BITE user comments - porcus_volans
Comments by porcus_volans
Great pub in a good location. It's just far enough from the madding crowd to be relatively tourist free. Sadly, I don't like Brodie's beers. I've tried hard and I don't think it's the way the pub keeps them because they're always clear and well presented. I just can't make myself like them.
Shame because otherwise I'm very happy to drink here.
28 Feb 2013 13:32
The Black Horse Hotel, Preston
Was up for the Preston Guild celebrations at the weekend. The Black Horse is still the wonderful pub it was when I was a student here in the mid-80's.
Great range of well kept beers; cheerful, helpful staff and comfortable snugs in which to have a session.
Long may it remain just as it is now.
Shame about the idiot who decided that the snug was the place to escape to from the hubbub of the bar to make his mobile phone call. All 8 punters in there now know that his missus was not happy at all about having to come and pick him and his drunk mates up and give them all lifts home. I hope she gave him down the banks when she got her hands on him.
6 Sep 2012 16:21
Was in The Bull with a large group of friends before a concert at the Empire recently. We'd booked a table for dinner which hadn't been set up when we arrived. We were offered a couple of sofas thrown together at the last minute but, as we were planning to eat, we asked for a proper table to sit down at.
The staff were fantastic. They sorted out a couple of tables with the minimum of fuss and made sure that we had our food in plenty of time for us to get to the concert.
The food was very good, even if the waitress serving it wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and the Bombadier was drinkable.
The pub itself is ok as a haven for stressed shoppers. It has a pleasant enough atmosphere, there's plenty of space to sit down, the beer and food are passable and the staff are helpful and friendly.
Hats off to the staff for sorting things out for us on the night we were there.
14 Dec 2011 11:01
Dropped in early Saturday evening to meet up with some mates. A pleasant, fairly typical west London pub. Floor boards, dark wood and faux leather, the usual selection of real ales (2 from st austell brewery, black sheep and pride), wines and trendy lagers.
The bar staff were efficient and friendly and the black sheep was very good.
The only downside is that the beer garden could do with a bit of a scrub.
5 Sep 2011 10:47
The refurb has made a huge difference. The inside is nicely done, with some lovely nooks and crannies to settle into. There's a cyclical selection of 4 real ales on the go at any time with another two settling and, even though it gets busy, the bar staff seem to be on their toes most of the time.
The food is a bit of a let down. There's lots of it so you won't starve but it's not up to the standards of the Kings Arms or the Red Lion, which are the nearest competition. i think it's trying to be more sophisticated than it needs to be and, whilst ambition is no bad thing, it needs to be backed up by ability to deliver.
The best thing about it, however, is that the kids have gone elsewhere to drink and Ealing has acquired another half-decent boozer.
9 May 2011 13:48
The Star and Anchor, West Ealing
Has recently re-opened as the Star and Anchor after an extensive refurb. Have been in a few times to check it out.
The internal decor's a bit dark but quite relaxing once you get used to it. There's plenty of seating space and the loos have been done very nicely.
There are two real ales on the bar, most recently Duechars IPA plus another less memorable one. Both were very drinkable - maybe that's why I can't remember the second one. Also a reasonable selection of wines at half decent prices.
The food is excellent, especially the steak that I had for Sunday lunch recently.
There's also a nice sheltered back garden for those long summer afternoons on the lash.
All in all, a welcome addition to West Ealing's range of pubs and competition for The Castlebar, which has had it all its own way for too long.
9 May 2011 13:34
A great pub but only after about 7pm when the parents drag their kids home to bed. Otherwise it's closer to a creche, particularly in the back garden.
Excellent selection of Fullers and guest ales plus some interesting bottled lagers (Brooklyn Lager, Kaastel Crug, etc.).
9 May 2011 13:22
Best pub in North Norfolk in my ever so humble opinion. Great beer, equally good food, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, loads of tables, open fires in most rooms and a regular bus service along the coast road to boot.
21 Mar 2011 16:03
Had a lovely relaxed late Sunday lunch here yesterday. The food was excellent and reasonably good value for money and the service was very good.
The best thing was that food is served all day on Sunday which means that there is no mad 2:30pm rush to order. That makes for a far more chilled out experience.
Sadly I was driving so couldn't sample the beers but will return with a different designated driver to give it a proper go.
21 Mar 2011 15:59
think you might have the wrong pub here bloke.
there's two pubs called the king's head in the area. this one in letheringsett, about 2 miles outside holt and the one you described on the high street in the middle of holt.
the letheringsett version is owned by a kiwi called chris coubrough who has made a name for himself creating top class gastro pubs and hotels in the area. he also owns the crown hotel in wells next the sea where i have stayed and can vouch for its high quality.
i haven't been to the king's head in letheringsett yet so i can't comment on it, but will once i have done so.
7 Feb 2010 23:35
Proper pub hidden in the heart of the West End. Decent beer, friendly locals and bemused tourists.
Had Tim Taylor and Pride on the bar. TT was fine, even managing to break through the fug of a stinking cold. Didn't try the food but the chips on the next table looked a tad iffy.
Will be back.
15 Jan 2010 10:11
Upmarket pub that reflects its locale. Stunning selection of 6 real ales on the bar with the pump handles directly opposite the front door so they're the first thing you see as you walk in - how welcoming is that?
It also has a very good food menu that changes daily and a large dining room at the back for those that want to eat away from the drinkers. The pub is happy to serve food in the bar, however, so you don't have to up sticks and move into the back if you want to eat.
Cozy, convivial atmosphere and busy but not packed.
8 Jan 2010 12:39
Poor little diddums bedfont is forced to sever the umbilical chord between him and his mobile for half an hour for the sake of others and he winges.
This is a very small boozer where inconsiderate idiots braying into their mobiles can be heard throughout. i for one am delighted that they are banned and only wish that all mobile users were exiled outside pubs to continue their one sided rants alongside the smokers.
Great pub, wonderful moth eaten military memorabilia, friendly staff, good food and great beer.
AND NO BLOODY MOBILES.
6 Jan 2010 19:45
I don't normally bother with the Dover because it's invariably too crowded.
However, if you are that concerned about the attitude and behaviour of the manager there is a simple course of action. Write to the MD of the company that owns the pub.
Have a look a the entry for The North Star in Ealing if you want to see the effect of a well targeted letter of complaint.
27 Nov 2009 08:39
half decent boozer - better than the other fullers ale and pie houses i've been in. very good pint of pride, interesting interior, pleasant enough crowd. only down side is that, when not busy, the staff tend to gather on one side of the horseshoe shaped bar. this means that if you happen to be on the other side you can struggle to get their attention without yelling "shop!".
10 Nov 2009 16:35
great pub, great selection of beer, attentive bar staff, plenty of tables, pleasant scruffyness, good atmosphere.
the only problem is that it's taken me 22 years living in london to find the bree louise.
28 Oct 2009 10:08
best guinness in london and a great little hideaway, especially if you use the downstairs bar. i've fallen off the pints of guinness bar stools too many times.
coupled with bradley's spanish bar on hanway street it makes for the start of one of london's truly epic pub adventures, going south through soho and ending up in de hems on macclesfield st and a chinese afterwards.
a great way to idle away a saturday afternoon.
13 Oct 2009 11:58
one of the few proper soho dive bars left. wonderfully scruffy, best jukebox in the west end, potty locals, truly abysmal loos and interesting spanish beers.
the best thing is that it's hidden away just yards from oxford street and can be reached by way of a cheeky side step away from the tourist hoards.
what drinking in soho is really all about.
13 Oct 2009 11:50
i had the cheek to disturb a team from a local business holding a meeting in the side room of the angel. it happens to be the route to the gents from the front bar. the team manager was leaning against the door post and was just reaching the peak of his david brent style pep talk when i opened the door. he tottered for a second before falling backwards through the doorway in glorious slow motion, much to the amusement of his minions. he picked himself up and smoothed his ruffled feathers and was just getting back into his stride when i wandered back from the gents, only to distrub him again mid-waffle. he wasn't a happy bunny.
one of his team came up to me afterwards, bought me a pint and thanked me for pricking his boss' pomposity.
the angel is a great institution hidden away behind centre point. as with the other sam smith's pubs in london it has no delusions of grandeur and offers the basic comforts of a proper pub; excellent beer, half decent pub grub and a pleasant atmoshpere. what more could a man want in the tourist hell of the west end of london?
oh, and my wife hates it...all the better!
13 Oct 2009 11:32
The Porterhouse, Covent Garden
the porterhouse is one of my favourite drinking spots in the west and and it's always a pleasure to have a few beers ihere - whether on a saturday afternoon retreat from the tourist hell of covent garden or a serious beer session with one's mates.
it strikes me as a modern take on the quays in galway and waxy o'connor's in chinatown.
contrary to lennie384's comments below, the in house draught beers are very good, especially the oyster stout which is smoother than guinness and just as easy to drink. mind you, i tend not to pay much attention to people who call themselves "seasoned hard drinkers". anyone who is of that ilk generally doesn't feel the need to brag about it.
the food in the porterhouse is normally very good, particularly the burgers and the bands i've seen on a saturday evening have hit the spot.
4 Oct 2009 18:21
The Crusting Pipe, Covent Garden
a great place to pause amongst the hubbub of covent garden and enjoy a nice bottle of plonk. the wine selection is good, the food is reasonable value for the area and the bar staff are efficient.
the one thing i do object to is being asked for a gratuity by the credit card machine when all the barmaid has done is hand me a bottle of wine and two glasses - not on i'm afraid.
having said that, you normally get some high quality classical music performers busking outside and dropping a few quid into their hat is always a pleasure.
4 Oct 2009 18:08
The Nell Gwynne, Covent Garden
i wandered in here on friday evening and, having fought my way through the city boys braying at each other in the alley outside, i wandered straight out again.
in the past this has been a great boozer. sadly it now suffers from the two most annoying blights of modern day pubs - televisions and smelly toilets.
i know that the smoking ban has unmasked what was previously a hidden problem but, not to put too fine a point on it, the gents stink like a fleetwood trawler's hold on a hot summer day with the hatches shut. surely it's not beyond the wit of man or woman to fix it.
4 Oct 2009 18:03
having abandoned the previous version of the kings arms some years ago as antideluvian (curly sandwiches, sticky carpets & proprietorial locals) we wandered into the new version on friday to see what the fuss was about.
the main bar is still a very big room but the decor has been refreshed, there was a decent crowd in and a young musician warbling away in the corner.
the atmosphere was pleasant. those propping the bar up made space for new comers and the grumpy local and new barmaid added much to the entertainment.
wierdly, the dining room (with only 1 couple eating) had a telly showing live football.
the food came in large, tastey portions that represented unusually good value for money for london.
unfortunately what lets the pub down is the beer. the timothy taylor's landlord was more bitter than normal, the london pride was iffy and the guinness has the slightly nutty taste that you get when drinking it abroad.
if the landlord(s) can up the quality of the beer the kings arms will become another landmark on our ealing beer wanderings.
21 Sep 2009 09:15
gave it another try last night - looks like m&b have pulled their fingers out and fixed the pub.
the bar staff were all unfamiliar faces which suggests that the bad ones have been replaced. they were fast, friendly and efficient.
if i was going in for the first time i'd be impressed with a lively pub with an excellent selection of beers and a welcoming atmosphere. it's good to have the north star back to somewhere near its best.
still no-one serving in the front bar though.
11 Sep 2009 10:01
great pub in an unpreposessing setting. good selection of fuller's finest and a lovely georgian bar maid.
and if you get the seat at the end of the bar you can watch the footy scores on the telly without straying too far.
will definitely be back.
10 Aug 2009 14:27
The Magpie and Crown, Brentford
a comfortable saturday retreat after the rigours of an all day friday session at the great british beer festival.
a fine selection of real ales and very friendly bar staff.
10 Aug 2009 14:23
have been to the globe occasionally for work do's and have always enjoyed it.
was in on saturday night to see a band. the pub is excellent, the staff and locals are friendly, the atmosphere relaxed and the beer very good.
i can imagine losing a few saturday afternoons in here playing pool and watching the world go by.
20 Jul 2009 15:00
The Black Lion Hotel, Little Walsingham
a slightly odd place. i expected to hear duelling banjoes drifting out form a back room. fine pints of camerons ruby ale and a light fluffy woodforde's sundew which was perfect for the hot weather.
it seemed to me that the god botherers and bible bashers staying here were very keen on testing the brewers' abilities to turn water into interestingly alcoholic drinks. and i can confirm that the locals are an eccentric bunch, but this won't come as much of a surprise if you've staying in walsingham for any length of time.
5 Jul 2009 17:56
pleasant pub; friendly barman; adnams bitter, black sheep bitter and a superb pint of bass on the bar.
they only do food at lunchtimes to cater for the hoards of pilgrims attending the various christian shrines of one flavour or another that give the town a reason to exist. presumably they've all gone off in their coaches or to an early bed by the time anyone else ventures out for a pie and a pint.
some interesting little nooks and crannies in the pub and a large fireplace that i'm sure will hold a welcoming blaze during the winter.
5 Jul 2009 17:50
Update to E1_Norton's update.
Was in the North Star last night. A very much improved performance by the bar staff. They were on their toes and served people quickly and efficiently.
Trap 1 in the gents remains out of service and for some extraordinary reason the front bar is still closed due to "technical problems". It seems rather odd that a prosperous and popular London pub can suffer from technical problems that cannot be fixed for a month. How does the manager think it looks to punters when they walk into the pub for the first time and see the front bar closed due to technical problems? Customers want to feel welcome when they enter a pub. They don't want to see a shut bar and be forced to go further into the pub to find a drink.
A cynic might suggest that the front bar remains closed because it's too hard to operate two bars in the a pub. Ho hum!
Overall, though, a big improvement. I hope it lasts.
3 Jul 2009 10:55
completely soul-less bar that may once have been a decent pub
i can't bring myself to trust a pub where you rent the pool table by the hour.
14 Jun 2009 22:22
Dexter's Grill and Bar, Putney
if this is the place next door to the prince of wales on upper richmond road, it has closed and is now a restaurant.
14 Jun 2009 22:19
wandered in here on saturday afternoon after a pleasant walk along the river from hammersmith. nobody in when we arrived but a few locals soon made the place look inhabited.
a very fine selection of timothy taylors beers, including that most elusive of wonders in london, a pint of dark mild. and boy was it good.
looks like it could be a very fine boozer for an evening session. will have to return to check it out.
14 Jun 2009 22:17
The Drayton Court, West Ealing
one of west ealing's best boozers. great place to come and watch the footie, particularly if you like taking the michael out of man united fans with exotic accents (a manchester accent is NOT exotic)
a big central bar with plenty of seating and a side bar with a pool table. also has an epic back garden and a separate room with sofas and no music.
there's even a downstairs room that is used for a variety of purposes, including a comedy club, band rehearsal and jam room, dance school and a night club.
the beer is always good and the food is well above average. the landlord is a cheerful friendly guy and his staff are normally on their toes. i think it has been used as a fullers training pub in the past and the service suffered as a result but nowadays it's not a problem. the rather threatening chelsea fans at the bar are a friendly bunch once you get to know them.
5 Jun 2009 16:33
i heard from a regular reader of this site recently that mitchells & butler senior management have been made aware of the problems with the north star, particularly the dreadfully slow service. they were pointed to this site as an indicator of customers' levels of dissatisfaction.
the area manager has been informed so hopefully something will be done.
5 Jun 2009 13:31
a very good local pub that makes the most of it's arts and crafts features and lovely big back garden.
the beer is always very good and the food has improved a great deal in the last few months.
what lets it down is that it is a bit of an atmosphere free barn. the main bar is a very big room with high ceilings, big tables and wooden floorboards. what conversation there is echos and there's no conviviality. you feel like you're drinking in a church hall rather than a boozer.
having said that, i'm lucky to have such good beer and food in my local pub so i shouldn't complain.
5 Jun 2009 13:25
The Briton's Protection Hotel, Castlefield
almost the perfect pub. great bar staff, excellent beers, food (untasted by me) and a stunning selection of whiskies. the interior is intriguing and the atmosphere convivial.
what would make it better? move it to where i live so i can go every night.
4 Jun 2009 14:46
was in here before the ireland v nigeria game at craven cottage on friday 29th.
it's large, comfortable and airy with plenty of seating and some quiet nooks and crannies.
we had an early dinner and the food was excellent. my chicken and bean cassoulet was lovely and my wife's burger and chips was excellent.
sadly, the beer wasn't. and neither was the service.
both the timothy taylor's landlord and the morrissey and fox blonde were cloudy. fortunately the sierra nevada was very good, although my wife had to take hers back because the glass hadn't been rinsed properly and tasted of dishwasher chemicals. i had seen a barman sniff a glass and rinse it before serving someone else so this is obviously a known problem.
as the pub got busier the service got worse. there was a crowd on all sides of the square central bar but the bar staff were all gathered in one corner serving only the customers around them. they only reluctantly moved their backsides to other parts of the bar when someone senior turned up and got a rocket from several upset customers.
a good pub that could be so much better with some very simple improvements - keep and present the beer better and train the staff in the basics of bar work.
31 May 2009 13:23
half decent pub - compares reasonably well with the city arms next door, although let down a little by the interior and the heedless students who insisted that the music be cranked up regardless of the other punters. bar staff should have told them to bu**er off to a kids pub and leave the grown-ups in peace.
excellent timothy taylor's landlord and hobgoblin.
25 May 2009 10:59
lovely, proper city centre boozer. loads of atmosphere, friendly locals, excellent bar staff. excellent range of beers. sadly, all of them tasted slightly of chemicals. was drinking woodforde's wherry in norfolk the previous weekend and the city arms' version was nowhere near as nice. the tetley's and the st edmunds were also a bit iffy.
hopefully it was a one off as i work a fair bit in manchester and will definitely be back in here to try it out again.
25 May 2009 10:51
Was in here early Saturday evening. Decent city centre pub, good atmosphere, normal people, good bar staff. First time I've had Holts. Bit wishy washy to be honest. Preferred the bottled Maplemoon.
25 May 2009 10:44
Crown Hotel, Wells next the Sea
stayed here over the weekend. rooms are expensive but comfortable. food is very good indeed, particularly the seafood. very relaxing atmosphere in the bar - no telly so no constant saturday afternoon reminders that united had won another bloody league title. lovely place to drink excellent real ale and chill out with the papers whilst the tourists fight outside over parking spaces around the butlands.
drank the woodforde wherry all weekend as it is too good to justify drinking anything else.
17 May 2009 20:57
The Globe Inn, Wells next the Sea
this pub has three rooms, the large front bar, an even larger dining room at the read and a small side room with half a dozen tables.
we bought a pint in the bar on friday evening but were forced to drink it outside as the smell of the toilets was overpowering.
we turned up at 8:10 pm on saturday evening looking for somewhere to eat. thankfully the smell had gone. the bar and dining rooms were both full but the side room was empty.
however, we were told that they were not taking any more "walk ins", even though they were obviously not full as the side room wasn't occupied.
i am in complete admiration of the landlord that he can run such a tight ship that he can afford, in these straightened times, to turn away good business from a pub with available seating capacity. congratulations my friend, you will undoubtably be up for norfolk landlord of the year in a trice.
we wandered around the corner to another pub and spent our �40 on two lovely dinners and several pints of Tom Wood's very fine Lincolnshire ale.
17 May 2009 20:49
i fell in love with this place many years ago. i even had a barrel of pots ale on the bar at my wedding.
there's a fine line between charming eccentricity and frustrating incompetence and i'm afraid that line was crossed on saturday lunchtime. the wait at the bar at times was 10 - 15 minutes. the wait for food was 50 minutes. food is advertised as sold until 2pm but customers were being turned away at 1:50pm because the kitchen was over-stretched. some of them had been walking in the area and were relying on the food before starting their return journey.
the beer and food are both wonderful and, when the staff are able to cope, the pub is charming and interesting. however, if you are unlucky and hit peak time you may leave disappointed and frustrated.
23 Feb 2009 20:57
this place has recently been done up and renamed "the village inn". they've shortened the bar to create a bit more space, given it a paint job and changed the furniture.
the range of ales is good (2 adnams, spitfire, tribute and pride) but they never quite hit the mark. they are always just that tiny degree short of being top notch beers.
as for the locals, i've been an irregular here for many years and have never had a problem with them. it is one of only two pubs in this part of deepest suburbia and it attracts a sizeable group of people from the local community. most of them know each other and like to occupy the same piece of floor space and talk to the same people when they're in there.
so what if they don't talk to people they don't know? so what if they eye a stranger up and down? they're not obliged to lay out the red carpet and throw a party for every new comer who walks through the door.
they create space at the bar for people waiting to get served and they don't stab you if you look at them sideways. that's good enough for me.
10 Feb 2009 16:11
great to see this place open again and back on some sort of decent form. it used to be a hogshead with a very good selection of beer and a pleasant atmosphere. sadly, it gradually faded into an awful sports bar with too many tvs and kids. eventually it closed a year or so ago.
now it's open again as a wetherspoons with a good selection of ales (deuchers ipa, spitfire, pride at less than �2 and green king ipa at 99p), a whole range of cheap shorts and wines and a simple but good looking menu.
the staff were efficient and friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. it has all the hallmarks of a wetherspoons - no music, tea and coffee all day, silent fruit machine and cheap beer and food. it does have a small tv in the corner but it was quiet and not distracting.
let's hope it keeps the kids out and becomes a decent addition to the dwindling range of good ealing boozers.
2 Feb 2009 13:52
best guinness in west london and tom, the governor, knows how to serve any number of customers without making them wait (take note those in the north star).
great friendly place to watch the footy with a friendly crowd.
9 Oct 2008 21:15
Was in the normally very good North Star last night. Only 1 of the usual four real ales was on and the 3 bar staff that were serving were desperately slow. Also, there was some truly abysmal live music on in the front bar that made conversation in the back bar very difficult.
Having waited at the bar for 10 minutes getting nowhere fast I gave up and went elsewhere.
The manager of this place needs to pull his socks up.
19 Sep 2008 15:52
The Castlebar has been a very welcome addition to West Ealing's range of pubs since it was renovated a few years ago.
The Adnams real ale is well kept, the Guinness is excellent and we've never been disappointed by the wines.
The food is lovely, with a menu that changes regularly, offering a good range of well presented food that has been cooked with care and pride.
It can be a little expensive sometimes and the service initially slow, but once Abel and his team have spotted you, your glass isn't empty for long.
There are three top notch curry houses within stumbling distance of The Castlebar, which certainly adds to its already strong appeal.
3 Feb 2008 19:51
This is by some distance the best pub in Ealing. If you are lucky enough to get a table in the front of the pub, particularly one of the little booths, you get a feeling of what it must have been like before it was expanded.
The beer is generally very good, although the Guinness can occasionally be patchy, and the food is usually up to scratch.
The staff seem to change regularly and could sometimes be given lessons in smiling.
However, if you are looking for somewhere to spend a pleasant evening drinking top quality Fullers with some excellent guest ales, the Red Lion is your man, so to speak.
3 Feb 2008 19:36
Back to porcus_volans's profile
The Duke of Kent, Ealing
The Kent has been transformed by a recent refurb. It now makes much better use of the space inside, with smaller areas creating more of an atmosphere, and the back garden is a splendid place for an evening drink. The beer remains of very good quality and the food is also more than acceptable.
I'm afraid however, that it is let down by it's bar staff. They are slow, inattentive and don't seem to understand the basics of bar work.
A good bar worker knows who's next and doesn't have to ask. When a beer is off the badge on the pump handle it turned around so that customers don't make their selection, get disappointed and then have to make another slection whilst other customers are waiting to be served. Dirty plates and glasses are not piled high on the bar counter next to customers trying to enjoy a pint or a meal.
There are all basics that the management really need to sort out to take best advantage of what is a very good makeover.
6 Jun 2013 07:14