BITE user comments - gradav
Comments by gradav
Visited here on a Thursday lunch time in June 2014. The interior and design is interesting, the service was good. Being a hot day I went for draught cider and there was a large selection of Hereford ciders on tap. The food was good value and we were asked later on if everything was alright. It was in line with a typical Wetherspoons pub and was an enjoyable and satisfactory experience.
2 Aug 2014 17:59
When on holiday in June 2012 I visited this pub as it had been highly recommended. As a visitor, I felt very much the outsider. The lady behind the bar was more interested in joining in the banter from a large number of locals assembled there and then serving them when one or two shouted out for another pint. All the while, I stood for what must have been 5 minutes - it doesn't sound long but it is when waiting for service. I was on the point of walking out when she actually asked what I would like. The Ringwoods was very nice which I slowly consumed in the quite alcove by the end door. The beer was good but unless you happened to be a local, the service was very indifferent. I felt as if I had gatecrashed a private party.
2 Aug 2014 17:50
Not having read the reviews previously, I visited this pub with an open mind. It was around 5 pm on Sunday and although the World Cuo was on, there were few people in the bar. Most had gone out into the garden as the afternoon was sunny and warm. The meal was good and efficiently served by cheerful and polite staff who interacted with the customers.
The only downside was that a carvery was advertised from 12 noon with no finishing time and this had finished by the time I arrived. Also, some of the offers while seeming to be clear did not appear to be offered or, if I had misunderstood them, they were confusing. For example, a dessert was offered for £3.55 and the enticement to add another one for half-price did not materialise as I was charged £7.10 for both. I didn't realise it at the time so I probably missed out. Otherwise a good experience. A very nice pint of Brain's dark smooth delightful.
24 Jun 2014 20:50
a compact pub with low ceiling, carpet and tables and chairs. The meals were well cooked, and good portions represented value for money. Three beers were on tap and the Adnams which I had was well kept and satisfying. The staff were friendly and communicated. A cosy pub with a warm atmosphere and pleasant ambience.
29 Jun 2013 00:41
This pub has reverted back to being a pub selling food with a restaurant area separate from the bar area. It is cosy and the addition of a settee and very comfortable, expansive arm chairs with adjacent tables tempt the visitor to linger longer. Although not needed, the fireplace suggested that a real fire is kindled in cooler temperatures as real logs sat in the grate on a bed of grey charred remains. Full meals as well as bar snacks are available although tasty, were on the pricy side. The manageress was very friendly and interacted with the customers and served personally at table or behind the bar. On my visit Lion and Old Butcombe were available which were well kept. Not having tasted these beers previously, I found them to be very pleasant to the pallet. Whilst I visited on a Monday and customers were few at the time of my two visits, I am told that custom varies but is especially busy at the weekends and when half price beer is offered on Sunday evenings. It is also benefiting from transference of custom from the Tollgate Inn currently closed whilst undergoing lengthy refurbishment. The pub has a pleasant and relaxing ambience.
29 Jun 2013 00:33
This pub has reverted back to being a pub selling food with a restaurant area separate from the bar area. It is cosy and the addition of a settee and very comfortable, expansive arm chairs with adjacent tables tempt the visitor to linger longer. Although not needed, the fireplace suggested that a real fire is kindled in cooler temperatures as real logs sat in the grate on a bed of grey charred remains. Full meals as well as bar snacks are available although tasty, were on the pricy side. The manageress was very friendly and interacted with the customers and served personally at table or behind the bar. On my visit Lion and Old Butcombe were available which were well kept. Not having tasted these beers previously, I found them to be very pleasant to the pallet. Whilst I visited on a Monday and customers were few at the time of my two visits, I am told that custom varies but is especially busy at the weekends and when half price beer is offered on Sunday evenings. It is also benefiting from transference of custom from the Tollgate Inn currently closed whilst undergoing lengthy refurbishment. The pub has a pleasant and relaxing ambience.
29 Jun 2013 00:33
Visited this pub recently and was impressed by the substantial chicken & ham pie with veg. Very tasty and washed down with a couple of pints of Black Sheep made my 2 hrs in there a very enjoyable experience. Very friendly staff and the locals were friendly enough in their dour Yorkshire way. Well kept and clean toilets and a pleasant ambience.
4 May 2013 22:14
The R&C is a gem, off the beaten track approached along lanes only a car's width wide. Lovely, friendly staff, great ambience and an inglenook with a real fire - the logs actually spit. Very good food and an ever changing range of beers. It is my idea of the quintessential country pub. Has table lamps, latticed windows, low beamed ceilings and is very cosy. In summertime, the array of outside picnic tables makes the R&C a delight for al fresco dining. It is always well patronized which, due to its location, can only be from the excellent reputation it has acquired from those who have discovered it. Well worth the 30 mins walk from Selling station. I don't give 10s but my 9 says that it is as near to perfection you can get. I enthusiastically and highly recommend it.
4 May 2013 21:54
I visited The Boot one weekday evening whilst on holiday basically because I enjoy Ringwood ales. Sadly, the service did not match up to the beer. It struck me as being a bit of a Weymouth "local" and visitors take their chance. I waited some 7 or 8 minutes for service (which is long time) whilst the barmaid engaged in conversation and banter with some seated regular locals who received their orders by just shouting out to the barmaid who duly obliged. There had been only one couple in front of me and I stood there waiting for a sufficient lull so that I could be served. I was almost on the point of walking out when the barmaid asked what I wanted. Her attention was on what the lads were saying and the only attention I got was to tell me the price and to give me the pint. Not the most comfortable or welcoming pub although the beer is good.
4 May 2013 21:37
The Jolly Farmers, Purley
I thought it would be a more sophisticated pub but not so. The beer was fine but not exceptional, the service was average - polite and functional although the price of the drinks was a little on the higher side of average.
The pub seemed to have seen better days and there was a general worn look about it. Worst of all was the loudness of the music which drowned out any attempt to have a conversation. How people could hear each other beats me so not a place if you want to make conversation. Clearly, the "music" was divorced from what was showing on the television screens.
The group I was with left after one drink as it was just impossible to talk.
2 Aug 2014 18:06