BITE user comments - mr_toon
Comments by mr_toon
Popped in here before the Newcastle v Portsmouth match in Decemberlast year. As blue_scrumpy says, had to wait at least an hour for food and breakfasts were very popular. Sadly, I ordered burger and chips instead and it was the worst I've ever had in a Wetherspoons. Bitter was also poorly kept.
Went to the Froddington Arms across the road last season and was made to feel welcome, beer was excellent and had a far better time!
10 Apr 2009 12:41
I tend to agree with the comments from Froosch when it comes to the landlords behaviour. I've personally always found him the charming host - very friendly, welcoming, helpful etc etc. However.....
I was in the beer garden a couple of Friday evenings ago and it was quite crowded (why was there only lighting around the smoking area and not beyond?) and everyone was enjoying a very relaxed and quiet night. Noise levels were very low with never a raised voice in the time I was there (8.00 til 11pm). At 10.50, the landlord was collecting glasses from the beer garden and being his usual self asking how everyone was etc then without warning he suddenly rushed to a table of about six or seven people and very agressively told them to "keep the noise down" or they would have to leave - they and everyone else were totally stunned. They all sat motionless in a state of shock and had been humilated for no reason whatsoever. It ruined their evening, that of my wife and I and many others. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. The landlord went back indoors and most people drank up and left.
On us leaving, he was then the charming host again and invited us back as if nothing had happened. From what both myself and Froosch have witnessed, he does appear to be a bit Jekyll and Hyde.
3 Aug 2008 17:49
Went recently to watch the football Saturday lunchtime and was made to feel very welcome by the new manageress. Will be returning very soon. Great Guinness as well.
18 Nov 2007 23:38
Several work colleagues used to eat here regularly at lunchtimes as the food is good but they have now stopped as it can average an hour for food to arrive after ordering even when not very busy. I had never had a problem until recently. Four of us arrived at 12 noon for a colleagues 50th birthday and immediately ordered food. Two more joined us at 12.20 and ordered food. Their food arrived at 12.35 and three of ours arrived between 12.40 and 13.05. At 13.10, 65 minutes after ordering, one of us were told their order hadn't yet been started. They demanded their money back and eventually got it but it wasn't as easy as you would expect. Birthday celebration meal spoilt!
The service/kitchen don't appear to have a clue how to get food out successfully. Word is getting around of the long delays and disjointed orders and many people are no longer returning. Sadly though, as the food has a good reputation, many more diners take their place.
18 Nov 2007 23:29
The 'old' Red Lion was tatty, very basic, and the only women you saw in it were usually the barmaids. Local lager drinkers, students and people with no homes to go were the usual crowd. You were able to buy food from the local take-aways then eat it in the pub with your pint. I drank there regularly, Gerry was great and was very popular but appeared to spend virtually nothing on the the place, just content with letting it virtually fall down around everyone. Wobbly floors, awful toilets, dimly lit and sticky seats where the springs would poke you in the backside when you sat down. He must have made a killing when he sold up. The new owners have probably spent a fortune to produce a pub that now appeals to a far wider audience, is children friendly in an area where lots of young families live, and also feels safe to go to. Owners and staff I've always found friendly and attentive and the few bar meals I've had are admittedly a little expensive but the chef produces good food and uses quality ingredients. There is also a good choice of wine and bitter, but again they are slightly expensive. However, this all points to the fact that it's obvious what crowd the owners are trying to attract and it's not the majority of Gerry's old regulars. Basically, it you liked it before, you probably won't now, and if you didn't like it then, you probably will now!
27 Jun 2007 23:22
There is usually a bouncer on the door presumably to keep the trash out of Kou Kou but The Richmond Guardian (May 17 2007) reported that Kou Kou has just been taken to court and hit with fines of over �1,200 for dumping bags of rubbish in the street. Ouch!
30 May 2007 22:50
Agree with PunkRockBee about the doormen, very polite and friendly. A few small groups of chavs, some looking barely old enough to drink but the atmosphere was OK during my visit. Pub was surprisingly quiet for 9 o'clock on a Saturday night. Some of the bar staff much more friendly and welcoming than others.
17 Apr 2007 22:04
The Teddington Arms, Teddington
Went at easter to watch the football (on PPV) and the picture quality on the flat screens was very poor. Decent choice of bitters, food looked very nice but it is pricey - ten quid for fish and chips! It's the same price just up the road at the specialist fish restaurant Loch Fyne. If I'm paying restaurant prices for food, I don't want to sit in a pub to eat it.
17 Apr 2007 22:02
Popped in here on Saturday afternoon before the Newcastle match and no problems being a Newcastle supporter. Good atmosphere and a young and old mix of both sets of fans. Good bitters and the bacon cheese burger & chips was worth the �6.75 I think it cost, it was 45 minutes wait but this was made clear when ordering. All staff very friendly and helpful. A decent pub for a pre match drink.
16 Apr 2007 23:51
Another nice afternoon spent here with family and friends. Good beer, good food, and good service - what more can you want from a pub?
13 Apr 2007 12:26
Joes Bar and Restaurant, Hampton Hill
I've never used the bar area or visited on an evening but I eat in the restaurant (usually midweek afternoons) about once every couple of months with my wife and young kids and have never been disappointed. The staff know us now but have always treated us very well and along with the decent food and resonably priced bill is why we keep going back. They also serve a nice pint of Guinness!
10 Aug 2006 23:13
Went to 'The Edge' last night but the only 'bitter' they served was John Smiths Smooth so I ordered a Guinness instead but was told they'd run out of it. No bottled bitter available either. I think this is the first pub I've ever been in with no choice of bitter - why? don't us bitter drinkers count? I don't drink lager or cider so we left and won't return. Shame really, as sitting outside by the river, enjoying a drink with my wife was very appealing!
10 Aug 2006 22:44
Reasonable pub and a very big improvement on before but I'm yet to be served a pint of bitter with a head on!
6 Aug 2006 20:16
I quite like this pub and I was also a regular when Gerry ran it previously. The recent refurbishment means I can now take my family and friends here which wasn't really possible before. I and many other dads had a great Fathers Day in the beer garden recently and everyones children were made more than welcome. I also know of several families and couples who drop in on Sundays for the barbcue. This pub now is a world apart from how it once was and people who wouldn't visit then now do and enjoy it - what's wrong with that?
2 Jul 2006 22:41
I ordered my wife a wine recently and the barman asked if she wanted ice in it - though I think he could have been new. Being coming here since early 2000 on and off and it seems to be on the up again. More atmosphere and staff friendlier than last visit and barmaid/manageress? appeared to have appreciated our custom as we left. The makeover change spoilt it, and lost many customers, but on this visit the current team do seem to be making an effort. keep it up!
9 Jun 2006 14:25
The Waldegrave Arms, Teddington
Pub closed a couple of weeks ago and is all 'steel shuttered up' with no sign of activity. I've no idea what is planned for it but if it's another pub, surely it can't be as bad as before. As it's the only pub this side of the railway line for some distance it would be well worth developing along with it's large beer garden.
9 Jun 2006 13:54
I was a regular here to watch the football when Gerry was manager and liked the place but it was a lads pub (similar to the old Fulwell Arms) and not really a place to take your wife/girlfriend or family/friends to. It has totally changed under the new management and is now wife/friends/etc friendly. I've always found the bar staff welcoming and yes, the drinks are a bit pricey but I'd rather drink here now than how it was before. Along with The Old Goat (ex Fulwell Arms) this end of Teddington now has two decent pubs to take someone to for the first time in the seven years I've lived here.
16 Apr 2006 16:15
Like the Red Lion down the road (under Gerry), I always found this pub better than it's reputation especially since the new management took over last christmas. However, I was in recently when the Ashes were on and there was a knuckle head with quite aggresive anti-Aussie comments who turned out to be an extra barman when things got busy. Had an excellent barmaid who was the only barstaff I've ever met in the south who could remember a round of drinks whenever someone different went to the bar - and she was always friendly, had a smile and made you welcome. Like the Red Lion, the Fulwell Arms has now closed for refurbishment so lets hope the reputation of both new pubs doesn't go before them when they reopen - and that the barmaid comes back!
9 Oct 2005 21:32
Since my posting below on 28th Sept, the Red Lion closed on 6th Oct for refurbishment (coincidence I think and not as a result of my observations!) and the window signs claim it will be open again in about 4 weeks. The inside is already completely gutted so 4 weeks could be on. The Fulwell Arms up the road has also just closed for refurbishment so it's looks like the area is getting what appears to be 2 new pubs in the next couple of months. Lets wait and see what we get!
9 Oct 2005 20:59
I was a regular here when Gerry was landlord but have only been a few times since he left. I'd been limiting my visits to 'beer garden weather' as the inside was no longer welcoming. However, this soon stopped as it was not without it's dangers. Although the beer garden is huge, the pub has a dog which is allowed to use the garden as a toilet, the landlord didn't clear the mess so it was ankle deep in dog shit. It just sums the place up.
28 Sep 2005 23:13
The Waldegrave Arms, Teddington
Been going since early 2000 but purely to watch the football with a friend when NUFC were playing. Gave up about a year ago. Got fed of of being a 'regular' but never recognised. No matter how often we went to the bar the staff still treated us as strangers. As a bitter drinker was always impressed by the choice of guest beers but usually when getting home I felt nauseous no matter how much I'd drunk (usually 5 pints max). Lager drinking friend never had a problem. I've never felt this way in any other pub so started drinking only Newcastle Brown or Guinness and never had another problem... until was passing recently with my wife following a nice meal at the Post Box virtually next door. Went in, (after about a years absence) had 2 pints of bitter and it totally ruined the evening. Some things never change!
17 Jun 2005 23:05
Moved to Teddington early 2000 and this was by far the best pub in the area until the refurbishment. Gone is the genuine cosy pub welcome, service, decoration, and atmosphere created by the staff and customers. Rarely go nowadays and it's empty when I do. Always get the feeling the current staff are not interested in the customers. Refurbishment and staff attitude seems to have ruined a very good pub. Beer garden is a welcome diversion. Haven't tried the food but beer (bitter) is usually OK. Sadly, as I knew it before refurbishment, I just can't get used to it now.
17 Jun 2005 22:33
The Keystone, Guildford
Nothing much changed since my previous comments of Nov 2007. Been in twice in recent weeks at lunchtime and food service is apalling. Why does it take so long to cook food and serve it to customers - management clearly don't realise most people have only a limited time for lunch.
We were in a mixed group at the bar but barman was only interested in serving the female customers who were either on their own or in pairs, only the female barmaid appeared to care who was 'next to be served'.
If you want food and have limited time, avoid at all costs!
10 Apr 2009 12:54