock Arms, another Harveys house, a few miles down the road adjacent to Frant station.
14 May 2006 21:52
I used to be a fairly regular visitor to this pub and returned today after an absence of nearly 5 years. In the intervening period I am pleased to see that the principle of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" has been applied.
This means that I still found a good range of well kept real ales (local and also from further afield), good pub food reasonably priced and a characterful old building with fine views of countryside and coast (although not today due to the weather). In fact I couldn't detect any significant changes! The climbing frame and playhouse looked to be worthwhile additions to the garden but our young daughters didn't "road test" these due to the rain!
Special mention to the very hardy petanque players who seemed to be playing a match on the boule piste despite the wind and rain!
15 Apr 2006 21:38
My previous and only other visit to this pub was on 24 March 1984 - a small group of us had set ourselves the task of reviewing all the pubs in the Town and recording our thoughts in a "little red book". I note that on that day the pub was a Whitbread house serving a good pint of Fremlins (R.I.P.), had 2 dart boards, jukebox and bar billiards tables and was in a Pontoon league. The most exotic food item on offer was a Nestle "animal" Chocolate bar!
Forward 21+ years, the pub has been in the hands of "Sheps" for a good few years and myself and my wife are visiting with fellow members of the baby group. What do I find? Stripped floorboards, "wine bar" ambience, real fire, no pub games, a reasonable pint of real ale and superb food at a sensible price. Not a huge menu but what was on it looked and tasted good - real hand made chips and the tenderest steak that I have eaten in a very long while, rich "Jaffa Cake pudding" dessert. Pub has recently gone "non smoking" which is fine by me. Background music (at proper background volume) for the evening was "Motown's greatest hits" - also fine by me!
Conclusion. Probably the way forward for many pubs especially in TW with it's up market restaurants and the usual selection of "Pitcher and LittenSpoons" in the town centre for the kids to drink themselves insensible in. Those grieving the loss of the "spit and sawdust" local would probably see this as a retrograde step, myself who would like a decent pint and good food in an "adult" non smoking environment is quite happy - when can we get a pub like this in Crowborough?
26 Nov 2005 08:02
The Nevill Crest and Gun, Eridge Green
Visited today and sat in the sunshine outside. Impressively and no doubt expensively refurbished but it does this lovely old building justice. Food not cheap (�10+ for burger and chips) but a cut above so I consider it good value. Good beer range, served a little too cold imho but otherwise well kept.
Although there were children eating at the pub it is not particularly child centric, my wife pointed out that all the dishes that could be served "child size" contained alcohol! Despite the large garden there was no children's play equipment which may or may not be a good thing depending on your views on children in pubs.
30 Apr 2011 20:36