BITE user comments - cookster101
Comments by cookster101
Nice Brakspear pub perfect for a stopover on the Ridgeway Walk. The new landlords are lovely and welcoming. The beer garden is nice and the food pretty good too. I would encourage walkers/local residents to go and visit this cute little place regularly to stop it becoming another casualty to the housing development phenomenon. Use it or lose it!
2 Jul 2013 10:33
Gloomy, woody yet atmospheric pub tucked away in Smithfield that was featured on 'Great British Ghosts' with Yvette Fielding and another programme on Victorian grave robbers (it was their favourite haunt apparently and literally). Pictures of nearby St Barts with the grim reality of life in the late 19th Century including a stern nurse who seemed to be staring me out. Stop it and attend to your choleric patients sister! It's a Sam Smith's pub so beer is fairly palatable but other drinks are cheap and cheerful. Had a lovely pint of Sam Smith's Extra Stout which was far better than Guinness. Also had a darts board which gives it near top marks. No music, no telly but books, dominoes and imitation Jenga for larks.
22 Mar 2013 17:07
The Hoop and Grapes, City Of London
Luckily I was served by the lovely barmaid rather than the manager but I thought the pint of Hooky was very well kept indeed but now regret not trying the Olympics beer. Friendly black cat wandering in an out kept it nice and real and only slightly sullied by a dreadfully loud and obnoxious Estuary English office girl in the behind seating area. Please sharrup!!
26 Jul 2012 13:37
Super little gastro pub with pop culture posters on the walls and an attractive Belgian style mosaic to give it a touch of class. Had the Pacific Pale Ale by Meantime with a glorious thick steak, fries and tenderstem broccoli. Finished the decadant lunch with a big slice of Tiramisu rather incongruously accompanied by a pear shaped blob of pistachio. Still to find a tiramisu that matches the legendary ones from Ciao Bella in Lambs Conduit Street in the early noughties. This one didn't quite have the alcoholic kick for me but presentation excellent. Staff very nice too.
20 Jul 2012 14:03
The Bowler Pub and Kitchen, Clerkenwell
Seemed OK enough. Nice pint of Hobgoblin (�3.60)but no Brakspear Seems to be an oddly common theme.
4 Apr 2012 13:27
Enjoyed a great evening of live music watching 'Search Party' - a fine covers band. Agree with the previous review that it's a smart, modern pub (less tellys would be nice though) and the staff are nice enough too. It doesn't have real ale but it does have the best rum, Wray and Nephew along with a cocktails bar.
20 Mar 2012 09:49
The Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell
With a name like this you'd be prepared for burly Yorkshire farmers with silver tankards quaffing foaming Black Sheep bitter and mounted animal heads on the wall but with the dark tinted windows outside you'd be expecting a trendy lads pub with 4 different types of popular lager. Neither is true. It is of the trendy wooden floorboards, tables and chairs variety but happily the beer is from Camden brewery. I tried the Camden Town Wheat Beer which could have been a cross cultural disaster but was so lovely I could almost chew it (slightly too cold though) Soundtrack - obscure Presley and 'The Unknown Soldier' by the Doors. Approved (stamp hits the page) Only quibble was �4.20 for the pint.
4 Jan 2012 12:57
Wonderfully old fashioned pub with a dart board, joanna and very well kept McMullen real ales. New landlady has taken over recently and changed nothing which is exactly what all the customers wanted (Ok the tatty Xmas decs were taken down). Come here on sundays for an old fashioned cockney sing-a-long and experience the joys of London past.
14 Dec 2011 14:12
Last stay on the Yorkshire Dales Walk in May before we got to Windermere
One of the benches we sat down on for a drink outside decided to give way and our drinks went flying. After a fashion the drinks were replaced. Had a nice couple of pints as a remember and the hotel is nice for a stay inside if feeling a little corporate-y in the way it was run. Food is acceptable in a very English dull kind of way.
29 Sep 2010 17:21
The George And Dragon Hotel, Dent
Numerous Dent Brewery beers such as �Aviator�, �Dent Ale� and �Rambrau� recommended by Iain. Pool in the available in the backroom. Pub is divided into two sections and the landlady was quite friendly
29 Sep 2010 17:11
A lovely creaky old 17th Century which served Nick Hambleton�s Bitter and the slightly stronger Stallion. A folksy live band played at the end of the evening. A nice stay all in all. A good stop off for the Yorkshire Dales Walk
29 Sep 2010 17:09
From my Yorkshire Dales Walk Blog....
Throughout the day, we had been deriding the �world famous cuisine� boast that was a feature of the Station Inn�s website. Whilst the world famous part could very tenuously apply to the lovely Ribblehead Viaduct and perhaps only amongst railway enthusiasts I doubt whether someone in Honolulu would be aware of the delights of how truly unique chilli con carne and gammon steak was. I also doubt if someone could name any of the �world famous cheesboard� options but suffice to say it was disappointing that out of a choice of 6 locally sourced cheeses they only had three available. The Station Inn has a rough and ready student charm about it with a pool table, dart board, jukebox and a very impressive selection of real ales. A student pub run by students it seemed. Our rather brash chef in an eccentric approach to dining had just popped his head round the corner to inform us that �You�re in luck lads, I�ve just taken the chilli off the stove�. Well, it was nice to know the choice that we had made were still available I suppose. Once we were tucking into the chillis he said �Are the chillis alright lads? Not too spicy? I just put a whole load of �em in and hoped for the best�. That said the chilli was just what the doctor ordered after such dispiriting weather. The beers included the first sampling of the Dent Brewery � the lovely Wensleydale Bitter, Station Ale and Resc-Ewe.
Overall a nice place for a beer but forget about staying in the bunk houses - these are positively third world!
29 Sep 2010 17:05
My blog from May 2010 sums up this pub
The Buck Inn was old fashioned and as we quickly discovered quite gloomy in atmosphere. Tim ordered a truly impressive meat pie that you could have lined a mud hut with, Iain a chicken chasseur and me a lambs liver, bacon and mash in a rich gravy. I�d washed it down initially with a very wishy-washy dark mild from Timothy Taylor (back to drawing board with that one I feel!) a Riggwelter from Black Sheep, then Malastang and just to compound the bloated dark bitter choices, a Marston�s Oyster Stout. The staff were exceptionally quiet and went about their business in a rather subdued manner as 1950�s and 1960�s music played softly in the background. It felt like a bit of a timewarp quite frankly.
29 Sep 2010 16:59
The Devonshire Hotel, Grassington
The Black Sheep we had was the best kept of the whole Yorkshire Dales walking trip and we tried the newly released Golden Sheep and sat out in the May sunshine on the High Street.
29 Sep 2010 16:57
A very fine hotel, pub and restaurant. The first stop on our Yorkshire Dales walk in May. Timothy Taylor Golden Best, Copper Dragon, Mary Jane being the beers on tap. The food was pretty good too. Finished the day with a nip of Benedictine which I very much recommend to the uninitiated.
29 Sep 2010 16:51
Enjoyed a mighty 'crown jewels' breakfast here on a detour from the Yorkshire Dales walk and post hangover so it was very welcome. It was only 10am on a sunday so we couldn't have any beer but I liked the feel of the place.
29 Sep 2010 16:46
Had a very swift half before trudging wearily to Wylam at the end of the day on the penultimate day of the Hadrians wall walk to Newcastle. Quite attractive and spacious inside
29 Sep 2010 16:42
The Robin Hood Inn, East Wallhouses
Newcastle Brown on tap when I went here back in 09 along the Hadrians Wall Walk with Newcastle beckoning us in the beautiful May sunshine. Stopped for a pint of Wylam Gold. As it was 3pm when we arrived it was very quiet
29 Sep 2010 16:39
More of a restaurant than a pub now. The beer drinkers are relegated to the near the front door on a sofa but no matter it was a nice place to stop on the Hadrians Wall Walk in the absence of anything else in Walton
29 Sep 2010 16:32
Pub number 6 on our Hadrian's wall walk from Bowness on Solway to Segedunum. Excellent pub full of old photos of Victorians doing about their daily drudgery. Has good character
29 Sep 2010 16:26
The Greyhound Inn, Burgh by Sands
Pub number 3 on our Hadrian's wall walk from Bowness on Solway to Segedunum - I remember enjoying a nice pint of Jennings Best in the sunny front garden
29 Sep 2010 16:21
Went to have a meal and a couple of pints of Doom Bar before going to the Comedy Club at the Good Ship. Very pleasant. Has a nice open feel with high gilded ceilings and walls. Even for �7.50 for the lasagne wasn't bad value such was the quality. I'll be back if I'm going to another gig
21 Jul 2009 09:29
After reading the last comment I went in with some trepidation. However, I found the bar staff nice and helpful and the food quite good. Paulaner Weizen is one of the finest beers I've ever tasted. Although it was Tuesday and was pretty desolate it has a nice beer garden area at the back. Will be back to try the rest of the wheat beer and the veal escolope
24 Jul 2008 17:21
Decided to pop along on Friday lunchtime to see if it was as bad as thee reviews said. Nice enough inside for a lunchtime drink. Service reasonable enough and with beers like Adnams Broadside and Bombadier a good option.
2 Jul 2008 10:11
The Queens Arms, Didcot
Would agree with plymouthpirate on local people. My friends tried to get past and were simply ignored. Idiots. Glad I was only in there for half an hour
5 Jul 2013 14:39