The Black Boy, Winchester

Visited here with the boyfriend and it was alright. Quirky theme (which I can only describe as "random but fun") and nice staff/service. I had a pint of Flower Pots Bitter which was nice and my other half the Punter, which I personally was not fond of. Both well kept though. Food choice was limited to 5-6 pub grub dishes and sandwiches - we both had the burger which was nothing to write home about. Chips weren't great.

Overall, OK.

7/10

9 Mar 2013 22:24

The Greyhound, Tinsley Green

Atmosphere - 5/10
Arrived on a Sunday evening prior to flying at Gatwick the next day so it was dead at first but a few more came in around 6pm but the landlord/ barman gave a nice welcome and seems a good bloke.

Interior - 3/10
A bit tattered and in desperate need of an upgrade but does the job. Has a pool table and projector playing Sky Sports.

Drink - 7/10
Seems to have changed since the last review in 2011. Only two ales on tap - Adnams Broadside and London Pride. Had a taster of both, which were in good condition but went for the Broadside. Various lagers on tap too - Kronenbourg, Fosters and Carlsberg, plus Strongbow cider.

Food - 6/10
I ordered the 8oz sirloin steak (medium rare) and the other half had the spicy chicken burger. My steak was mediocre - closer to medium than medium-rare and not exactly grade A meat but good value for £10 I guess. Chips, onion rings and peas were ok but I wasn't fond of the garlic mushrooms. The burger with chips and side salad, I am informed, is nice. Good portions for both.

Service - 10/10
Nice, cheery and attentive staff.

Total - 6/10

24 Feb 2013 17:48

The Cove House Inn, Portland

Literally just finished my meal here with my partner and unfortunately we are quite disappointed. Ordered 2 whitebait starters, and 2 mains from the "specials" board - seafood paella and seafood linguine. The whitebait was bland and the mains were lacklustre and, I swear, from a packet. I was expecting the seafood to be fresh and tasty given the coastal location but alas I was wrong.

The service wasn't bad but not exactly inspiring either. The view is definitely lovely and the pub itself looks well maintained.

Our pints of Jurassic (a local Dorset ale) were, I'm glad to say, top notch. Also available were Doombar and Adnams Broadside which we didn't try.

5/10

20 Oct 2012 15:04