BITE user comments - Zaphod_Beeblebrox
Comments by Zaphod_Beeblebrox
The Kings Arms, Saffron Walden
This pub is massively improved over my last comment. The ale quality is good and service is friendly. The pub has been redecorated but has been unaltered so retains its character.
8 May 2012 00:06
The Eight Bells, Saffron Walden
Very good food, with good sized portions and consistently good quality ale and good service. The prices may be a bit high but could be argued as good value for such a high quality establishment.
8 May 2012 00:01
Friendly pub, good food, good beer although in my opinion the real ale is served way too cold.
13 Jul 2008 20:41
The Crown and Thistle, Great Chesterford
Excellent food, beer and service. Quiz master on Thursdays can be a bit of a pratt but you can't have everything.
13 Jul 2008 20:34
Only been there once. Very friendly service (they ordered a taxi for us to get back to SW), acceptable beer (1 real ale) and very good food. Shame that its location makes it difficult for us to get back there more often.
13 Jul 2008 20:29
Now under new management (the couple who previously ran the saffron Hotel) and the service is very friendlyand pub is not smelly any more. Unfortunately only 1 real ale of fair quality, but Guinness is OK. Food is good when available. Problem is that food availability is dependent on presence of Steve and ingredients so can't be guaranteed. Regulars seem friendly.
13 Jul 2008 20:23
I found this pub to be clean and the beer and food are good (huge portions of the latter) but the service is dreadfully slow and unfriendly. Are the bar staff under orders not to smile or something?
13 Jul 2008 20:17
The Kings Arms, Saffron Walden
In my experience the draught Bass has always been on the turn when I've been there. Great if you like a pint of vinegar - I don't though.
13 Jul 2008 20:13
The Saffron Hotel, Saffron Walden
Whenever I ordered a meal here they always forgot to bring my vegetables! The food, drink and service was generally good when I was there but since then the entire staff has been sacked and replaced so I've no idea what it is like now. I suspect it has probably gone downhill somewhat...
13 Jul 2008 20:11
The range and quality of beer is good. For some reason the quality of food isn't as good as our previous regular Wetherspoons but is acceptable (for the price). They apparently have a problem washing up glasses (my wife complains of adherent orange pulp being a frequent feature) and cutlery (the knife I was supplied with my most recent meal there was in a dreadful state). Service is as slow as any Wetherspoons and maybe they could either be a bit more forceful with the fairly regular loud customer and/or call the police sooner when the first warning is unheeded?
13 Jul 2008 19:59
Yes, Patrick is an odd character but I've NEVER found him to be rude. In my experience he is totally professional, helpful and provides an excellent service. But that's it - there's no friendly chat on top of that. I can understand why this may appear unfriendly but I guess he's not bothered with pretending to be friendly and just concentrates on giving good service. Maybe he's a bit shy? Having been a regular there now for several months and spent a lot of money on his beer and food it would be nice to get a bit more of a welcome but at least it is not going to go towards over-familiarity any time in the next decade! The beer, food and service are excellent so I can happily live without an extrovert landlord in that scenario.
13 Jul 2008 19:44
The "service" in this place is a joke! My wife and I took a table and some time later we realised nobody had done anything about our presence there (we were in no hurry to do anything). We'd been sitting there using up one of their tables without ordering any drinks or food and had been entirely ignored by the staff for about half an hour! So my wife got up and asked a waiter for a menu and his reply was "what sort?"! She asked for a food menu, was given 2 and returned to our table. We were then ignored again for a further extended period of time. I decided to go to the bar for drinks and to check on the food ordering scenario. The barman told me to order food from a waiter/waitress rather than from the bar. I returned with the drinks and we then again failed to attract the attention of the waiting staff. We wondered if it was called Bar 38 because it took 38 minutes to get served which wasn't far off each of our waits mentioned above. We finally managed to attract the attention of a waiter and our food order was placed. He asked where we had got our drinks from! We said we had bought them from the bar (where did he think we had got them from?). A relatively short (by Bar 38 standards) period of time later (15 minues?) we noticed a waitress offering our food to a table 3 tables away! Don't they know where their tables are? When it was refused she looked around in confusion and fortunately spotted us waving at her. Maybe this is why the food reported by others here was cold? Maybe we were lucky to spot our food before the waitress had walked around the place for 38 minutes? The food was actually OK. When we had finished the waiter came over, gave us the bill saying "I'm sorry to give you the bill now but we are very busy" and took our plates away. We were stunned! What if we had wanted to order something else such as dessert or coffee? We'd already decided not to wait the 38 minutes for that option anyway. So we put our payment for the bill in the bill folder (mainly small change and no tip) and made ready to leave... I decided to make a visit to the toilets which was another bizarre experience. It was my first experience of unisex toilets and therefore in my failed search for urinals had to be redirected by the attendant "Hey Boss, not there...". As I was in the cubicle answering the call of nature I could here that I wasn't the only person to be confused by the toilets because I could hear a continual stream of "Hey Boss..." from the attendent as he directed customers to the correct cubicles. A I washed my hands I realised that the attendent was loitering with a tissue in his hand presumably expecting a tip for the arduous task of handing it to you after you've washed you hands. Needless to say, I was not in any mood to do this. I noticed a stack of tissues next to the sink and as "Hey Boss!" rushed off after another errant customer I siezed my opportunity to quickly grab one, dry my hands and get out! When I returned to the table I found that my wife was in conversation with a couple of girls at the next table who were also having trouble with the service. The had managed to attract the attention of a waitress and were in the process of discussing their scenario with her as we handed her our payment, advised her to be careful with the coins (I had a vision of a cascade of coins across the ground as she opened the folder) and we left. This is the worst service we have ever recieved anywhere! If you ever want to have a sit down somewhere where you will be completely safe from any sort of interference then I can recommend Bar 38.
6 May 2007 17:16
A great little pub. Unfortunately the smoking ban has made the smell of the toilets more apparent so this needs addressing before my wife (and therefore myself) could consider it for regular visits.
6 May 2007 16:21
The Black Bull Inn, Mid Calder
This is a great pub, good beer, excellent food and friendly service. The mixed grill was cooked to perfection - you could tell that it had been cooked there and then and not kept warm and dehydrated under hot lamps. We got a �5 voucher to use on our next visit (which we did) which made it even better value!
18 Feb 2007 01:09
Actually, I now have to take back some of my comments below. I'm still not sure I like the new layout but it has retained some of the previous character and it has probably eased the bottleneck that used to occur at the bar during busy times. The beer quality is now actually very good. The clientele has changed (marginally younger and smarter?) and it is certainly busier so the changes seem to have had the desired business effect.
18 Feb 2007 01:01
I was 10 years late visiting this pub! It was always on my list of Edinburgh pubs to try but, because of its location, I'd never got round to it. From my one visit (so far) I love this place: Good beer, good food, friendly staff, no loud music, interesting architecture/decor. I'll be back!
3 Dec 2006 10:45
Went in there for the first time in ~6 years last week (I used to be a regular) and we stayed there all evening so it must have been OK. Beer good but a bit pricey. Pleasant, quiet atmosphere and staff seemed OK.
11 Nov 2006 09:44
Now has real ale, but very expensive. The front doors either don't have springs on them or they are broken meaning that the front of the bar can get a bit draughty in cold weather. Take a warm pullover. Service is a bit slow too.
21 Oct 2006 03:53
Good beer, good food, good prices, helpful staff. Music can be a bit too loud.
21 Oct 2006 03:47
This pub is now even worse. It has been opened up, losing the snug and associated character, the poor service remains and the prices have gone up. Seems like a lose-lose-lose scenario to me. What was once one of the best pubs in Edinburgh has been completely ruined.
21 Oct 2006 03:41
Eighty Queen Street, Edinburgh
Real ale quality has taken a dive recently, but the staff will readily replace your wonky pints. They usually seem to have several tables marked as "reserved" which never actually get used during the course - maybe they don't want customers getting their tables dirty? Apart from that, all comments below still apply.
30 Aug 2006 01:35
Ale OK, food good, range of oddly-clad students on display. When I was there we were "accosted" by a completely incomprehensible old guy. He wouldn't leave us alone so we left...
29 Apr 2006 14:34
The Livingston Inn, Livingston Village
This inn used to be a coaching house on the main Edinburgh to Glasgow road and has some history behind it. I lived here for my first 7 months in Scotland and although it has gone through a few ups and downs since then with different bar managers it is now quite good. The food is very good and staff are friendly, if sometimes a bit slow. There is one hand pump in the public bar but I've yet to see it in use.
5 Mar 2006 02:18
The Ferry Tap, South Queensferry
A great little pub with good food. My last minutes as a single man were spent in there before I got married in the Registry Office across the road. Upon being told that my wife to be was from Argentina, the locals reacted by thanking her for the "Hand of God" (Maradona's hand balled goal against England in the World Cup). I always pay it a visit whenever I go to South Queensferry.
5 Mar 2006 02:10
Very busy small boozer. There seems to be a constant flow of customers in and out. I get the impression they are going to and from the bookies or a similar establishment, but it is possible (as anything is possible in an infinite universe) they are taking breaks from work. The clientele is intimidating but I've never had any problems there. I was once there and saw a guy ejected twice within the space of 10 minutes; the first time for drinking someone else's pint of Guinness while it was settling during being poured and the second for stealing ice cubes!!! My mate with me at the time said it was great entertainment - just like being in Glasgow!
5 Mar 2006 02:05
This pub is superb. Great food, great beer, friendly staff. I ought to visit more often...
4 Mar 2006 16:26
Bar at the Howden Park Theatre. Very limited drink selection and somewhat nervous service. Food available but on no less than 3 occasions I have had problems trying to book pre-theatre dining - they have not responded to any messages left. Last time I was there they were displaying results of feedback which showed a rather large proportion (~30%) of negative comments about their food, but it has been OK in my experience.
4 Mar 2006 16:16
Eighty Queen Street, Edinburgh
Smart, comfortable, quiet pub with excellent food, service and good beer. The ale is a bit expensive but it is good quality, the glasses are filled properly (a bit of a rarity these days) and the staff will bring the beer to your table if they aren't too busy.
4 Mar 2006 16:04
The burgers are overpriced in my opinion since they do contain a large proportion of bread. I don't mind paying for a bit of quality but don't like feeling that I am being ripped off.
4 Mar 2006 15:27
Can get busy with tourists but the food is good. The tourists seem to come in, ask for a table for food and then loiter, without drinking, before being seated. Having observed this behaviour, I chose to drink at the bar with my friends and then, after a few ales, asked if they could slot us into a free table for food when one became available. We got our table about 10 minutes later and the service and food was great. It's nice when the staff appreciate helpful customers.
4 Mar 2006 04:34
Excellent ale quality and range. Excellent bars staff but the drinks are expensive. It is an excellent pub though - another case of "you get what you pay for".
4 Mar 2006 04:26
Friendly staff and good selection of ales and whiskies but very expensive. The quality of product and service is sufficiently good that it is almost worth paying a bit more. Convenient for last drink before bus home because it stays open to 1am.
4 Mar 2006 04:24
Large open, bright (all that glass), modern pub with (usually closed) mezzanine floor. Good value beer, usually of good quality and good food makes this a very good pub. Only real problem is that the service can be slow.
4 Mar 2006 04:14
I agree with all of the comments below. Good bar staff, relaxed atmosphere (possibly due to the lack of music) and fine ales.
4 Mar 2006 04:06
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The Old English Gentleman (OEG), Saffron Walden
Great beer and a wonderful pub when it is quieter but it can become completely solid during busy periods.
8 May 2012 00:10