The Saracens Head Inn, Symonds Yat East

Went here recently on Easter Sunday. Very busy due to its riverside location and once you order some food and drink here you will understand that they take advantage of their monopolisation on the pub options around this area. We ordered three "slates" of bread with accompaniments for �4.95 each, to our surprise they were delivered to our table as just a few small pieces of bread with some pesto oil drizzled over them with three small ramekins of toppings - one with butter with grated cheese on top (weird); one with a few small olives and pickled onions; and one with more pesto oil. These went very quickly and were not worth the asking price.
Next came the roasts and other dishes we ordered, the roasts being a little bit on the small side to say the least and the pork roasts were missing the crackling which was advertised on the menu. OK yes, it is a bank holiday weekend and the kitchen is busy, but that is no reason to short-change your customers on their orders - far better to inform the front of house staff that certain meals have run out. When we enquired about the lack of crackling and asked about a substitute, the waitress rudely said to her colleague "they want something in place of the crackling" in a gruff tone, right in front of our table! The substitute of chips we requested was declined as not possible (chips are expensive in these parts perhaps?) and we were offered roast potatoes instead - go figure.
Beers, ales and the wine on offer were fine (the local IPA a highlight), but rude service for sub-standard food doth not a good pub make.

14 Apr 2009 18:25

The Rake, London Bridge

So many beers, so little time! Wish I lived in the area so it could be my local.

20 Dec 2008 15:34

The Bountiful Cow, Holborn

My experience at the Bountiful Cow was nothing but pleasant - steak was fantastic and cooked just right (and I asked for rare), sauces tasted freshly made and the red wine a perfect match for the food. Atmosphere was good too, just the right amount of buzz. Check it out.

20 Dec 2008 15:20