BITE user comments - george3
Comments by george3
Met some friends here for Sunday lunch, the London Pride was good, but the establishment had very little atmosphere, more gastro pub really. The food we thought was very expensive and the quantities were very very small, especially the �8:50 cheese board with 4 very thin slithers of cheese. I would certainly not be rushing back to eat here again. There was no children's menu for our friends son either, so not really an establishment fit to bring a child.
10 Jun 2012 20:34
Excellent beer, friendly atmosphere and very good food. I went in for a quick pint the other day with a friend, but eventually left a few hours later. The company was good and there was a nice range of beers from the Banks and Taylor Brewery as well as the more common brews such as Ringwood and Breakspears. The pub is a lot smaller than it was when I went for a meal with my wife some time back, but this has only added to the ambiense. I can only say that if you've not tried it, it's well worth a visit and the food comes recommended.
17 Jan 2012 08:31
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
Went in the other day to see if the pub had gotten any better. Sadly it was just as run down and the beer was dreadful. I tried a couple of pints (Mike Hawthorne and Bishop Sumner) both tasted off to me. I asked for a bottled ber but you don't sell any. I had the misfortune to have to use the gents - Oh what an awful experience, cramped, run down and very smelly. This pub looks so nice from the outside, but looks really can be deceptive, right next to a very busy road and no garden or decent parking. I'll be giving it a wide birth for a while yet and hope that the present incumbant gets tired of spoiling a nice village pub. One question Mr Wallace (Holstren Pils), however did you get permission to have open plan rooms with toilets and shower in the bedroom? I've stayed in many places during my business trips but never in a room where the toilet is in the room.
28 Oct 2011 19:49
I visited this pub for a meal and a pint, the beer (6X) was nice and my friends enjoyed their Bombadier however, it was quite expensive when compared with some of the other local pubs in this area. The staff were very attentive and accommodating, the service was quick even though the pub was packed to the hilt with people eating meals and there was a large group having a leaving drink. My burger was OK, not quite what I expected for the �9.50 that it cost and my friend scampi was rather a mean potion for what it cost.
26 May 2011 18:15
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
I totally agree with andrew12, the food in this pub is less than adequate, but there's plenty of room to sit in the restaurant because it's usually empty. The beer is still as awful as ever and if you don't like it, you have to go somewhere else. Wallace wont allow any other bitter in this pub, it's a dictatorship and the most expensive home brew your likely to find. The home brew would not stand a chance if put up against any real ale from other local breweries. Come on Wallace, crawl back under your stone again and give a proper landlord a chance with this characteristic pub.
9 Apr 2011 13:33
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
Still as bad as ever, the beer I had the other night was dreadful, tastes like it sits in the pipes for days on end. Ask for a light a bitter and you can't have one, nothing but the crap that's brewed on the premises sold here. Unless you want some badly kept lager that is. The restaurant looked closed the other day, I heard that Gary is blaming the chef and he's sacked him. But it's nobody else's fault. It's down to very very poor management and the fact that he treats his staff so badly. Why do people that have no idea about running a pub insist that they know what the punter wants. We just want GOOD beer and a CHOICE, not some over priced home brew. Oh and while I'm on, almost all the good reviews for this pub have come from the landlord himself or his little clique. Will he ever listen? I doubt it until; he goes bust.
9 Oct 2010 12:43
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
I agree with Beerdyweirdy, the beer in this pub is still worse than any beer I have had anywhere else. Gary has not got a clue about beer, he has lost most of the local punters (many have been barred for complaining about the beer). when will this arrogant, mean man realise that people will not drink the beer he brews himself, it tastes like vinegar. If he drank it himself he just might realise. Go on Gary get some TEA back in or any other real ale come to that. The locals say, you would not dare because your afraid of any competition. He honestly deserves to go bust and I'm sure it will happen, there is no atmosphere anymore. Lastly the toilets in this pub are a disgrace, they stink and are terribly unhygenic.
9 Jul 2010 15:03
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
I went in again recently and have to say that the food is very good, I had a very nice meal and was pleasantly surprised. My experience was only spoiled by that awful, awful beer that they persist in brewing on the premises. I should have known, it would not have gotten any better. The beer was cloudy and quite honestly just tastes as if it's off. I never saw anybody else drinking it, so I guess it must sit in the pipes of a while. Get some real ale in this pub, and get rid of the homebrew and I think you would be onto a winner. Well done with the food.
24 Apr 2010 20:21
This pub is now called Alfreds, I went in for a pint last week, the ales were excellent and there were lots of people in the bar. The Breakspears and the Banks and Taylor brews were very well kept. It's rather expensive for a pub and the opening hours are not wonderful, but the beer was. The food is supposed to be very god, I've not tried it myself but friends and family have and they were very impressed.
17 Jan 2010 15:07
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
I beg to differ with mcstu74, I went in again last week to see if the beer had got any better but unfortunately it still tastes awful. Far worse than any homebrew I've ever made. A quick look around the bar and you see that most people are drinking Guinness or Lager. Such a shame, lovely location, could be such a nice pub with a decent drop of ale. Landlord really needs to get his act together and sort this place out before he looses all his trade.
17 Jan 2010 14:54
The Still and West, Portsmouth
I popped in for a beer today, after a long walk along the prom. The Pride was very drinkable and the staff seemed very cheerful and welcoming. The setting was supurb, right along side the waters edge, plenty to watch while I supped my pint. I'll be back when I next get a chance.
24 Sep 2009 22:03
The Ball and Wicket, Heath End
Beardless Wonder is the landlord, he uses HolstenPils as well, they are both the same person. Very misleading for the public.
9 Sep 2012 20:28