BITE user comments - warmflatbitter
Comments by warmflatbitter
The Kentish Rifleman, Dunks Green
Used to be a big fan of this place "pre-conflagration" but its never been the same since. Hadn't been for a while so thought we'd give it a try. Saturday night and 2 of the limited range of mains were off by 8pm. Food quality good, but presentation poor, lamb rump drowning in gravy, with sprouts and carrots it looked like an amateur sunday lunch. Nice ribeye steak spoiled by a truss of a dozen large vine tomatoes plonked on top! Coffee too steep at �3 a cup and 10% service added to boot. On the upside drinks were reasonable but not a patch on the nearby Chaser.
15 Mar 2011 12:02
So the landlord thinks that the X Factor is keeping people out of the pub. Can't be his prices then. Good beer though.
28 Nov 2010 18:05
And another change of management! But this time it looks like the brewery are doing their bit, a log burner has been installed, the place has been decorated and the floor recovered. Well its not all good news 'cos a laminate floor has been laid on top of the old one so if you are over 6ft you'll stoop! A visit last week yielded a very cold very flat pint of Masterbrew and an indifferent response from the barman to a chap that passed comment on same.
30 Oct 2010 21:00
Have been an occasional visitor for 10 years and can echo all of the positive comments on this nice old pub and its friendly and welcoming landlord/lady. It has always been known for no-nonsense, good quality pub food and recent changes in the kitchen have restored this reputation after a short period when the menu did get a little pretentious and expensive. Now we're back to old favourites like liver & bacon, scampi, ham egg & chips and my absolute favourite, sausage egg beans & chips! The lasagne is also worthy of mention. Food portions are excellent and served on properly warmed plates. There is a simpler bar menu with sandwiches and basket meals. OK its Shepherd Neame (as is practically every other village pub in the area, alas) so the range of beers is rather static and you're stuck with Orangebum lager, but worth going just for the grub. Nice decked area out the back for when the sun shines, too.
1 Dec 2008 10:47
Another change of management. There's a new bloke in there now on an interim basis apparently, the previous landlord having fallen out with the brewery. Early days yet but a decent pint of MasterBrew on offer and a few locals in on a Wednesday evening. No food but (wait for it) a condom machine has been installed in the gents, which is a bit avantgarde for Seal, not to mention optimistic as it's not a pub where you'd expect to get lucky!
11 Sep 2008 15:38
I hadn't been to this place for years and despite recalling having eaten the world's most expensive bangers & mash I thought it was worth revisiting on a cloudy bank holiday Monday. The service was cheerful enough but the bar menu was lacking in alternatives to sandwiches. The restuarant menu helpfully groups the dishes according to price (all the way to �24.95), but it is difficult to determine where the starters end and main courses begin. Hilariously the prices have a Euro equivalent based on an exchange rate of around 1.70, but they weren't prepared to change me some pounds at that rate! Can't comment on the beer as we only had soft drinks but the Brie and Bacon Baguette at �6.95 was awful, largely due to the microwaved streaky bacon and straight from the fridge brie it contained. This all corroborates with previous comments about food in what should be a great old pub to visit. Oh and the unkempt garden with its dirty plastic chairs which we shared with hundreds of wasps deserves a mention too. Shame.
26 Aug 2008 14:14
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The Padwell Arms, Seal
To Sessionmaster, if you are a local how did you manage to go to The Plough "by mistake"? Anyway its all very nice in The Padwell these days. Roaring log fires (well there's no other heating!) Despite the restaurant makeover not many evening diners when I've dropped in, nor any sign of simple evening bar snacks, so I can understand some of the gastro comments. There seem to be two chefs and assorted bar staff as well as a charming landlady and a jolly chap who apparently is the proprietor now who has clearly spent a lot of money doing the place up. So they seem well prepared for the Festive season. Beer wise I'd say six ales was a bit ambitious, and the couple I tried were a bit flat, but undeniably good value.
8 Dec 2011 19:20