BITE user comments - beaniebeer
Comments by beaniebeer
I must back up Slugbreff on this one. The Swan has been coasting on its past glories for quite a while now. These days I only go there when someone else insists. It's not my pub of choice any more. I still remember when it was great though, which just makes how rubbish it is now all the more annoying.
Sidknee as far as I can remember, The Swan has sold entry tickets for Christmas Eve for years and years. You used to have to go and promise the smileyest bar lady that none of your friends would be any trouble before she'd let you have any! Good times....
10 Jan 2009 13:47
You know how porn is all about what looks good rather than what feels good? Well this pub is like that. It looks like a great place to be but it�s a superficial fa�ade of acrylic nails, fake breasts, pumped up lips and hair extensions that is ultimately very unsatisfying when you are actually in it rather than just looking at it.
I fully expect to hear that it is one of the 36 pubs a week being closed down in this country any day now.
11 Sep 2008 17:46
I've only been here once since the new guys took over and I wanted to like it I really did, but it was dead as a door nail iwth zero atmos and freezing cold as well. These things would have been no problem if we'd felt warmly welcomed - but the waiter / assistant manager bod kept sighing at us! Every time we spoke to him he sighed. And he never smiled once. Or said please and thank you.
It's probably wrong to judge a place on one person, but it really put me off.
The food was great though.
19 Jan 2008 18:06
Pooey.
The staff are only interested in socialising with each other and customers are a pesky annoyance who cause massive inconvenience by wanting things all the time.
The mahoosive lamp shades are worth a visit, but go some place else to eat and drink.
18 Jan 2008 12:26
Door staff may be a necessary evil, but there's no need to be heavy-handed and overly intimidating with a couple of middle aged ladies, as happened to my mum and her friend recently.
I avoid Farnham cos I don't want to drink in the sort of place that employs door staff in case they want to throw me out and don't want to have to ask nicely. Almost every pub and bar in Farnham seems to have them.
I hate that whole "five minutes ago we were chuffed to take your money but now sling your hook and be quick about it you schlaag!" attitude.
No wonder there's so much trouble on the mean streets of Farnham when everybody is unceremoniously turfed out onto the pavement all at the same time feeling aggrieved.
18 Jan 2008 12:10
LOL at watsonm's post! In all pubs and bars that I've ever been in you're supposed to wait your turn in the queue. I don't really understand their indignation about it. How did they know that every person in the queue in front of them was intending to order food?
Personally I love a bar with table service, but in an establishment whose level of trade is SO dictated by the weather, having enough staff on to do this when the sun comes out could be a tricky proposition.
I have queued much much longer in many other places and I'm particularly happy with The Waterwitch at the moment because when I rang on Boxing Day to see what our chances of getting a table for a party of seven at 12 noon were - they were honest with me and told me they were booked up for the first sitting. Many places would have told me to come on down and wait I'm sure.
7 Jan 2008 13:05
Where Amelle from Sugababes boyf was drinking before he got machete-ed....
3 Jan 2008 19:35
I'm liking this place even better the last few months! I guess the happy friendly studenty atmosphere works for me.
21 Aug 2007 10:11
My biggest gripe is the ordering system which takes ages. There is always big queues and long waits to get anything. The food is hit and miss lately as well as bum-numbingly slow. The slapped arse faces don't do much for me either. The other day the ceiling was leaking water all over the place!
21 Aug 2007 10:09
I've been coming here for years, but lately I'm not so keen either. All the snogging couples outside give it the tacky atmosphere of a school disco, and we already have Flares for that. Maybe I'm just getting old but I go out at night to drink NOT queue. Relegated to a lunch place for me I'm afraid.
15 Jul 2007 02:35
My last couple of visits here have been dubious, but you know, office party season, changes in the line up, yada, yada.
But. If the miserable "thing" that eventually shifted her stumps to serve me a drink last night is representative of the new regime then gawd help us.
12 Jan 2007 21:33
I usually avoid Brewers Fayre pubs having had bad experiences in the past, but when out with friends and family it's not always just up to me where we go which is how we ended up in here.
It was fine. I have no complaints with our food, and we had an excellent waitress. The bar man was cute. I had pretty low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised!
I did remember what it is that I hate about these places though.
It's the other punters!
Too many people getting lashed up with kids in tow and getting just as loud and obnoxious and annoying as their kids who are running riot.
7 Nov 2006 15:14
Jeezusss H. I wish I'd read the reviews here before I let my brothers girlfriend drag me to this sh*t pit. What's with the running out of chips - and even worse running out of white wine???! I'm no expert on the hospitality industry but surely if someone has messed up on the ordering then you drag your carcass off to Asda and buy whatever it is that you need? Don't you??? *shrugs*
As it was we called a cab and went elsewhere. I'm getting too damn old to be held to ransom waiting for food, waiting for drinks and waiting for someone there to give a sh*t.
I want to go out and have a good time on the weekend not get stressed out because we have to leave a place as hungry and stone cold sober as we arrived!
I'm not saying anything against the staff - it's not their fault poor little minimum wage slaves. I bet they have to take some crap from the peed off punters. It's the pub management and *their* management who need their arses kicking.
Also - what's the point of having door staff if you're just going to let all the scum in anyway???!
29 Oct 2006 03:14
Loving it here! After a tough week at work you can sink your fat a*se into a comfy sofa and get your drinks delivered to the table. How cool is that?!
Plus this is the only place where I have ever had the bonding experience that is an entire room singing along to Elton John's 'Daniel' without a hint of self consciousness. Blimey.You just had to be there I guess. ;-)
I don't find it especially expensive, and anyway it's worth it to keep the scum quota at zero. I know I sound 'up myself'. but you know what I mean. Some of the pubs round here are ruined.
The door staff are really nice btw and I'm not generally a fan of door staff - and they're not generally fans of mine either to be honest!
There's a fab atmosphere. Everyone seems keen to mingle and have fun. We usually get chatting with lots of cute boys which is always good.
The only thing that's missing is I wish they had a terrace or something, cos it gets hotter than hell when the place is full.
Go. Just don't get talked into going to Jaxx after - promise? ;-)
5 Aug 2006 02:13
Birrova characterless plastic chain pub. I've been here a few times with mixed results.
The staff levels seem at odds with the busyness of the pub and the Pizza Hut stylee cheesy pop on a repetitive loop is irritating after a while to a real music fan such as myself.
Zero atmosphere IMO possibly due to the staff not being as friendly as they could be, or maybe cos the other clientele don't look my sort.
The food is expensive for what it is and they have the exact same boring identikit menu as places like Vintage Inns / Harvester / Brewsters.
Last time I cleared my own table, both before we could use it and after our main course cos we were bored of looking at dirty plates. I don't expect to have to do that.
5 Aug 2006 01:46
The Rose and Thistle, Frimley Green
I had a client meeting here recently and was quite impressed. It seemed well run.
The staff were friendly, professional and on the ball.
Overall it has a very nice atmosphere. So many pubs that you walk into as a lone woman make you want to back out again fast! This one feels friendly.
We didn't eat, but I will next time.
3 Aug 2006 15:02
Bl**dy lovely place!
They are all really friendly and helpful.
Our food was delicious and the cocktails even nicer!
If I could of just got the numbers of *all* the stunning blokes at the table next to us then the night would of been perfect!
Most gorgeous garden space I have ever been in - ever.
Can't wait to go again - best night out I've had for ages
3 Aug 2006 14:49
Wetherspoons for the snobbish upmarket types who would like to think they are the 'beautiful people'. Basically a nice non-threatening venue for people who don't like pubs - or don't get out much.
The IKEA furnishings give it the atmosphere of a clap clinic waiting room: cold, sterile, but with less interesting people.
I reckon the staff come from more different countries than the lagers on offer. They have a limited command of English, look bored and couldn't give a monkeys.
Also a ponce haven, packed after 4pm with suits, all bellowing crap at each other and constantly scanning the room because the company they're in is SO desperately boring. The acoustics are dreadful which exacerbates the noise.
I feel a headache coming on just thinking about it.
27 May 2006 23:10
Currently the only place I'll drink in Camberley.
Is it me? Or is there actually nowhere decent to drink in this town? I generally organise to meet for a meal if I've got to come over here to see people because there are loads of decent food places, but none of the bars float my boat at all.
Having said all that, Que Pasa is pretty ok. I came here for food the first few times and then found out that you can just come in for a drink if you want so now we do.
It's a bit schizo though. Sometimes it's full of 30something women, and sometimes it's full of 19 year olds. Odd. I'm by no means a regular to be fair so maybe I shouldn't read too much into that.
25 May 2006 03:13
I think this is one of the better pubs I've been to in ages, certainly in this area. The atmosphere is excellent and safe, very female friendly.
The bad reviewers must have just been unlucky, but I went there to meet a client and it was superb even though it was heaving.
It's clean and unsmoky, the staff were all helpful and well trained. They couldn't do enough for us I thought, and the wine list is very good for a pub.
It maybe isn't sure if it's a pub or a restaurant, if there's any criticism, but I think it's pretty good at being both.
One of the things I really liked was although you could tell who was regular and who was new like me the landlady (?) and the bar man were just as smiley and friendly to everyone. I was a bit nervy about my meeting and the lady chatting away really put me at ease.
25 May 2006 02:58
Generally speaking, I'm a 'top of town' kind of girl so this is one of my regular haunts. The main reason I love it here is - as one of the other reviewers put it - 'scum quota zero'! I LIKE my fellow customer in here. They are often what makes the night great. I always see some old faces and meet some new cute ones. I've felt right at home here since day one.
The bar staff know what they're doing, and it must be well run because you never see any trouble.
Food is fine and the drink selection covers most of the bases - but that's not the reason we all come here.
It's for the ambience man!
25 May 2006 02:47
I'm a little bit partial to an acoustic set myself!Love the courtyard, Love the vibe, Love the fact that it's ever so slightly out of town so it's not really a packed out sheep pen like Ha Ha for example.
Fast becoming one of my favourite bars in Guildford.
25 May 2006 02:20
The Keystone, Guildford
The Friday afternoon / evening barman is worth a visit at the very least! The drinks are cheap too.
10 Jan 2009 13:57