BITE user comments - bumble1
Comments by bumble1
I think EccentricRichard below should try to understand the difference between a pub and a restaurant. This is basically a pub that does good food, and as such it is a dying breed and should be cherished. "Foodies" like Richard, eccentric or not, clutter the place up and should go somewhere else (in my humble opinion)
23 Apr 2012 19:57
Have to disagree with Simon on a couple of points. The "nautical theme" actually has nothing to do with the Thames. A previous manager who clearly had mental health problems got them from a bric-a-brac sale or similar. He was also responsible for the "Alice in Wonderland" cocktail bar above which unsurprisingly nosedived but had a brief res erection as the set for a couple of porn films.
As far as "locals" are concerned, Hinchley Wood is a mile away according to the stats above. However I don't blame them at all for wishing to spend their free time somewhere else !
23 Apr 2012 19:35
Recently went there for lunch. Good pub. Bunch of regulars stoking the wood-burning stove, then complained about the heat and demanded that the doors be opened. Food excellent. Manager a little quiet to start with, then my wife complimented him on the baked potato and the flood gates opened. Turns out he's Irish and definitely knows his business. As General McArthur said, "I will return".
19 Jan 2011 19:22
I have also witnessed this landlord in action, or rather not in action. He was slumped on a stool at a table, clearly pissed as were the three or four retards that were his mates. The language was obscene, despite several ladies being present nearby. How on earth a drunken lout like this gets any sort of job is beyond me. The breweries are worried about pubs closing, but instead of moaning about it they should overhaul their recruitment policy. A pub in Thames Ditton where I live had a similar individual as manager, and following a string of complaints posted on the review page the brewery have at last kicked him out. If the brewery owning this pub don't act it will serve them right if the place closes.
8 Nov 2010 12:48
I was born at the beginning of 1943 less than a couple of hundred yards from the pub, and my Mum and I survived the war, (surprising amount of bomb damage in the area) with my dad only coming home on leave from 1940 onwards. He afterwards claimed that his visits to the pub during his leave kept the place going and was his major contribution to the war effort. As I now have to attend a nearby hospital I have started to drop in on the place at lunchtimes for old times sake, and so I can compare notes with my dad when I finally meet him again. There are indeed a bunch of irritating old farts propping up the bar who behave as though they own the place, dressed mainly in golf attire to show the world that they have "made it". It would be interesting to know how long they have actually been regulars. The bar staff are pretty ghastly, without charm or social skills. The place looks a bit run-down, as do many Youngs pubs, but is comfortable and to me has a pleasant atmosphere. The Youngs, upon which I consider myself something of an expert, has always been well kept. I can't comment on the place in the evening, but hardly any pubs these days employ people who are really fit to serve behind a bar unfortunately, and most of the managers are pig ignorant, but having said all that I will go back.
2 Nov 2010 14:54
Ye Olde Swan Inn, Thames Ditton
Took the Memsahib there for lunch yesterday and was very impressed (with the pub, not the Memsahib). Arrived early as parking is always a pain. Menu was varied and reasonably priced, quality was fine and service prompt. It did fill up around 1pm, and cannot say how the service would stand up. The Landlord was welcoming, as was his assistant, and I felt that he was doing a good job, even if he does come from Leeds. Despite the lounge at the front I don't see this place as a pub any more - its somewhere to go to eat with peaceful views of the river, both from inside and from what was the car park, now an expensively furnished patio. There's a big investment in this place, and we will certainly return.
16 Oct 2010 11:25
Agree with GuideDog about the beer, but not the tables. Cafes have tables (the Angel has loads of them) Wine bars have high stools that old folk can't manage (the Angel has a few of those as well) Pubs have comfortable low benches along the walls. The Angel used to have these until some moronic manager ripped them all out and installed ceiling fans just as the no-smoking ban came in (no doubt following some package trip to Raffles in Singapore). For what the inside of an Olde Worlde pub should look like, try the George and Dragon.
27 Sep 2010 14:26
I think Lipstick has got it right, and as mccomb has gone quiet Hamptonhunter was probably right about his identity, or else he's shifted his caravan to infiltrate another part of the countryside. We normally visit the pub early evening, and find it relaxed, non-theatening, and with a French-based menu which is more varied than most other nearby pubs. I like the place, but then I remember it 60 years ago when it had a dead oak tree outside that was hollow in the middle allowing a 7 year old to climb inside through the crack and emerge at the top.
17 May 2010 15:22
Further to my previous review, my wife has chastised me for failing to mention that the ladies toilets (the only way she knows how to rate a pub) are the best that she has ever visited as they are spotless and have fresh anemonies, apparently.
19 Feb 2010 14:17
Lovely place for lunch, although expensive. Clientele a mix of geriatric locals and wannabe city slickers from Guildford. Combines the role of pub and restaurant very well. You need to get there early at lunchtime to avoid having to sit at the far end of the bar, which is like the Black Hole of Calcutta (not a racist remark, there's no daylight). Miners helmets should be provided to see what you're eating. Anyone objecting to the charming old wrinkled retainers in waistcoats would be better suited to Wetherspoons. A jewel, in my opinion.
19 Feb 2010 14:10
The Bunch Of Grapes, Knightsbridge
Very mixed reviews about this pub. Two dykes complaining of being ejected for kissing each other on the lips - what about the rights of other drinkers who wish to have a pint without being forced to vomit at the sight of it. Flogging's too good for them, in my opinion. The "old managaress" is a fine lady from Ireland who won't stand any nonsense but who has forgotten more about running a pub than some of the people writing these articles. As always, its not the pub or the management that are the problem, its the punters
17 Feb 2010 16:35
New management a big improvement on previous one (not difficult). Trying hard, deserve support. Things to change: The "locals in the window extension" who are not locals at all, they live in Hinchley Wood. Also the decor. Traditional olde worlde pub on the outside, cross between a wine bar and a cafe on the inside. Needs carpets and soft furnishings, too many tables and chairs. Can't even see the fire for all the tables. Will take a while to rebuild the customer base, who have all gone elsewhere as a result of years of totally incompetent management. Worth a visit.
4 Feb 2010 19:04
The Barley Mow, Tilford
Wife and I visited last night. Perfect evening, lovely outlook and really good choice of beer, which was well kept. Beautiful Ferrari parked outside just to add to the interest. Have to endorse the comments about the barmaid (middle-aged skinny blonde with a face like a squeezed lemon). She can't help her looks but she can help her surly abrupt manner. Maybe the two are linked. Apart from her its hard to think of a more pleasant pub on a summer's evening.
29 May 2012 11:12