Scarlett Arms, Walliswood

(VISITED: Sun 30th April, 2008)

I'm not the sort of person to sign up to a website and type up reviews, but this is 1 place I think deserves the accolades.

Having just recently moved to Mole Valley from south London, finding the quintessential British country pub to frequent on a lazy Sunday was a priority for my partner and I.

After reading the reviews on this site, and others, we narrowed it down to 3 pubs.

My partner phoned first to see what time they finish serving lunch. She was told 3pm, so we quickly programmed the satnav, and headed to Walliswood to test this pub for ourselves

Our satnav took us on a beautiful but ridiculously unnecessary detour through a forest, and we eventually arrived at The Scarlett Arms 5mins before deadline.
Being a traditional pub, and I 6ft 3, I knocked my head a few time on the beams, but thought the place lovely. The barmaid and patrons were very friendly and welcoming. I can imagine whiling away the evenings in such a place.

We ordered our meals and took a seat in the dining area. It's a small pub so I can imagine it gets very busy around lunch times, but was quite empty when we arrived.
The food arrived quite quickly and we were suprised how fresh it all looked. My partner ordered the Sunday roast with beef (�9.95). This was accompanied with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, parsnips, and a separate bowl of broccoli and cauliflower. I had the rib eye steak (�13.95) which came with tomatoes, chips, a fried egg and a fresh salad.
These were not stingy portions either, so a full belly is guaranteed.
We both loved our meal. Everything was cooked to perfection, was steaming hot, the roast beef melted, absolutely no gristle. Even the mayonnaise I requested was a revelation! But the best thing about the Sunday roast was the unbelievable gravy. DEFINATELY NOT BISTO!!!!
Next time... yes I said it... NEXT TIME I will get there earlier to try some of the puddings because the list looked good.

More important for us is the atmosphere or ambience of a place. I have been to many places where as an 'outsider' your are looked on with derision and have bad service as a result. Not so here. From the moment we walked in it was warm and friendly. The villagers there were also engaging and helpful, offering us tips and other places to see. THIS must be the English countryside I heard so much about.

We complimented the chef and made a promise to spread the word before our return.
Here I keep my word.

31 Mar 2008 13:49