Horse and Groom, Wivenhoe

Consistently the best-kept pint in Wivenhoe (for decades!) Interesting guest beers too. Great value, down-to-earth, non-corporate, generous, honest, genuine freshly-cooked traditional English weekday lunchtime favourites : get there early. Not the most glamorous location or surroundings in the village, but if you want to be superficial then there are alternatives!

P.S. I used to be young & trendy : I might no longer be young, but I'm smart enough to know a good thing when I see it, and this is one of them!

2 Jun 2005 02:36

The Morgan Arms, Mile End

Friendly neighbourhood boozer good for relaxing? Definitely not. Upmarket gastropub, with innovative, fresh food, above-average wine list (for a pub), and prices to match? That's it. Bit unusual in Mile End, though perhaps not such a surprise when you consider it's situated on the nicely laid out historic Tredegar Estate. (Lots of well-built, nicely-proportioned 1830's houses - mostly now flats - situated within an easy 15 minute commute to the City. Gentrification- know what I mean?). Clientele, and spending power, to match. Usual yuppie pub good bitters (Tim Taylor Landlord & Adnams), plus Hoegaarden. . . . , blah blah (you've heard it all before). Nice wine list, from a variety of stockists, clearly chosen by someone in-the-know. Much better than your dull, average tied-pub list. (A quick tip from a trade insider : if you're canny enough, you can source almost all of these for your own home consumption, at a fraction of the price, from various of your local quality High St wine retailers : happy hunting!)

We liked :

-Better-than-average pub wine list.
-Food. Good attention-to-detail & freshness. Veggie option was impressive too.
-Limited but-well-chosen selection of draught beers (& cider)
-An oasis in Mile End

We disliked :

-Prices : Ouch! Can't afford to do that too often!
-Only one veggie dish on main menu (though it was damn good!)
-Overly loud music in bar area.
-Lottery as to whether we would get a table / actually get food. It's the way the work. Just be aware.
-Long-ish wait for food (OK, so it's fresh - you can watch them making it. But just bear in mind it's no fast-food joint!)
-Not really suitable for large groups - especially if you're mixed & some are eating & some aren't)
-My �5.80 glass of wine was definitely corked. OK OK, so I should have complained. But I'm English, and amongst non-wine drinkers & didn't want to look like an arrogant knob-head. Also, felt I might have ruined my palate by eating choc bar on journey. But no, rushed home & opened a cheaper, inferior plonk to compare. The pub wine was definitely faulty. Spoilt my evening a bit. At these prices staff should be trained to spot a faulty wine (they'll thank you for it & so will your punters!).
-If you're a fairly down-to-earth kind of person, the upwardly-mobile, trendy City types might put your nose out of joint, and vice-versa!
-Paying extra for vegetables/side dishes, on top of an already hefty bill.
- A note for the unwary re food : expect to pay restaurant, not pub prices. (OK so quality differs proportionately too)

Conclusion : Still blowing hot & cold on this one. Just be aware of what you're getting into, especially in terms of spend. It won't be cheap.

2 Jun 2005 01:42