The Crown, Broxbourne

The Crown came highly recommended to us and we (3) decided to give it a try this evening as we were trying to find somewhere nice to bring a party of people for a meal in a couple of weeks time.

On first sight we thought yes, what a lovely country pub and looked forward to a nice meal in very pleasant surroundings � well, what a disappointment! We reserved a table after looking at their website which describes it as a �country pub and restaurant� but we needn�t have as the place was practically empty when we got there (and also when we left). The problems started when our waitress showed very clearly that she hadn�t a clue what drinks they had. (It turned out she didn�t have much of a clue about anything and cared far less but that�s another story). When we got that sorted out, we ordered our meals � this is what happened:

Diner 1: Starter � beer battered mushrooms with garlic dip served on a bed of yellowed lettuce which was clearly old � edible
Main: Homemade 8oz beefburger with chips � gristly burger, frozen chips � edible but for the same price (�8.95) you�d be advised to go to a Gourmet Burger place and see how it should be done.

Diner 2: Starter: Piedmont peppers with goats cheese, rocket (but without the balsamic dressing). This was like a microwaved squish although we were assured it hadn�t been done in a microwave but clearly overcooked � the goat�s cheese had liquidised and the rocket died in situ.
Main: Roasted Mediterranean vegetable risotto was requested and on enquiring if it had added cream, the waitress went to check in the kitchen as she didn�t know - it was and apparently couldn�t be served without cream as it had already been made up! (risottos should always be freshly made - it can never be frozen or made in advance otherwise it becomes a solid lump). So, the alternative order was �Handmade� salmon and broccoli fishcakes with salad � this was dreadful. The salad had the outer leaves of a lettuce which were brown at the edges, the tomatoes were old and wrinkled and this was sent back for a fresh salad which came back beautifully fresh (not sure why they couldn�t have done that in the first place) but covered in dressing despite diner 2 specifically asking for a dressing-free salad. The fishcakes had been fried to buggery and kept on heat until they went soggy and fell apart � the filling actually dripped off the fork. Handmade? Really?

Diner 3: Starter: Chicken liver, pork and mushroom pate with toast and Cumberland chutney � no chutney materialised, the toast was actually long hard over-toasted strips served on one large lettuce leaf which was a tough outer leaf with brown edges and browning cracked stem. The pate was the thinnest slice of pate we�ve ever seen - �4.75 if you don�t mind!
Main: Summer Lamb Shank with rosemary roasted summer vegetables and dauphinoise potato. For �12.95 we would have expected a decent portion but no. There was a dollop of potato and the �roasted summer vegetables� were actually a tablespoon of red onion, a small slice or courgette and 2 diced pieces of pepper. To be fair though, the lamb was very tender - fell off the bone without much help.

We complained to the manager as the food really was sub standard and were told that the frozen meals were received by them from Mitchell & Butler but the salads were done freshly by them in their kitchen. We weren�t charged for 2 starters and 1 main (I should think not). Their food really is dreadful and extremely poor value. We were still hungry when we left. You can understand sometimes that you�ll occasionally get a not-very-good meal when you dine out but this evening was just a calamity.

And yes, it is true that a small tray of condiments is brought to the table for diners to use there and then and hurriedly whisked away again. We noticed that the little dishes containing the condiments hadn�t even been wiped clean between being taken to the tables as ketchup has run down the outside of one � yuck! They didn�t appear to be covered over either (an open invitation for flies).

And yes, one of the waitresses really looked like she didn�t want to be there and appeared to be chewing the same piece of gum all evening. Classy.
Needless to say we shan�t be recommending the Crown to anyone.

16 Sep 2011 22:59

Cock O' The North, Bel Bar

This "pub" has certainly changed and not for the better. It seems to be concentrating on the food side now and unfortunately the previous standards of food and customer service seem to have dropped somewhat with the emphasis on knocking out as much food and filling as many tables as they possibly can with scant regard to their customers.

We used to bring friends and family here for that "special" night out with a nice meal but our last few visits have been disappointing. We were seated fairly quickly and although we reserved a table on each occasion, the staff seemd to look hurriedly around and just bung us on the first free table they could spot (with the remnants of the previous diners food still on the floor around it). We had to wait a while to order drinks, wait another while for those to be arrive and yet another while to place our order. From arrival to being served food was almost an hour. The portions of food are a lot smaller yet the prices have risen and it's just about warm when it reaches the table.

All in all, it feels really impersonal now in comparison to it's earlier days before the re-furb. The staff don't seem to be particularly happy any more and look rushed and stressed and want to hurry you out when you've finished your meal even though it took ages to get it on the table in the first place. What a disapointment. We won't be back.

12 Sep 2011 16:52

The Stag, Hastings

I do wonder if we visited the same pub as Four.one as our experience was vastly different.

We were on holiday in Hastings for a week and stayed only a few doors away so it became our �local� for the week � it�s definitely one of the best pubs we�ve ever visited. It has a great history and although the mummified cats on the wall aren�t to everyone�s taste, they are part of that history.

Although the drinks aren�t the cheapest (keeps the riff-raff out), this didn�t really matter as everything else was pretty perfect. The pub interior is quite cosy and it�s easy to get chatting with staff and customers alike as everyone was very friendly and welcoming (including the aforementioned barmaid Terry /Terri?). The landlord also acts as chef and there�s a second chef on a Thursday night (he�s a real character � laugh-a-minute) and, not to forget the barman with the ponytail, all are extremely hard working and check regularly that everything�s okay with you.

There are two tiers to the garden (if you fancy a ciggie). We didn�t go up to the upper garden but the lower one was fairly well sheltered which was welcome as the weather wasn�t great).

Entertainment was plentiful: Monday � quiz night (great fun), Tuesday � Folk night (sadly we missed this one), Wednesday � Blue Grass night (superb), Thursday � Shanty singers.

Food: very reasonably priced and large portions � veggie and vegan options were delicious: wild mushroom & ale pie, vegan curry, home-made veggie burger. There were also veggie sausages which I didn�t get round to trying. For meat eaters � the wild boar pie, chicken skewers, chicken curry, mackerel were also superb.

All in all, this is a great pub � the landlord works extremely hard to ensure all of their customers are happy and he�s succeeded! Well done Stag Inn. We�ll be back again for more!

12 Sep 2011 16:37