BITE user comments - slickslinger
Comments by slickslinger
Great family pub near Fratton Park. Proper community pub like they used to be with a fabulous atmosphere. It also has an enormous garden which doubles the size of the pub in summer. Great real ales and the only place I can find in Portsmouth selling Thwaites Lancaster Bomber!
22 Feb 2013 09:34
I can't believe that nobody has written about this lovely pub in the 18 months since the new people took over because it is still a wonderful place and it is no longer run by idiots. It enjoys the most wonderful riverside setting but it shouldn't be considered as a "sunny day only" venue because it's a gem of a place inside as well. The beer is lovingly cared for (four ales with rotating guests, including Thwaites Wainwright) and the food is now top notch. Forget its reputation and get along there for a real treat.
11 Feb 2013 08:05
The Rose and Crown, Upper Farringdon
Lovely rural pub with something for everybody. As I only went for the beer I can't say more about the food than that it looked and smelled great, but I can tell you that the beer was great. A couple from Tripple fff (Moondance and Pressed Rat), the obligatory Doom Bar (what does anyone see in this bland brown rubbish except a nice name?), Goddards Fuggle Dee Dum and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber, which was great to see so far South. All were in lovely condition (except the Doom, which I didn't try because, even in perfect condition, it is almost devoid of character) and it's obvious that they care here.
It's worth searching out.
12 Oct 2012 13:31
I'd guess Dougie59 got the sack before writing this, wouldn't you?
16 May 2012 07:33
This pub was on the brink of destruction until Chris, the new landlord, came to save it. It is still a basic local but now it is a local with a heart. There are big screens for Sky sports and you can often watch different sports on the individual screens. Chris has a passion for real ale and runs an ever-changeing pair of ales from the Punch range. Tripple fff beers appear regularly and I've yet to have a beer there that's not up to muster.
Don't go there for dinner because they don't do food but, if you fancy a pint and a chat in a good old local, pop in here.
13 May 2012 09:52
A previous comment was that this is almost the perfect pub and that all it needed to make it perfect would be an open fire. Well, I visited yesterday, found a roaring fire and, for the first time in dozens of ratings, I'm giving this pub 10 out of 10. The real ales were a delight (see their website for details), the food was wholesome and generous, the staff were wonderfully friendly and the landlord held Court to the amusement of all. It took me back to a time when the community, young and old, all came to the pub and the place hummed with the buzz of happy people chatting over a drink. I liked it so much that I even stayed the night. Lovely room, wonderful view over Devon hills and a proper breakfast. Thank you Tony.
1 Mar 2012 08:16
I recently came back to the area and made a "b" line for the Selbourne Arms, anticipating a warm welcome for me and my black labrador, a great pint and a roaring fire. What a dissappointment. Tunrned up at 5.30 and had to wait until 6 (so they obviously don't want the after work drinking trade) and, when the door eventually opened, they wouldn't let Jack in. There are flagstones on the floor in the bar area, so why no dogs? I asked whether he couldn't come in because he was black and the response I got from the barmaid was as cold as the smoking room Jack and I were forced to sit in. I fancied a dark, winter beer and found nothing of the sort. I ended up with a lovely pint of Swift One but it was miles away from what I wanted.
Looks like the place has turned into a restaurant and so why CAMRA want to give it an award I can't tell you. Perhaps it's further proof that they've lost the plot.
Anyway, if you like real pubs where dogs are welcome and the fire blazes, why not pop down to the nearby Greatham Inn?
7 Dec 2011 15:28
Smashing country pub with friendly service and good ale. It was lovely to see Thwaites Wainwright on the bar - what a great pint this is and how fabulous to have such fine beer associated with that brilliant writer of walking books.
7 Dec 2011 15:01
Great pub if you like straightforward honest to goodness pubs. Four good ales (Pride, Doom Bar, Tribute and Spitfire on my last visit), some really interesting regulars - don't be put off by the number of motorbikes outside, there are some lovely bikers here! - and it's as dog-friendly as a pub can get. Big garden, lovely walks on the ranges opposite and free-range eggs from the house next door. A proper boozer.
7 Dec 2011 14:57
I stopped going after having a few duff pints. Went in yesterday and discovered that the beers had been below par because the pipe cleaning system hadn't been working properly. The good news is that the ales were all lovely. Dark Star Hophead and American PA (yummy!), Stonehenge, Directors and Pride. Don't forget the wonderful imported German lager Warsteiner. It shows how good lager can taste when it's in the hands of a brewery who cares. The pub itself is delightfully old and has something to offer for people of all ages, although some pensioners might find it a bit lively on a Friday night!
7 Dec 2011 14:52
The Blue Bell Inn, Dockenfield
The new people have given it a lick of paint but there's so much white paint and so many bright lights that it hurts your eyes to go in. The new folk are keen and polite and have great ambitions for the place, so I hope they'll listen to feedback and soften the lighting.
The beers on my last visit (3/12/11) were Tripple fff Altons Pride and Moondance and Hogs Back TEA, HBB and Advent Ale (this one straight from the barrel on the bar). I don't like Hogs Back beers but my colleague said the were in good nick. The Tripple fff beers were magic!
We need to use this pub or we'll lose it and it's far too lovely for us to let that happen.
7 Dec 2011 14:41
If you live anywhere withing reach of the Harrow and you don't manage to get there just once in your lifetime, your life will be the poorer for it. Whether it's taking in the glories of the rambling garden in summer or sitting on a log in the inglenook in winter you'll find every trip to the Harrow a very special experience. The beer (last visit it was Hophead and the one before Swift One) and cider drop straight from the cask behind the bar, the service is jolly and relaxed and, if you see the generosity of the food servings, your eyes will pop out. I spent �15 on a ham salad and got the best value for money I've yet to get in a pub. It came on a meat carving dish, half of which was covered with home-cooked ham and the other with a spectacular salad. Hot, crusty bread and butter came seperately and I struggled to finish. And if the landlady refuses to bow and scrape to a bunch of smelly CAMRA members on their one and only trip to the pub well, that just makes the Harrow a better place, doesn't it?
20 Nov 2011 07:18
What a strange comment about the Manager we got from amdrinker. I say this because, since Simon has taken over the helm, the old place is back to full strength. The ales are magnificent and extensive and fans of Dark Star beers will be delighted to find Hophead on permanently now. The welcome is so relaxed that it is likely to fall over and, from what I've seen, the food seems to be pretty lovely too. It's a fabulous pub that's worth every bit of the struggle to find and it's now back to its former glory. I can only assume that amdrinker got the hump because Simon refuses to sell Fosters, Carling or any of that over-priced, over-advertised muck the big boys have the timerity to call lager.
20 Nov 2011 07:01
I was dreaming of the perfect English winter pub the other day, you know, a roaring fire, wooden floors, sofas to flop on, great local beer, dog friendly and welcoming staff when I woke up and found I was in the Greatham Inn. It's a gem! The beers were all in wonderful nick (Swift One, Moondance and 49er) and the pub was as warm and welcoming as I had dreamed. Didn't eat but I'm told there's a new chef and, judging by the approving noises from the diners, I imagine he's pretty good. Why not drop off the only roundabout on the A3 south of London and experience it for yourselves? It's a classic.
20 Nov 2011 06:35
This has to be the classic English pub - set betweet two medieval bridges on the ancient cricket green, the pub boasts flagstone floors and a vast inglenook. The range of real ales at my last visit was Otter Bitter, Doom Bar and Abbott and a fourth is added in the summer. The food isn't cheap but it is fresh and generous in its portions. Overall, it's a great place to visit in the winter. I went there last summer and the place was heaving. Families picknic on the green whilst their children paddle in the shallow river and therefore my suggestion is to go there out of season.
3 Jan 2011 11:13
The Johns Cross Inn, Robertsbridge
Friendly welcome and wonderful views from the garden. Strange, modernistic decor that doesn't really fit but the management are truly trying their best and it shows. Four real ales but sadly the Hook Norton AD303 had turned sour. The staff were so nice I didn't have the heart to take it back.
25 Apr 2009 15:49
The new landlord (since Oct 08) has really changed the place. Although the outside may still be unimposing (he promises to change things in the spring) the inside is now colourful, warm and inviting. Three great ales (Adnams, Harveys and Rother Valley) and the walls bedecked with brewery memorabilia. Food local, fresh and nicely presented. What has changed most, though, is that there is a real welcome in the place. Take a visit for a really lovely surprise.
18 Dec 2008 17:58
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The Three Horseshoes, Cranleigh
The coming of a new landlord here has changed this pub beyond all recognition. The stark white decor has been replaced by rich creams and reds, the walls are full of pictures and leather sofas abound. Sport has been moved into the back bar and the front is now a place to drink good ale, to mix with ones friends and to eat traditional pub grub. I had the Liver and bacon with mash and diced root vegetables and I couldn't believe it cost me just £8. My pal had a great big plate of ham, eggs and chips and that was only £9. I had a lovely pint of Triple fff Moondance, my pal loved his Firebird Two Horses and we both had a Ringwood 49er in wonderful condition to send us on our way. They also sell Doom Bar and guest beers. Dogs and children are welcome, the floors are polished wood and there is a cracking garden. I'll be back very soon.
29 Mar 2016 14:32