The Olde Bull Inn, Barton Mills

Having my parents down to visit we decided to treat them to a meal at the Olde Bull Pub in Barton Mills on an evening when they had a live band. We�d eaten here before and thoroughly enjoyed it but on this particular night things were very different. It was very busy and the only seats available were in the foyer - two tables, one of which had people eating at it. When we went to the bar to order our food, which included their speciality of bbq ribs, and a couple of bottles of wine, we were told that we could not eat ribs in the foyer. We said that there were no other tables and expected some advice, but we were just looked at blankly and told they had spent too much money on refurbishing the foyer to allow us to eat ribs there (they were obviously very particular as the carpet was covered by what appeared to be a thick cling film - terrible to walk on!) We were then asked, very curtly, �Do you want this food then?� Fancy asking if we wanted the food that we had just been told we could not have! So we repeated that there were no other tables - the reply to this being �That�s not my problem.� I had noticed that there were available tables in the restaurant but this was never offered up as a solution (even though half the menu in the restaurant was the same as that in the bar - except the ribs of course!!!) Looking rather bewildered and extremely frustrated at the rude lady behind the bar we eventually said �No�, to which the reply was �Are you having the drinks then?� - what use is a bottle of wine when you can�t have food to go with it? My exceptionally even tempered husband was steaming at the ears!!! As we departed from the pub I got into a conversation with the other people who were sat, still eating, in the foyer, also bewildered at the behaviour they asked me which person had served us. �A lady in a coloured top� I replied, �Ah, we thought as much� they said - apparently they had a bad attitude from her too. Such a shame that what we had really looked forward to was totally ruined - not by the fact that we could not eat in the foyer, but by a totally rude and unpleasant service. We ended up in the Indian in Mildenhall which had brilliant service and a great meal.

17 Aug 2009 16:18