BITE user comments - ginsling
Comments by ginsling
We re-visited The Flask when back in Hampstead over the August Bank Holiday - and what a disaster it was!
What a complete difference from the pleasant experience I encountered last Summer. The food (when it finally arrived) was dried-up, flavourless, unseasoned and generally awful. The person serving on the bar informed me that there was no Young's Special or Bombardier available - yet people were being served it in the public bar. Maybe it's drawn from a secret well somewhere?.. Ordinary had obviously come to the end of the barrel. When I pointed this out to the woman behind the bar, I was rudely informed: 'no-one else in here has complained about it. You must be wrong'. Hardly the sort of exchange that I would expect to get into with a member of bar staff. My wife and I decided to stick to wine after that scene - wine was satisfactory, despite being our third choice from the list.
By judging the tone of the service at the bar, we quickly realised that there would be no point in complaining about the quality/service/price/wait for our food, as there was obviously nobody in charge in the pub. We stayed to finish our wine at the back bar - only then were we aware of the Manager standing next to us, voicing her opinion rather loudly about complaining customers - absolutely unbelieveable! I don't know if this is still managed by Young's or is a leased pub, but they certainly need to take it back into the fold and take a serious look at it. Such a shame to see a rapid decline such as this spoil what is, essentially, a characterful and charming pub in an envious location.
We will not be returning until dramatic all-round improvements have made, which I doubt will happen in my lifetime.
14 Sep 2009 19:18
I love everything about this pub. The food, beer, customers, staff, location - everything!! Not the cheapest place in the area, but better than any of the pubs around Maida Vale. I suppose if you want quality, you have to pay for it...
19 May 2009 16:28
The Hare and Hounds, East Sheen
Came here to watch the rugby on Saturday. Great pub with a huge garden, professional staff and mature clientele. Had roast beef dinner - good portion and price. Definitely one of the better pubs in the area. Hear there is going to be a refurb soon. Will be back to try it out in April.
16 Feb 2009 11:11
Mandy is now at the Stinging Nettle opposite Goldhawk Road tube station. Still with Youngs!
8 Feb 2009 21:51
My God!! I have just read mpw246pl's review from last Summer! Unbelieveable! Maybe the fact that he/she was served by a young, immature girl is just a sad reflection that the only people to take jobs as bar and waiting staff are generally students and young people who are being blatantly exploited by large breweries on minimum wage? I wonder they would have the same attitude if it was one of their children, struggling to pay tuition fees, being picked to pieces by an overbearing and rude customer?? Probably not.
It makes me wonder if 'mpw' might stand for Marco Pierre-White?!...
An unnecessarily critical review, in my opinion. Hopefully they will stay in the White Horse and keep out of our way.
Love the Marlborough - best pub in the area by far.
1 Feb 2009 17:56
WOW!! What can I say?.. This is the best Youngs' refurbishment that I have seen for quite a long time! I visited on Saturday night and was amazed by the transformation that has taken place. The upstairs bar no longer smells or looks like a 70's brothel, which in itself, can only be an improvement. The conservatory area is now warm and inviting and the garden now has more seating, which will be great when Summer finally arrives.
As for the old downstairs bar, it is now a cocktail bar called Fawns (like the deer-related tie-in!). It is worthy of being located in the most fashionable area of the West End - stunning!! Prices are, as one would expect, slightly on the ambitious side for the area, but that should help keep the riff-raff out (see previous posting). There is also a late licence on weekends, which should give the local Hampstead set somewhere quality to go after a hard week shopping and partying! This is a bonus, as most bars in Hampstead and the surrounding area seem to be shutting down on a monthly basis. The decor is tasteful and decadent at the same time - a good use of a small, dark space.
The menu looks great too. I saw a cheeseboard being delivered to a table and couldn't quite believe the size of it, even for �11.00. More than enough for a few of us to share. They also have a canape and buffet menu selection, which looked delicious.
i had frequented this pub before it became a Youngs' pub, and was very unimpressed. It had been left to rot and looked as though its sister pub, the Garden Gate, had been very much the beneficiary of all money set aside for development and maintenance. Things have now changed for the better. The female manager was charming and introduced herself to us, asking us what we thought of the redevelopment. We couldn't have been any more positive in our response. I would seriously suggest popping back to see the changes to all those who may have had a bad experience before - you'll be amazed.
I would recommend the Roebuck to all. A beautifully done and well thought-out refurbishment. Good to see Youngs' moving forward and changing with the times. We'll be back!!
2 Dec 2008 21:07
The Duke of Clarence, South Kensington
What can I say? A fantastic boozer with a great food offering. The staff are a delight, as is the Manager. Knowledgeable, friendly and efficient - we'll definitely be back for more!
3 Aug 2008 16:23
Being a dedicated Youngs drinker for many a year, I recently called into an old haunt of mine in Hampstead, namely The Flask. I must say how pleased I am that Youngs have sympathetically restored the place and kept a lot of the character. In the public bar were faces that I recognised from nearly 20 years ago - the old buggers still haven't managed to die yet! The staff and managers were very pleasant when encountered. They obviously love the place - and it shows in their attitude. Ordinary was well kept, and there were a nice selection of whiskies too.
The only down side to my visit was the lack of seating at the front of the pub. Could this be the reason that the other pubs in the area were all much busier? On enquiring, I was told that the local authority had requested their removal due to noise pollution complaints from local residents. When you consider that there has been an inn on the site of the Flask for nearly 200 years, would it not come as a shock to those purchasing a property in the area
to realise that pubs do sometimes get a bit noisy?!? Perhaps 'Disgruntled of Hampstead' should consider a move somewhere considerably quieter - the Outer Hebrides, perhaps??? This is a charming pub and deserves to be left alone to do what it has done for all these years(and quite successfully, I might add) - serve good beer to the Hampstead locals. Otherwise, you may arrive in Hampstead to see the Flask become yet another estate agents before too long! Now there's a conspiracy theory!...
13 Jul 2008 17:50
I'm sorry, but I have to say - the Duke may be no more, but the Devvie has certainly picked itself up, dusted itself down and moved into the 21st century, at long last.
Nice to see that although Youngs have sold out in Wandsworth, they are not afraid to spend the shareholders cash on doing their old boozers up. The Duke was in dire need of a refit to keep it up to date and current in Balham - there's a fair bit of competition about the area. I'll be honest and say that I actually like it - I was a customer before and I will remain one. I'm not a huge fan of some of the interior design, but that's a personal thing for me (probably shared by a few others too!).
Six of us ate last week on a Friday night. Food was good, not brilliant - but the service and the atmosphere made up for anything it might have lacked. Our waitress was friendly and made us very welcome - ended up staying until closing time (woke up nursing a bit of a head!). I feel that there could be more choice on the menu - maybe something for the veggies in the group?! We would definitely return for food if there were some healthier options and perhaps some specials too.
Reading through some of the reviews left on here has made me wonder if those with a totally negative outlook have been in since the facelift? If you haven't, pop in and have a look - it's not as bad as you might think! There is room for improvement, as with all new things, but I think they have the foundations in place. It's clean, comfortable and busy, so they must be doing something right there. Just need to concentrate on the menu more - then I think it will be hard to fault it. Cracking garden too!!
14 Apr 2008 23:11
The County Arms, Wandsworth Common
I'd not been to the County Arms for some years, and happened to be passing last week - so popped in for a bite to eat. Many changes since my last visit - all good!! No more like an extension of the Wandsworth Prision Social Club, and no more surly service from disinterested staff. Having visited other Youngs pubs, my experience of food has been sketchy, to say the very least. I arrived with a friend and ordered a pint of Special and a glass of Rioja at the bar - refreshing to be served by somebody who actually seemed to enjoy and know what he was doing! Made recommendations from the menu, which encouraged both of us to eat in the restaurant area. We had Venison Pie and mash, which was delicious (and obviously homemade), and Pidgeon and Beetroot salad - different, but very tasty. Not your usual pub grub. Maybe slightly on the expensive side, but i'd rather pay for quality than sit in piss-stained seats, eating boil-in-the-bag mixed grill in a JD Wetherspoon boozer! General mix of punters, all ages and a nice relaxed atmosphere too. The place is candlelit by evening and with roaring log fires; we stayed for Irish coffees and then left at closing time. Great night, thanks County Arms! - well-run pub, friendly staff, good food, top ale - best in the area by far. Other Youngs pubs - take note!!
14 Jan 2008 09:59
The Flask, Highgate
The wife and I stopped in here for a quick glass of wine on Bank Holiday Monday, after visiting the namesake in Hampstead Village. There is really no competition between the two Flask pubs - Fuller's has the edge in every way. Saw people eating here, and at least the food looked edible, unlike its Hampstead 'rival'.
We'll definitely call in again.
14 Sep 2009 19:25