The Bricklayers Arms, Poole

Lovely garden for the summer evenings, and nice and warm in the winter (open fire, pub dog). Regulars seem very friendly and funny, as do the staff. One of my preferred places to go in the summer for a properly chilled pint of Warsteiner, although the prices are monstrously excessive (�3.20 a pint, I believe). Still, nice to go with one or two mates and have a laugh in, certainly a favourite of mine. The ales seem reasonably well-kept, although more could be done to improve their condition I think.

Gets very busy, although I never feel as claustrophobic in there, bizarrely, as I do in the Cow. Rumours abound about it being sold off, or at least the garden, and I certainly hope they aren't true. One of the best pubs in easy reach of Bournemouth, highly recommended.

24 Mar 2007 13:50

Dean Park Inn, Bournemouth

One of the few remaining "pub pubs" in Bournemouth, The Dean Park Inn is a generally alright place to have a drink. They have a large non-smoking area (which, unfortunately, feels like a school dinner hall in comparison to the uncomfortably smoky lounge) and they do sell excellent food. Beer prices are quite high though, you'll pay �3.00 a Guinness and �2.90 for a Heineken or a (now) Kronenbourg, with spirit prices hovering between �2.80 and �3.50 for a single spirit and mixer.

Very much a locals' pub it seems, with regular drinkers at the bar every night. Whilst this is generally a trademark of the pub, there are certain faces who can be obnoxious, loud and generally rude. The bar staff seem slightly stoic and look harrassed a lot of the time, although the empty glasses being tapped on the bar from the regulars will do that. Good, fast service otherwise. The ales are well kept, with a regular rotation of a guest ale and Wadworth ales as resident (Henry's IPA, 6X and Bishop's Tipple).

Overall, alright to have a few pints in, but certainly not one I'd go in to have a fun night out. A sunday pub.

24 Mar 2007 13:40

The Cow, Parkstone

Won Pub of the Year the other day. A decent place to drink, but seems to suffer something of an identity crisis between a sports bar and a pub lounge. The beer is well kept and the ales taste spot on, as indicated by their Cask Marque status. Haven't had the chance to sample the food, since I can't justify �7 for a bacon sandwich, but I've heard it's absolutely excellent.

The staff are friendly, and it's lovely to see a pub that plays the rugby, and which isn't Walkabout. Its location on the train station means that it's a simple task to get right into town if you tire of it as well. In terms of the clientele, the moneyed young and the middle aged seem to be standard fare here, although people seem to always be having a good time.

Overall I'm unsure. It seems to tick the right boxes, but there's something off about it that I can't quite put my finger on (it could be the drink prices bordering on the absurd for a pub, though, and the uncomfortable amounts of people on the weekends for such a small place). It certainly didn't deserve Pub of the Year, although it's a nice, friendly, non-threatening place I like to have a drink in occasionally. Well done to Dave Sachs et al for turning it around.

24 Mar 2007 13:30