The Ship Inn, Styal

We went today, not for the first time to this place because of it's picturesque surroundings and seemingly very reasonable value food.

Being the only people in the pub we assumed well attended to food wouldn't be too taxing. We ordered four meals.One request to swap chips for mash (fish chips and peas dish) was met with a refusal by the manager-cum-chef on the grounds that it was on special offer. Fair enough maybe, but it wasn't much to ask.

Twenty minutes or so later we got cold plates of cold food. We borrowed salt and condument from the other empty tables as there were none on ours and the shakers were empty. The dozen or so chips on each plate were limp reheated leftovers, quite badly burnt and cold. The fish was burnt dry, looked rancid as if it was cooked in old oil, and was just inedible so the dish was sent back.
The chef-cum-manager looked more concerned with nattering to his barside chums and smirked away to them as we complained and asked for a refund for the untouched fish dish. The whole thing was alleviated by the at least warm burgers and pie and the professionally-apologetic veneer of the waiter but not enough to negate this place's terrible managership.

Nice to know from previous reviews that the manager/chef not only makes casually discriminatory remarks against women, but also sees fit to pick and choose when they are a pushover himself - namely the customers.

5 Jan 2011 23:28