The Walmer Castle, Kemptown

Went to the Walmer on Sunday with friends after PRIDE this weekend for a roast dinner, which sadly was entirely inedible.

The broccoli was yellow and brown, the carrots tasted like washing up liquid, the nut roast did not appear to contain any nuts, the potatoes were just plain greasy and the gravy appeared to have been made of mud and corn starch. Back to the nut roast for a second though as it was truly startling... I had a good root around and dissect in my quest to find nuts and think I can hazard a guess as to its construction: Take one tin of cheap as chips ratatouille, some pearl barley, some elderly spinach and a can of tomatoes, mix, do not season, possibly bake in oven (difficult to tell) place on plate with badly cooked vegetables and charge �6.75. Ta da, there's one born every minute.

Now none of the above would have bothered me in the slightest had the staff of the pub been at all apologetic, or willing to try offending substances. Instead the stance was "I've sent out 50 roasts today and none of them have come back"

That's neither here nor there I'm afraid. There are several possible explanations:
-We were eating late in the day maybe this is why ours was not nice, however they shouldn't be selling it if it's gone manky through age.
-Other people are more self effacing than we and chose to grin and bear it
-Maybe their other clientele actually like dishwater carrots.

Whatever the explanation an apology and refund were in order rather than some attitude. Wouldn't go back.

8 Aug 2006 17:21