BITE user comments - railtracksurvivor
Comments by railtracksurvivor
visited this - in tyhe Brass Monkey incarnation - some months ago - perhaps a year . . . .
It did need far more places for old fogeys like the present writer to rest their weary bones.
But a nice place; seems it's now closed.
As closed now - I will not rate.
17 Aug 2011 20:32
Visited at the weekend. I did not have any beer to drink - but the wine was good. AND - luscious food! What really impressed were the lunch offerings. Starters were very nice - mushroom, and 'black pudding and bacon'. Scrumptious. Two main courses for �10. Home-made pies, delightful liver and bacon - and all with fresh veg that tasted as if it had been picked that morning!
Service throughout was exemplary.
Very much appreciated - thanks!
Note that they cook to order, so there is a bit of a wait [20 minutes, perhaps] between ordering and eating - whilst the food cooks, plainly. But the wait is 'soooo' worth it!
I have already recommended this pub to friends/colleagues for the food.
As I didn't sample the Shephed Neame beers, none of us did, it would be unfair to rate above an eight; the food is worth a good nine - but food is not the only thing in a pub, as many reading this will know.
If in Hythe - I will return!
17 Aug 2011 20:07
Revisited reccently, with old friends.
The beer seemed to be fully acceptable - I was designated driver, and my water was fine.
The food was excellent.
However - there is always a 'however', isn't there? - the service was inexperienced.
Just one of our small party had a starter, which was brought at the same time as the mains [and after a wait that was certainly not inconsiderable: I was on the point of asking when the starter would appear].
Not handled very well, and no overt offer of even a token reduction in the bill to compensate for having to scoff the starter down quickly beofre the mains got cold.
I'm English, and I don't ake too much of a fuss.
Perhaps I should.
Still, if the young serving staff learn from it, it will be to their benefit.
Now a seven.
4 Mar 2011 12:49
Visited last weekend, for Sunday Lunch - we had booked, and the place was full.
Excellent food, well cooked - roast pork or roast beef - or some of both; everyone had a Yorkshire pudding.
Plenty of veggies, too.
Beer-wise our party was unadventurous, the Otter being praised.
Wine selection [although sub-contracted] was good, and not too expensive.
I would certainly go again - but I'd go without breakfast, too, that day!
I gather the food during the week is more 'pub-foodie' - the Sunday roast is excellent.
Strong eight.
1 Sep 2010 17:00
Dunno about the porn, but 'boozer' knows his pub - she -or he - has managed to comment on ahhhhhh a whole one pub.
Obviously independent.
Completely so.
Not depending on a job at - say - the 'Swallow' to keep mind and body together.
Obviously.
I haven't been back in the last decade so won't change my rating - whilst realising it does not - necessarily - reflect current conditions . . . . .
13 Mar 2010 22:59
The Smugglers Tavern, Coulsdon
I gather the Thai food has not been profitable, so is no longer available.
An excellent pub.
Has community events - outings, quizzes, and so forth.
The beer is reported good - I usually have to drive . . . .
food is available nearby - a (jolly good) chippy, a Chinese, and cafe, plus a garage and a Londis that do snacks for day-time drinkers - all within about 40 yards [36 metres for the kids!].
Good eight.
13 Mar 2010 22:44
A friend, working on the ISle of Man, told me that this pub had closed.
Don't know if that is right - I was a bit hazy descibing its location.
I may be wrong - I haven't been there to see for myself - and if so, apologies.
I thought it was a magic place when she and I visited.
13 Mar 2010 22:36
I refuse to believe that 'surreyman' and 'FromSurrey1' are anything but completely and totally - nothing to do with the French Oil Company - independent.
Look at their records!
See - they have commented on - well - ohh - two pubs.
Ahhhh.
And in a rather limited time.
Don't mistake me, I've only driven past the William IV and the Red Lion (nearly typed red loin).
Don't know either.
No rating for either - they may be the two best pubs in the observable universe.
Or not, too, I guess.
For me, no matter..
13 Mar 2010 22:20
I've now been in a couple of times.
Very civlized.
Strong Seven.
Interestingly, the clientele includes folks of many ages, from barely legal drinkers [to go by looks, they may already have degrees] to sixties and - probably seventies.
Seems a community pub.
That is magic; every community should have one [or more].
13 Mar 2010 21:48
After my comments in 005, was persuaded to visit again in 2008 [late May]; this was, effectively, a wake for a deceased relative.
MUCH better; service, food, drinks, all good to very good.
Up from a five to a seven - again, in my opinion.
13 Mar 2010 21:23
Having driven past this place for a decade and more, watching the ebb and flow of customers [judged solely by the fullness or otherwise of the car park], we visited for Sunday Lunch a week or three back.
It's a pretty competent restaurant which is licensed, I suggest, rather then a pub.
Food was good.
Drinks were unexceptional; draft beer [whatever that was] reported as 'fine' [= 'OK plus', not 'incandescently brilliant', I think]
Service was keen, but in-experienced - didn't clear the previous patrons' glasses, plates etc until the thid visit; didn't provide napkins until asked three times.
Perhaps also needing to employ one more person.
[Everywhere I go (or work!) seems to feel that - costs are now cut to the bone, yet just another one person would enhance the offering so much that reputation would soar - yes, even at Tesco!!!!]
Food as noted, was good.
New (i.e. dated) menu each day; having visited only once, I don't know how much the actual offering changes, I am afraid.
It is London Stockbroker belt - so, as you would expect, it is not stunningly cheap [I trust you know litotes when you read it].
Sunday Lunch, with drinks, and tip, was about �25 per head [one driver on J2Os].
Fairly busy, so think about booking at popular times.
Now, would I go back - mmmm - probably 'Yes'; but I am not positively slavering to do so.
A seven, just, I think: make of that what you will - it's my opinion.
13 Mar 2010 21:01
Sakkie, plainly you visit a lot of pubs - far more than I do now.
Reputation takes time to earn - but can be demolished very swiftly.
I have never actually visited the 'White Hart' [or any of its earlier manifestations].
Ten years past - the car park was full.
Three years ago - hardly a soul there. And I can remember when Barbara Castle introduced the breathalyser - she gave her name to a cocktail - the 'Bloody Barbara' - tomato juice with - um ... tomato juice - so it's not just avoiding drinking and driving.
Last week - when last I passed - a few cars - so plainly a bit better.
perhaps the managemnet doen't actually want to be told what it could improve/is doing wrong.
Perhaps they think that - because they've completed Innkeepers 101 on Runyrownbzr.com - they know everything there is to know about running a pub.
I like pubs - but I am sure I couldn't run one w e l l - so 'go figure'.
29 Nov 2009 21:06
The Rising Sun Hotel, Cleeve Hill
I meant - of course: -
Went in last year - again, pending a funeral, sadly.
Very pleasant place in the early evening. As noted, the view is very impressive.
Good spread of customers - those I spoke with friendly, and keen on the pub.
Staff - of those who served me - were very good - pleasant, helpful, smiling..
Would I go back again?
Yes.
Computer's orthographic function obviosly AWOL tonight.
Incidentally - for Pub Quiz aficionados - Cleeve Hill is understood to be the nearest Hill to London over 1000 feet [304.8 metres for the youngsters] in height above sea level.
29 Nov 2009 19:30
Passed this old pub today.
Well closed.
Boarded up.
Wall round the site [of wood, perhaps!]
Pity the car park is not availble to patrons of local shops.
But there we go - "Joined up Government" at its finest.
Come on!
15 Aug 2009 20:58
Hmmmmmm.
Obviously better than it was - so much so that the history has - quoite correctly - been rewritten .
The medallions now are - apparently - real.
So, doubtless, are the characters.
And all the blond - and blonde - hair is real, not bleached.
Still not my sort of place, as I indicated years ago.
But politically incorrect to say so, I guess.
The French have a phrase - Chacun a son gout - which, with accents and circumflexes, equates to - "Each to his own taste".
I'm old and cranky - and this isn't my taste.
That is how it is.
I'm sure a lot of people enjoy it.
18 Jul 2009 22:22
I quoted a web site for this pub - three years or so ago.
It does not appear to be live ny loger.
Indeed, no other site appears to be the pub's [although I could, obviously, be mistaken: if so, those stars running thi pub will soon corect me on here].
29 May 2009 23:32
I haven't actually visited this place to drink.
Folk I know go on the first and third Wednesday of the month - evenings [1930 or 2000 hours, I guess] - for the Pub's Knitting Circle.
I gather that they do other Community 'Things'.
So 'Plus Marks' for that.
I also understand that they are - by May 2009 - a bit more effective at weeding out the (what is the politically correct term for the 5H1tZ? - LABC - I'll try it . . . ) less appropiately behaved clientele.
Be fair, Coulsdon was seriously short of vaguely tolerable ale-houses.
The Smugglers seems also to be sound.
I've never been a fan of the Sports Bar in the Brighton Road - each to their own, I guess!
Try the Pembroke [the name apparently related to a former lord of Pembroke, who was an MP for the are in the nineteen century.
It's not c o m p l e t e l y unrelated to the area] if you're passing.
29 May 2009 22:44
The Coach and Horses, Ickenham
I guess almost any alehouse can be visited on a bad night. I think they had a bit of trouble t'other night in that well-known haunt of oiks and trotters-in-the-trough, the Houses of Parliament.
I've used the Coach for forty years or more, and, yes, an occasional fracas.
Occasional - like many another boozer.
It's the booze that does it, you know.
Martin - nowhere in Nu-Lab Britain is perfect [was it Ever?].
Accept that - or . . . . . emigrate to - well, Afghanistan, or New Orleans, or Zimbabwe [named after some ruins, I gather] or Putin's New Model USSR.
Etc.
3 Apr 2009 22:59
Currently closed for - I guess - renovation; has fencing round the pub, and builders' materials there, too.
I didn't see whether there was a sign saying when it would re-open.
8 Nov 2008 16:52
As noted previously, now 'The Old Fox'.
Nice range of shiny motors outside when I walked past it yesterday, so it's probably doing something right.
Seems to have live music - rock genre etc. - and a function room.
Didn't go in - no rating
30 Aug 2008 12:23
Revisited just before Easter.
Ate there, this time.
Good fresh fish - well cooked, and much enjoyed.
Warning - the 'Large' portion really is Large.
[There is a 'Jumbo' portion, too - but even I wa snot hungry enough and brave enough to go for that.]
The flowers was reorted to be good.
The rst of us had a bottle of a loval white wine - Lyme Bay Winery - and very good it was, too. I'm more of a red man - but this was lightly chilled and excellent.
Still an eight for me.
23 Mar 2008 16:08
Visited it Easter Sunday, lunchtime.
Quiet, with perhaps a dozen people all told - and one or two were family, toddler/baby etc.
We ate there - good food. Scampi was well cooked and the liver and bacon casserole was excellent.
The Ringwood Best Bitter was fine, and the Strongbow in good order. Only had halves, as we were driving.
The decor is basic - but none the worse for that.
They have three dartboards, at least, which indicates to me that there is still considrable call for darts at the Chequers.
They advertise a monthly disco, too.
Although this pub seems to be struggling [another nearby, the Anchor, a bit south on the A31, is now closed and boarded up], it was pleasant.
Would certainly revisit this pub if passing that way.
A seven.
23 Mar 2008 16:03
We recently re-visited this watering hole.
Whilst a good pub, it is also a restaurant. Some of the earl;ier comments have alluded to the cost of a meal: having now eaten there, I on't blame them.
We had a session there - but allow � Thirty [30] per head - plus a fiver for pudding.
Not cheap, but good!
Mind, the food is very nice.
Certainly a seven, but consult your bank-manager before booking!
Possibly an
m eight!!
19 Jul 2007 22:40
Reconstruction after the fire of '06 is now well advanced.
The new establishment will be a bit bigger, I gather.
Do hope it lives up to the hopes of those who had visited and enjoyed it ebfore the fire.
No rating.
2 Jul 2007 14:54
Previous comments are agreed with.
We visited yesterday, Sunday, afternoon, between showers.
Lovely place - food looks excellent, but we had eaten at the Ship in Noss Mayo so didn't need to even fill up corners. Menu appears to be very good value, too.
Woderful location on the beachfront, with seating outside and in.
If visiting, call in to see the Slapton Sands Memorial for those who died when a 1944 D-Day practice - Exercise Tiger - went disastrously wrong, and 946 men had died. They gave their lives for our freedom.
Good eight.
2 Jul 2007 14:50
Visited this excellent establishment over the weekend. This coincided with the completion of the Revelstoke Run, which is for those younger and [very much] fitter than myself. A really good time was being had by all - finishing line, applause, prize-giving, quaffing of re-invigorating healthy drinks, etc.
The pub: or pub-restaurant, really.
Good Thatcher's Cider, and Tamar ale ['nice, light, and a good lunchtime ale' per SWMBO].
Excellent food - good menu, with food really well-cooked.
Whilst it is understood the establishment has been sold in the recent months [the old owners moving to Plymouth's Barbican area], I am advised that nothing much has changed; food quality and quantity are both fine.
Serving staff all pleasaant and helpful - thanks!
Drawbacks - well - it's not really cheap, but as you get exactly what it says on the menu, well-cooked, and in good portion sizes, the value-for-money is pretty reasonable.
The pub has a lot of interesting memorabilia, pictures etc. Most are ship-linked.
Strong eight.
2 Jul 2007 14:42
Went in for lunch yesterday. Selected this pub from a guide.
Good choice.
As noted before, it's an 'old-fashioned boozer', with all sorts of patrons
The beer [Fuller's London Pride] and cider [Strongbow] were very good.
They still do Gales.
The meal was excellent. It's almost a pub with a restaurant tucked on, and it looks as if people locally know it's good. You have to book for a later table [after about 1 pm] it appears.
Warning - the sticky toffee pudding is excellent, but the portion size is large - you, too, may struggle to finish it!
Strong eight.
26 Feb 2007 11:15
Wilko92 has it about right.
Very sound pub, with good value grub, too.
Visited this week [pending a funeral, unhappily].
Genuinely good pub.
Nice ales, apparently very well kept. Has a Casque Mark.
They do house wine, by the glass or bottle too.
Menu is good - and the portions are jolly solid.
Does 'Specials', too - e.g.: - Thursday and Friday evenings [after 1800 hours] Fresh Fish Specials.
Had Hobgoblin, a GWR beer, and others on.
For interest, someone available to the pub does excelllent wood sculptures, including a 'Sun-Flower-Chair', that will sit in the garden.
Must be an eight - maybe - uh - a nine!
5 Jan 2007 21:14
danmantanshameboutvan: -
It might l o o k old, but I can remember when this was the site of a petrol station [Inward's, who had a site in Hillingdon, too] selling Esso petrol.
My Dad paid 4/11d a gallon [ about 6p/litre!!!] for the equivalent of three star - and you could get a Tiger Tail. This jolly well does date me, doesn't it!
I can't remember when this closed - but I don't think it was until at least the eighties, and m i g h t have been the early nineties.
28 Dec 2006 21:20
Not everywhere is to everyone's taste; Biggles didn't like this place, much, but I found it fine when I visited in October. Yes, they do food - and probably they do it well - they seem to have won awards for it.
They did excellent cider and beer - so long ago that I can't remember exactly which beer; I did try suggesting this pub then.
Place is clean and smart, staff are attentive; in fairness, we were there at a quiet time, so I don't know how manic it might get at, say, Saturday 2100 hours.
I wasn't greatly taken by the posh crisps - the ones that Tescos aren't allowed to sell, Tyrrell's perhaps - but we tried them, but if that's the worst carp about a place, it can't be too bad.
We enjoyed sitting outside, watching the Halam world go by, and imbibing gently.
For me - a seven.
5 Dec 2006 06:00
Like Dean_Pritchard, I visited when England were to play Rugby [the All Blacks game for us, on 04 November]. Not my scene at all.
We got in through the door, and our ears were assaulted by the volume of music and conversation. My wife lip-read 'No', and we left.
Obviously popular with those younger [or less concerned about their hearing] - but not for us, even if they do do sport on the box.
I'm not rating this - as we were only in there about ten seconds!
18 Nov 2006 12:17
Apparently there was an incident there last Thursday or Friday night.
Massive attendance by emergency vehicles I gather: Police & Ambulance, and - so I've been told by Jon, who has assured me a million times he never, ever, exaggerates, - Fire Engines, Mounatin Rescue, Coastguard and Cave Rescue too!!!!
Alright - something went down - but N O T World War Three.
29 Oct 2006 21:22
Brother-in-law tells me that there has been a change of management at this inn, too.
Let's hope both the Bear ansd the Stirrup Cup continue to be excellent, welcoming inns.
29 Oct 2006 19:45
Brother-in-law tells me that there has been a change of management.
29 Oct 2006 19:43
I'm not a local. I was taken here by my in-laws, today, for lunch [Harold and June - many thanks from self and spouse]. They're not locals, either, but have used the pub before.
I have not.
Seemed fairly empty in the bar. This was a Saturday luchtime. We ordered from the day's specials, although there is a lengthy menu, too.
Bit of a wait [for jalfrezi curries [2] and scallops [2]]; not quite sure why, and no real explanation. However, very nice food when it arrived. Very tasty, good quantities.
We noticed that the fish special involved a battered cod that was off both ends of a platter, and a large portion of chips, plus lemon etc.
Prices - reasonably good value - no, good value, really, this close to London.
Ale - only bitters on, apparently, were Harvey's and London Pride. This place used to brew its own beer: no longer! The space that was the brewery has been converted into a building site - Sawyers Row [no apostrophe on the sign]. Both beers were good: SWMBO had the Pride, and Pa-in-law the Harvey's.
The Strongbow and the lager were also OK.
Apparently five lagers are normally carried, but Ma-in-law's first choice - Stella - off.
We did notice that there is a very good selection of Whiskeys - for those who like those.
The staff were very helpful, well-spoken and pleasant. Most caring - " Is everything OK?"; impressive.
Would I go back?
Based on today's visit, certainly - if in the area; it is a long way from home.
Based, however, on the earlier comments - I'm much less sure.
Is the new owner a property speculator?
Yet, we were talking to the other diners today, and several were back again for the second or even third lunch in as many days.
Something, obviously, is being done well.
By the way, the ceiling in the restaurant is pretty low - the building dates from the sixteenth century - so any one over about 5'5" [1.65m] should watch out.
Overall - a six - for me .... [I realise others may have a differetn opinion!].
14 Oct 2006 21:40
Visited yesterday.
very cosy, with excellent value meals.
Very good food, pleasant beers. The wine list is a good ne, and wines and beers are well-kept.
1 Oct 2006 16:26
I visited this place again recently. It's small-looking, but bigger inside than it looks, and is in the middle of Halam.
Well turned out pub, with friendly staff and a good selection of Thwaites beers. My good lady had the Smooth, and was impressed. Other beers included the Lancaster Bomber, and a Greene King IPA.
I had cider, and was very happy - so much so that I went back for another.
The food - not tried - looked & smelt delicious, and the pub has apparently been awarded a local Restaurant of the Year title; may be you would need to book at busy times. No meals Sunday evenings, and I think it's open only lunchtimes and evenings during the week, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Bit out of the way - but worth the effort to find, I reckon.
Good eight.
1 Oct 2006 16:24
The Grasshopper Inn, Moorhouse
Exactly as Trequites says.
We visited for lunch - Carvery every Satuirday and Sunday. Very good meal. Didn't see much of the bar - which looks rather small, but fully equipped. The Grasshopper Inn Ale is light and pleasant, according to my good lady wife, and preferable to the Spitfire.
Very civilized, with a varied clientele for the Carvery lunch [there is also a proper restaurant].
Good seven.
10 Sep 2006 16:16
The Coach and Horses, Ickenham
Back again on Friday last.
Food continues good, and they continue to adhere pretty strictly to a 'No food orders after 9 p.m.' policy; this is well signed, and I have no problems with that. A lot of customers for lunch.
Beers are sound, and with several popular lagers, plus Cobra and Strongbow, plus a resonable selection of apparently very adequately kept wines [in recent hot weather, I cool reds, too!] many people should find something to their taste.
What really impressed me was the heterogeneity of the clientele, all ages from kids with their parents [in the garden], through the Club 18-21, the thiorties and forties/fifties, to certainly late sixties-early seventies [at least], and all having a good time. No problems noted anywhere.
Bar staff were happy and pretty efficient.
Do I have a tiny gripe - well, the toilets are upstairs, but are well looked after.
I rather think this is now worth an eight - to me!
30 Jul 2006 15:31
Not everywhere is to everyone's taste: I didn't like this pub much.
Rather dark, and with a couple of not-too-sober, even at midday, [and not-too-clean] patrons, who were rather off-putting.
Bar is up a step, so there is a touch of the supplicant in the approach to the bar. Odd psychological effect.
Had a TV - tuned to a football program.
The beer [possibly Bass - this was a couple of months ago] was suggested as a possible cause of an upset stomach. May have been perfectly OK, of course.
Service was OK - but we did feel we were 'not-regulars', and not particularly welcome, either.
Wouldn't have though we'd go back when next shopping in Melton - unless the only available alternative is the Golden Arches of Ronald Macdonald.
18 Jun 2006 20:38
Drove past this morning.
It's now closed.
There are massive metal shutters at most of the windows [or all], and the door.
Did the trade go to the Internet cafe next door?
17 Jun 2006 15:02
June 10th - still closed - but has a sign 'opening soon'.
Externally much improved.
10 Jun 2006 17:47
This pub is situated on what must surely be one of the ten busiest road junctions in London.
Check the map out.
Sitting outside - even in the nicest weather - must be a bit of a trial - given the level of traffic, not all of which is going to the monster Tesco Extra opposite, where a case of 24 Strongbow 500 ml was �12-49 this morning.
I have never visited this pub - some of the earlier comments haven't been encouraging. Obviously better more recently.
Ought to try it, I suppose .....
4 Jun 2006 22:10
I remember it being built - probably in the [late?] Eighties. Vast shed/barn-like construction, trying to be an instant 'olde-worlde' pub; faux cartwheels, and some [possibly genuine] ploughs. Visited it first after it had been open for a couple of months. I have only visited this pub a handful of times.
Unimpressed then.
Did return a few times. More to see if it was getting better - but really not my cup of tea [or "pint of chemical lager"] then. Lord knows what I'd say today!
Haven't visited in some years, so I will not rate.
It may be better today, and more in tune with its surroundings. Mind you, Yate was once described - by a graffito on a road sign, on the Westerleigh Road, on the way into the town, not a million miles removed from the 002 [the Abbotswood Inn, nowadays] - as "Twinned with Legoland". That's probably a bit harsh for half the population. Probably.
4 Jun 2006 21:57
I haven't been in for a few years, but this pub used to be the class act in Yate.
Very smooth, nice furniture, good staff [welcoming, efficient, often smiling!], smart decor, decent-sized car-park even.
Beer selection was ordinary - but you could drink in comfort - without worrying about the toe-rag brigade [nowadays "chavs", I suppose].
As a drinking experience - not stunning - but as a pleasant place to take a friend [with curves, ideally!] - certainly a seven.
4 Jun 2006 21:38
The Station Inn, Pembroke Dock
Pleasant place.
It's at the Railway station.
I called in about three years ago, I suppose, waiting for a train [there's a surprise!] home.
Had a restaurant then, and basic bar food - just what you want at a station.
Rather railway-themed - and none the worse for all that!
Enjoyed my two pints of cider.
Very pleasant clientele, and staff were friendly and efficient.
Longweay from home - but if you're in the area, it's worth a visit.
A good seven.
3 Jun 2006 19:41
The Crutched Friar, Tower Hill
Would agree with TheHorsesMouth. Visited yesterday, and it does have a chainy feel.
No bad points - cider [Strongbow] OK, and the IPA apparently fine.
Whilst satisfactory in almost every way [they do encourage vertical drinking, with relatively few seats, but that's OK for a 'do' from 1700-1930 or so] this pub has nothing special to attract me to visit it again.
Six.
1 Jun 2006 05:44
This pub does appear to have overcome its troubles - remember the road being closed for gas main repairs in the late 80s? - and come through well.
Went past - though didn't go in - last September; and it looked better than it has for years.
No rating - at least fifteen years since I visited to buy beer.
20 May 2006 21:09
Used to use this pub either side of matches at the Memorial ground - including the All Blacks' visit in 1978.
Perfectly acceptable then [decades ago ...], as we went back time after time.
No rating now - it's too long.
20 May 2006 19:38
New Inn, Mayshill, Frampton Cotterell
This is where I met my wife.
Can't be bad!
Then, it was a typical 'Olde English' inn.
Nice warm beer, dark panelling etc.
Haven't been in for a decade or more.
Still, give it a six.
20 May 2006 19:20
The Childe of Hale, Hale Village
Haven't been in this pub for thirty years.
It was, then, a nice, rather up-market, pub.
I have no idea what it is like now.
I will not give a rating.
20 May 2006 18:37
The Waterside Inn, Shoreham by Sea
Visited yesterday, during the Cup Final. I would agree with the earlier comments - good setting with excellent views, to the north especially.
My missus didn't care greatly for the Ruddles - possibly the beer was OK - just not particularly to her taste. My cider was fine.
Solid six.
14 May 2006 12:17
The Whyteleafe Tavern, Whyteleafe
My good lady and I visited this pub one day last year.
The weather was just about good enough to sit outside - but we probably won't do that again.
Besides the traffic on the roundabout, there was also dust in the air [from building sites, perhaps, and diesel particulates and other sources too, I guess].
The location seem to be susceptible to wind, too: the parasols [this is England 'umbrellas'!]wanted to go bowling down the road once or twice.
The beer - Spitfire - was OK.
The cider was OK.
Not unwelcoming staff and clientele.
And pleasant decor inside the pub.
having said that, I would not visit it epecially.
I would revisit if in Whyteleaf and in need of a drink.
So - five.
5 May 2006 19:28
Ferry was delayed last Wednesday, so we popped in. Seemed a perfectly OK pub. Rather quiet until towards closing time. Other customers seemed fine; no obvious chavs or sleaze-ball City-dealer-types.
The beer was fine.
The cider was OK.
Perhaps I'm being a bit precious, but I felt I detected a slight put-down in the barman's voice when he told one of our group that they had finished serving meals. Quite correct - it was stated outside, and I had noticed it on the way in; no meals after 9 p.m. This was after 9 p.m.
Other contributors have noted the unusual floor lay-out. I imagine that, if they did allow patrons to get a little over-indulged, this could leave to some hilarity - but possible injury, too.
2 May 2006 20:25
Ate there at lunchtime today, Easter Monday.
We had visited here on our last visit to Brighton, a couple of years ago, and found the food then good - hence our return.
Today, again, the food was good - ham and eggs, and sausage and mash.
I had to hunt through the basket of cutlery to find knives and forks that were not only clean, but without smears. I am probably a bit pernickety in that way ...
Beer very ordinary, and plastic beakers are not conducive to enjoyment.
Didn't seem very welcoming. Two years ago, I'd have rated this a six or seven. Today, no more than a five.
17 Apr 2006 20:34
Drove past it today - it was shut for a [major?] renovation.
Had a sign saying 'Reopening soon'.
I guess: give it a try in May '06.
No rating - of course.
15 Apr 2006 20:11
For a while, in 1979 [whilst working in London], I used to use this pub fairly regularly.
It was a comfortable place, with all sorts in there. Prices and service were good enough to keep me coming back. Didn't like the 'Old Crown'nearby [remember, this as a generation ago!].
The 'Crown' had a pub cat then, too.
A huge tabby, beautiful, but with no excess weight - about twenty-odd pounds of pure muscle; huge shoulders, and a small waist; think Muhammad Ali in his absolute prime - with claws.
(Does this date me - might do, might do ....)
Perfectly [Purrfectly??!] at home with patrons, The Cat walked up and down the [only] bar as if it owned the place. I suppose it did, in a way - I certainly wouldn't have drunk there if that adolescent tiger had taken a dislike to me.
You know - "Dogs have Masters; Cats have servants"?
I think it's still the biggest 'house' cat I've ever seen. Not one to be tangled with.
Don't know if anyone else remembers The Cat - or the night, in 1979, that a little old bloke with a chihuahua came in, and The Cat just looked at it from the bar - scared of geting the spider on a string stuck between its teeth, I suppose.
Utterly disdainful, despite the awful yapping coming from the little dog.
Not much later, a smoothie macho-man type, with a large [faux-]gold medallion and a waistcoat, but no shirt, came in; he had an Alsatian on a lead. An extremely noisy Alsatian.
It terrorised the chihuahua, chasing it up the little dog's master's trouser leg, both dogs barking all the time with the chihuahua going Ryeap-yreip, and the Alsatian going Wruff-ruff-WROUFF.
The Cat heard this deeper tone, and presumably thought dinner, and all its Xmases, had come at once.
It wove its way down the bar, and, pausing only briefly, jumped on the poor chihuahua-terrorising Alsatian, using all four clawed feet and its teeth.
Terrible to see - but not as terrible as being on the receiving end [I guess].
The Alsatian stood stock stilland stone-silent for about half a heartbeat, then left, precipitately - more than precipitately! Fortunately the swing door swung out, otherwise there would have been a dog-shaped hole in it.
Well, dog-and-medallion-man-shaped hole, really, as the lead had been wound about three times round his wrist. I looked to see if he'd left his shoes [like in the cartoons] but - no!
He had certainly left in a hurry, and I doubt if he really touched down for sixty yards [55 metres for the younger amongst you].
The Cat looked at the chihuauhua, as if to say, "That's how to deal with Alsatians!".
I was absolutely sure then - I certainly wouldn't have drunk there if that adolescent tiger had taken a dislike to me.
I never saw macho-man in there again - or the chihuahua!
Did The Cat move to Bodmin - or Exmoor???!
The beers [and other drinks] were fine; so I was happy to use it regularly .....
So long ago, I'm not going to rate it [although then it would go an easy 7; even an 8, perhaps] - so, no rating.
13 Apr 2006 21:35
The Tern Inn, Chipping Sodbury
When I lived nearby, Brian was the landlord.
He used to collect foreign money - foreign monetary notes - and pin it up. Some of it was petty worthless - a thousand Turkish Lire [then] about 0.12penny!!
That said: -
The pub was a solid local.
There was a dart board in one bar, and a juke box in the other. A wide variety of customers - young and old - with no serious friction.
It was getting a bit tatty the last time I was in - maybe ?1993/4? - lots of years ago, anyway - but was still a solid pub.
Had all the usual beers and lagers; nothing special [ale-wise] that I remember!
I would have given this a seven then - and now {I've been gone so long .... } a six.
Try it.
24 Feb 2006 22:19
The Beaufort Hunt, Chipping Sodbury
Used to use this pub - many moons ago.
The hunt [which only gave its name to the pub] still exercises its dogs - nearly said 'still hunts with hounds' - according to friends.
Always used to be a fair place, with good beers and lager.
Used to have an excellent open fire in winter - but that was when we worried about the coming Ice Age, not Global Warming!
Parking in the High Street can be more than tight at times. There is a car park up the Wickwar Road [the B4060].
Rated 6 for today - but many moons ago I'd have given it a seven.
24 Feb 2006 21:08
This used to be the 002.
Nmed after the Concorde.
Oh dear oh dear.
How are the mighty fa;;en
Sorry - it's s t i l l not my cup of tea!!
28 Jan 2006 22:09
I only visited this place once or twice in almost twenty years living in the Yate-Sodbury area [and only a ten minute walk away!!].
That was a good few years ago now.
Then - and I emphasise t h e n - Stanshawes was OK.
Not exciting. but civilized.
This century - I have no idea whatsoever what this place is now like.
Try it yourself - and report to this website.
28 Jan 2006 20:52
Dropped in last summer [2005].
Agree wih the other comments.
Excelent pub.
21 Jan 2006 22:45
Once upon a time, folk from LR used to use this, and enjoyed doing so.
It has got crowded since [and the clientele has apparently got younger faster that we have got older ...]
Haven't been in since about 2002.
Then it was heaving with people [punters] - and any forty-somethings seemed to be seriously overage.
Not unwelcpome - but a bit like visiting the Tobriand Islanders - a totally different culture, I'm afraid ...
G
21 Jan 2006 22:17
Ye gods!
This is going back .....
This place used to be a beacon at the end of a hard evening on the weights with the heavy brigade.
Dave Bamborough, Roger Wiles, Andy Kerr, for eight or nine pints, and even one or two of the sprinters, perhaps, for a half of something .....
I'm positive it's different now.
Then - it was sound.
Used to do Lamot on draft.
Serious falling down water that was - a chemical lager that was the big brother of a well-known continental lager [the Alzheimer's has got me - I can't remember what that one was!].
21 Jan 2006 21:54
I visited this pub - many years ago - when I visited a friend locally.
It used to be sound.
Recent comments disappoint me.
However, I haven't visited this pub in person for about twenty years!
Accordingly - as a fully paid-up member of the old-fart brigade - it sounds to be not m y cup of tea.
21 Jan 2006 21:07
It was almost brand new when I first drank there, in about 1973.
Then it was very studenty.
7 Jan 2006 17:38
I used to live near this one [80s!]- and it was then a bit of a dive. It is now looking so much better.
7 Jan 2006 13:16
Hadn't been in for years - a nice pub, with an apparently civilized clientele.
It's just so thoroughly pleasant!
7 Jan 2006 13:02
Used to visit it occasionally - as have relatives near-by. Used to eat there, too - but the last such visit, a couple of years ago, perhaps summer 2003, put us off. Poor restaurant service, poor food.
Drinks were OK - but not exactly cheap.
I expect it is much better now - but that was then.
30 Dec 2005 15:48
Presumably a "tribute" to the late Lord Wilson of Rievaulx, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and known as a man with more faces than the Town Hall Clock.
Comparisons with the present Government would be invidious, of course.
30 Dec 2005 13:20
Very pleasant inn indeed.
Located close to, but not right at, Tynwald [the Hill where Manx goverment has been carried on for over a thousand years - the Isle of Man was part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland; the isle came under the British Crown in 1765, and is not part of the European Union].
Visited it on a beautiful day in July 2005.
The staff were very welcoming and obliging, and very relaxed. This pub is popular with cyclists as well as motor-bound tourists.
Excellent cooled cider and beer.
Sitting outside at a roadside table, in the shade on a gorgeously warm sunny day, watching the [Manx] world go by was idyllic.
30 Dec 2005 10:03
The Ship and Shovell, Charing Cross
Couple of mates of mine have been unwell - both after drinking there, they say, but on different occasions. They both said the glasses were not very clean. An easy comment to make, and I wasn't there, so don't know.
Both now avoid it.
Suspect this was a one-off [or a mistake], unless half of the City [which seems to drink there] is going down ill.
Another mate, of course, won't drink anywhere else!
15 Dec 2005 14:16
Pleasant local pub.
Albeit a bit smoky - many German establishments are still - Gilbert's Pinte has a good mix of ages, and is tourist-friendly.
Like everywhere in Koeln, it sells a version of the local beer - Koelsch. This is a rather lager-like beer - very light in colour and taste. Never mind Gilbert's - try Koelsch.
6 Dec 2005 08:18
The Master Brewer Hotel, Hillingdon
Understand that the whole pub/hotel complex is reportedly under threat from a well-known supermarket chain, wanting to move in, erase the Master Brewer [how we laughed at the name and the pub in the 70s when it was built, repalcing a real Gin Palace/Road House sort of outfit, which might even have maidens manning the beds upstairs] and erect a Consumer Paradise.
Mind, I'd not be actually devstated if the Master Brewer went!
It has convenience, and keen staff.
1 Dec 2005 22:40
Haven't visited recently - like for a decade - but it used to be a very solid pub.
No airs and graces, but no trouble, wassocks, estate agents, second hand car salespersons or chavs' 1990s equivalents.
Nice beer.
1 Dec 2005 22:15
6 November 2005, I drove past the pub. The pub is shut for renovation. Builders' screens up. Said to be re-opening in 'early December'.
6 Nov 2005 19:01
The Ship and Shovell, Charing Cross
Must get something right - it's crowded, perhaps too crowded, almost all the time!
6 Oct 2005 05:35
"Avoid it like the plague" would be my advice to anyone over thirty, or in regular paid employment.
Don't suppose most of clientele can read, but they could probably punch.
May actually do decent beer [may not, too, I suppose]; I didn't tarry!
However, the people inside do rather deter.
Sorry - not my sort of pub.
2 Oct 2005 14:40
The Devonshire Arms, Peak Forest
Pleasant pub, with accommodation.
Watch the speed camera to the west of the pub on the main road.
The pub itself is popular with the locals, and transients, including tourists and business travelers. Beer is good - and the food is excellent; real home cooking, with first rate quality ingredients, well cooked - and in generous portions, too!
Nice ambiance [yes, you can use that word for a pub in the Peaks!].
Well worth a visit.
2 Oct 2005 14:25
Enjoying an astonishing view, the Wanted Inn [Formerly the Unwanted Inn] is a nice community pub. It is at a height of 1217 feet above sea level, so the winters must be a bit bleak even with global warming! Friendly staff, and the food smelt and looked good - we were booked elsewhere.
Beer was civilized, and cider very good.
2 Oct 2005 14:19
Used to be pretty grotty - due mostly to the clientele. Situated in a rather run-down looking shopping precinct [doesn't that word conjure up images of chavdom, 27 year-old Grandmothers, existence on the Social, etc?], the Abbotswood Inn doesn't exude class. The two individuals outside when I passed made be feel I'd be better off trying to drink in Iran: IQ looked as if it was at least up with their boot size!
Perhaps the Abbotswood is better now - but its neighbours don't help!
27 Sep 2005 15:36
The White Hart Inn, Iron Acton
Pleasant pub, with a good range of beer, and bar staff who were not at all put out to be asked for a 'gin-and-appletiser'.
Bit dark in the main bar - all that old brown and black wood that looks real - although some of it sounds hollow when tapped.
Certainly worth a visit.
Has excelent outside tables [if the weather is OK!]
10 Sep 2005 12:19
Villagey pub. Very nice - all the locals share their time and money between this and The Stirrup Cup. Food here looks good, beers are fine. Friendly atmosphere.
5 Sep 2005 05:45
Very friendly pub. Does food - which is excellent, and good value for money. The Sunday Roast is impressive. Also does a Deuchars IPA that is apparently well above average, and excellent local clear cider [not scrumpy].
5 Sep 2005 05:44
Visited it last month [July 2005].
Found it very civilised.
Good bitter for the missus, and cider for me.
Tideswell is such a gorgeous village, too.
28 Aug 2005 13:25
The Smugglers Tavern, Coulsdon
Smart pub, with sport on the TV, and a convenient bus stop [166 and 434].
Always seems to have a happy clientele [and they're often over 40, too!
11 Jul 2005 15:49
Never been into this one this century [probably visited it, once, in about 1972!] Outside now seems run down.
11 Jul 2005 15:42
The Master Brewer Hotel, Hillingdon
First time I stayed, the local "smart" boys were tryinmg to rob rooms [on the ground floor] by reaching through windows onto conveniently placed tables and trying for wallets, mobiles, carkeys, etc.
Staff [and Police] were active, and frightened the tealeafs off. However, site is wide open, and control of pedestrian entry is practically non-existent. If you stay, get a room upstairs if you can.
The bar is OK - doesn't seem to have many [any?] regulars.
Staff - like so many other places - appear to either be learning the trade or learning English, and they're keen to impress.
Nothing wrong there!
11 Jul 2005 15:40
Shut when I went there.
used to be the 'Fox and Geese' - and appears to have gone up in the world since then [not difficult, as regulars, occasional users, readers of the gazette's police Column, and the constabulary itself would tell you].
11 Jul 2005 15:31
Only used this for morning coffee - before the "Coach" opens.
Pefectly civilised pub at that time.
11 Jul 2005 15:28
The Coach and Horses, Ickenham
Venue for many Vyners [Grammar] School Reunions [thanks to friends reunited].
Not cheap, nowhere is these days ["I remember when you could get a pint of brown and bitter for 2/5d"].
Music is rather too load for the old fart brigade, who don't like to have to shout to make themselves heard!
Clean, tidy, and the food is good.
11 Jul 2005 15:27
Back to railtracksurvivor's profile
The Peacock, Nantwich
Don't think I've been in the Peacock for thirty-five years; stopped off there on my way north to Liverpool a couple of times in the seventies, if memory serves me well. Sunday evenings, about seven. A bit of a break in the journey.
Lord alone knows what it's like now.
I note that previous posters did not seem to be hugely impressed, but it was OK - a six, perhaps - when i visited.
No rating now - a third of a century later!
17 Aug 2011 20:39