BITE user comments - pwr
Comments by pwr
Paid my first visit here in around 5 years today - the place has not changed one bit. Good in the sense of the beer was still good, bad in the sense that NOTHING has been changed - the sofas, chairs, decorations and menu selection is the same as it was in 2007. So, the experience was a tired version of 2000. Looking at my reviews from back then they talk about the kebabs only having one bit of haloumi cheese on - and guess what, a friend of mine ordered that today with, you guessed it, only one piece of haloumi cheese on.
Overall mark slipped from 8 in 2006 to 6 now - come on guys, you've earned enough out of the pub since the last revamp to do it again now, surely?!
26 Feb 2012 18:02
Currently closed for building work. Due to open by mid / end April 2010...
8 Apr 2010 18:29
A recent visit was mired by polite but poor service. I think the staff count was too low as the place was full and a table of 12 was doubtless an issue. Still, the pizzas remain excellent and it remains one of my favourite pubs. Just get a handle on the staffing levels on a heaving Friday night, eh?
12 Aug 2009 09:40
As per my visit last year, getting more grungy (still no soap in the loos) and main course was 45 minutes. Prices where good though, beer & food still good and location remains, oddly enough, excellent!
1 Mar 2009 21:49
Walked here today for a pint and a sit by the river. Looks to be a really good place. Excellent Shere Drop on draught. Looking forward to this being our regular walking local on a Sunday - until the Percy Arms is sorted out once and for all that is...
1 Mar 2009 21:47
Nice little pub this one. Tim Taylor 'Landlord' on tap which is always a good sign. Reasonable lunch, decent service.
14 Sep 2008 23:16
We had some excellent beer and food there today. New owners have done a great job doing it up (spot the classic Italian mopeds on the ceiling for example) and it continues to get the classic / modern car buffs there that it always has. Good atmosphere, plenty of space with friendly family owners. I remember this pub years ago as a rough and ready joint with dodgy everything. Not anymore. Keep it up chaps...
6 Apr 2008 18:53
Not bad overall. Getting a little tatty around the edges (no soap in the loos, worn-out seat coverings etc), & service is simply slow rather than laid back. Food however is fine (excellent onion rings) & beer / scrumpy are good. What saves this place is its excellent location on the High Street with parking behind for patrons. Will go again for parking and beer whilst hoping that the food arrives in less than 40 minutes.
2 Mar 2008 10:39
The Abinger Hatch, Abinger Common
Beer and food both good, but service poor. They need more staff. We've had three visits there in the last few months and each time the lack of staff has been the only problem. Can't give it more than 7 until the staff head count goes up.
22 Sep 2007 22:19
New management has for once led to a downturn in the place. Was perfectly good beer with good food, now average beer with microwaved stodge. Such a shame. Bring on the next change.
1 Jul 2007 13:20
Enjoyed some very good beer and food there yesterday with in-laws on the way to Chichester. Family run pub. Landlord offered my Yorkshire father-in-law tasters of all the bitters on offer. Thoroughly recommended. Red wine list a little short, but the good beer makes up for that. All the Harveys (new to me) tasted well kept. The beef casserole with dumplings was fantastic. Well worth a visit.
25 Feb 2007 13:57
I think Biker and I must share the exact same taste in pubs. Once again we agree with each others comments. The drinks prices are as high as in London, but the food is priced at the right level for what it is - which is good and for where it is - which is relaxed and friendly. Glad to have 'discovered' it for myself. Pillar candles in the areas away from the warm fires are a good feature that I wished more pubs would use to add atmosphere as well as a little more light. Amused to read that real fires can leave you smelling of bonfire. What a revelation :)
4 Feb 2007 16:38
Only tried the wine - which was excellent value for money. Food was good too. Good atmosphere - but loud as a result...
28 Jan 2007 23:02
Well, I had a great beer there with a great meal a few weeks ago. Just goes to show that different things appeal to different people. I thought they'd done a fantastic job on what was a dull Harvester to create a really good place to eat and drink. Yes it does food over beer & wine, but, as I've said before, anywhere this big down south HAS to serve good food and serve it well to warrant the makeover and stay open. Well done chaps. You've done a great job. The beer / wine / food and service where all great. The decor is modern without being stupid or looking like World of Leather. Sorry nickdavies, if you go into a pub this big in rural Surrey, expect a restaurant that serves beer rather than a homely pub with a pool table. The economics just don�t work in 2007 unless they serve food in such large places out in the sticks. If you want a pub this big with great atmosphere, go to Yorkshire (or a quiet corner of East Sussex). The Timothy Taylor will taste fresher apart from anything else � and even there, things are changing for the same reasons as in Surrey. I�m not saying it�s a GOOD THING, I�m just saying that�s the way it is�
9 Jan 2007 23:50
Had a good beer and lunch here earlier this week. Only complaint � eight flies buzzing around the main seating area. Not good at these prices. If the want to keep charging premium rates they have to give premium service in a premium atmosphere. I don�t mind flies in a spit and sawdust pub, but I do here. Rating dropped as a result.
26 Oct 2006 10:53
Had some good Horhsam ale, whilst my wife enjoyed some good cider (no ice thank you) last weekend. Food was excellent. Good atmosphere, friendly if over-worked staff. Slow food service, but we wheren't in a rush. Will go again.
30 Aug 2006 22:38
The Green Man (Harvester), Burpham
As a fellow local until three months ago I will not miss this place. Pleased that they've got permission to turn it into something decent.
30 Aug 2006 22:32
Pub is slowly being done-up, which is a step forward. Beer is still well kept, again a good thing. Menu changes look good, but my chicken caser salad was limp with tasteless iceberg lettuce and stale bread. My wife�s fish and chips though where good. We�ve had a few mixed meals there. Also they lack bar staff now which is a shame. We won�t eat there again. Beer though, as I say is well kept so we will return for plenty more of that�
10 Aug 2006 14:26
The Green Man (Harvester), Burpham
Like every Harvester I�ve seen over the years, it�s gone down-hill consistently each time I�ve been. Would not go again. A lick of paint last year was not enough to save it. Please get permission to knock it down and turn it into something decent.
24 Jul 2006 23:07
Shame it�s gone. It was one of the best places to pop in for a swift half whilst in the town. At least the Italian Restaurant they�ve put in there now is good too.
24 Jul 2006 23:03
Consistently decent beer, food, staff and atmosphere. Keep it up.
24 Jul 2006 23:00
Had a decent restaurant meal there earlier today. Chef is there Wednesday through Sunday. Non chef food was fine other than a tomato and spinach garnish served hot which was odd. Good selection of local ales. Friendly barman. Cute ducks quacking at the bar for service which they got in the shape of a trail of bread to persuade them out of the bar. Would go again on a chef day.
24 Jul 2006 22:53
Good beer, migthy fine chips. Good atmosphere. Friendly locals.
15 Apr 2006 16:33
Had a good meal here last weekend. Excellent half shoulder of Lamb with well kept bitter to boot. Good wine list which wasn't too pricey. Friendly service. Large restaurant room with good views to Plymouth. Would eat and drink there again.
15 Apr 2006 16:30
This is a good old fashioned pub which also does decent food at a fair price.
The atmosphere is like any older pub. The d�cor is not the reason you go there.
The local beer is well kept, and the Timothy Taylor Landlord is, as ever, excellent.
Looking forward to a visit when the weather picks-up so we can sit in the garden.
Lots of fish for fish lovers, which I am not, so can�t comment on the quality. Plenty of choice though.
Busy on a weekend � booking suggested. Off the beaten track.
11 Feb 2006 15:06
Recently moved to Chilworth so this is now our local. We�ve had five meals there now, three of which where excellent, two of which where average. It seems to depend on who is chef is that day and how long they leave the carpaccio to defrost! The Boerewors however are excellent. Wouldn�t mind a prosciuto plate with these on along with the usual Italian choices. Monster steaks are there aplenty at the counter � but they are over-priced. Service however is always good, beer likewise � except they need to move to Ruddles County as the Ruddles Wotnot they sell is not up to County level. The beer is indeed pricey here, but hey, its Surrey folks � and if you want good beer, good d�cor and comfy sofas round these parts someone has to pay quite a lot for it. I�d rather have big smart pubs than big scruffy ones. Smaller pubs can get away with being scruffy as their character can shine out more, so long as the beer is well kept. Oh, and the espresso is up to Italian holiday quality which is more than most restaurants let alone gastro pubs. You can have a quiet drink there, just not when food is being served, so it�s good for the locals during the week and weekend mid-afternoons so long as you can bag the sofas. Keep it up folks. I want my local to stay good for several years yet.
29 Jan 2006 13:04
Pleased to report that the new chef, if there is one, is doing the business really rather well. Had my best pizza there yet last week. Still the best tasting pizzas outside Italy.
30 Sep 2005 23:52
Been going there quite a lot recently � consistently good beer (6X) and food. Slightly stingy with the lamb and halloumi kebabs last week (one small piece of Haloumi) but other than that, doing well.
16 Jun 2005 16:58
Not the HaHa it once was. In need of redecoration. Food still good, service good, but it�s a bit tatty around the edges. Beer and wine are fine. Not the cheapest, but you can sit there all afternoon with the papers and your mates and not get moved-on.
27 Jan 2005 19:09
Very good place for beer and pizza. Unlike most pizza pubs / places I�ve seen in the UK they have a proper very high temperature pizza oven which makes the best pizzas this side of the Italian border. I am also advised that the heat from the oven is so great that it inadvertently keeps the Ladies loos warm! Deserves a higher score than 5.9. I care not a fig that they are a pub which mostly serves food. Good Surrey pubs can only survive by serving good food as well as pulling good beers. I am very pleased that they do not have to charge the earth for either and can keep such a cosy atmosphere at the same time. Delighted to notice my wife�s comment about the candles in my Birthday Pizza last year. I�d forgotten that�
27 Jan 2005 18:52
Alas, not the Yeoman of old. I miss Jim the barman. Wonder what the new interior scheme will bring? Sofas are the way forward in pubs, but only if there are enough to share round. Dorking is blessed with its pubs - I only hope some character can be re-develop at the Yeoman so that my father's ghost can continue to play the fruit machine in the traditional pub atmosphere he always enjoyed. Oh, and please keep the noise down in the garden � my relies live next door.
27 Jan 2005 18:36
This is my only regular pub as we go after weekly rehearsals. Comfy sofas, beer getting better with decent guest ales of late, but staff either in abundance or not around at all. Nothing outstanding, but could be worse.
27 Jan 2005 18:16
Such a shame that we only �discovered� this pub a couple of years ago, as it is now in decline. They seem to lack staff, the food is not what is was just last summer, although the beer remains good and so one assumes, well kept. Some of the staff are very good, but they seem to be in short supply. Let�s hope it picks-up again when spring arrives, otherwise my friends and I will be looking for a new �local� for us all to meet at from around Surrey!
27 Jan 2005 18:12
Had two trips there recently - both times good service despite being almost full. Beer very good both times, food excellent first time, not so good second time. I can only assume that they either have different chefs or have changed them. Still well worth a look though.
27 Jan 2005 18:06
The Seahorse, Shalford
Remains the most reliable pub to eat in around Guildford. We've had various NCT doos over the past 12 months - all have gone well. Keep it up guys...
26 Feb 2012 18:06