BITE user comments - demonboy
Comments by demonboy
The Narrow Street Pub & Dining Room, Limehouse
Surprisingly good venue. I say 'surprisingly' because this is yet another gastro pub, the type that have taken over London. However the Eurobeers on tap are a delight and the food really is very good. Even the packets of lobster crisps behind the bar are special!
As has already been described the river views are fantastic and the dining area is quite classy.
Add this to your list for your Narrow Street pub crawl.
29 Jun 2006 13:56
My current local, and what a local! The great thing about the grapes is that it rarely attracts the suits and tourists that frequent the more obvious places on the river. Good beer though the staff are a bit slow. Great little balcony out the back that sits over the river and with a gentle breeze it's a great place to watch the tide come in.
Restaurant upstairs specialises in sea food and the battered plaice I had is the BEST I have ever had. Be warned though, it's expensive. Downstairs does pub grub at normal prices.
29 Jun 2006 13:44
Dunno what pub alberta visited - this is one of the least frequented pubs in Walden. It's not the worst, mind, and the feeling is friendly and welcoming, but 'trendy'? Have I missed something?
27 Jun 2006 18:56
The Eight Bells, Saffron Walden
Oh dear. What happened to the Eight Bells then?
Once upon a time this boasted an Egon Ronay rated menu in the stunning restaurant, an ancient Tudor barn. I should know how good this place was as I worked there (albeit in the kitchens). Despite its location right at the end of the town people would come from miles to drink here because the atmosphere was genuine.
What happened? It got bought out and was turned into a kind of 'themed' pub. You know, they have tried to give it a spit-and-sawdust look which makes it look contrived. Silly really as it always was a spit-and-sawdust pub.
Beer is ok and the landlord has good intentions (and a beautiful dog too!) but I can't see him lasting. Go to the OEG instead.
27 Jun 2006 18:50
RUBBISH RUBBISH RUBBISH!!!!
This is a great example of what a pub should NOT be! Cheap beer invites under-age chavs to get horrendously drunk and then nip round the corner for a kebab and a fight.
Nasty.
27 Jun 2006 18:45
The Chelsea FC supporting landlord, as mentioned below, is a racist. I personally witnessed him being fowl-mouthed and nasty to the only black punter and have not been in there since.
The Victory used to be THE pub to drink in in Saffron Walden but once the current landlord took over he knocked down walls, 'modernised' the old feel of the place and invited all his football chums to dominate the pub and generally act like a bunch of football hooligans that is expected of a small Essex town.
Avoid at all costs.
27 Jun 2006 18:42
The Old English Gentleman (OEG), Saffron Walden
Keep the OEG chav-free!
The problem with Saffron Walden, like any small town, is that gradually the pubs get over-run with chavs. Walden also suffers from the army barracks up the road, the soldiers of which are now all barred from pubs in Walden (bar one chav-pub that shall remain unnamed). The Victory used to be the place to go but this too is now over-run with chav-football idiots, so it is refreshing to see the OEG maintain its friendly and warm atmosphere.
Guest ales, friendly bar-staff and a fantastic tapas lunchtime menu make this one of the few decent 'olde' pubs left in Walden.
27 Jun 2006 18:37
The Kings Head (Low House), Laxfield
I can honestly say this is by far the best pub I have ever visited. Period. I regularly visit the Suffolk region to see relatives and so I always make sure I go for a pint of Broadside at the Low House.
The pub has recently been taken over by a landlord who came out of retirement. He didn't want to go back to work in the industry but when Adnams called and asked him to visit the Kings Head he took one look at it and fell in love. Which is what all visitors do when they discover this perfect pub for the first time!
The other reviews pretty much sum up everything great about this drinking hole - my fave feature are the barrels in the kitchen and the low ceilings and tiny open fires that get cranked up in the cold winter months.
Food great, beer garden beautiful, live music too. Just simply the greatest pub this fair country has to offer!
27 Jun 2006 18:22
The Market Porter, Borough
Not sure why this was voted BITE pub of the year. Yes its selection of beers is excellent, offering good choice for everyone, but when it gets crowded it becomes like any other London pub - unbearable.
Do the BITE staff all live in London? I think they should be travelling further afield and find something a little more original, though I suppose it does depend on what your definition of a pub is. Comfortable is a word I use to define a great pub and I just don't feel comfortable in the Market Porter.
29 Jun 2006 14:14