The Roebuck, Hampton Hill

Wondered about this place for ages and finally popped in round about lunchtime yesterday. There's certainly a lot of stuff hanging from the ceiling and walls, it doesn't come over as gimmicky though, I think it makes the place seem cosy. There were about ten people in there when I walked in, all blokes in their fifties or sixties. They looked up as I walked to the bar, but I didn't get any hostile vibes. At the bar there was a reasonable choice, I opted for Hop Back's Odyssey, which I'd never had before and was excellent. Of the other beers I can only remember that they had Fuller's Best Bitter and Erdinger, either of which I'd have been happy with. I was served by an oldish bloke who'd walked round from the front of the bar where he'd been doing his crossword. I ordered my beer and asked if they did bowls of chips, he just nodded and got on with it. I think the only words he spoke to me where when he told me the price (�5.40), which is fine by me. As I was walking to a table I encountered the landlady that a few other reviewers seem to have had a run in with. She seemed perfectly nice to me, I think she may even have smiled at me. I sat in a secluded booth-type bit that had two tables in it, points again for cosiness. The chips I ordered turned up after about five minutes and were great. I spent about thirty minutes over my pint and chips reading my newspaper and the atmosphere in the pub was very chilled out.

All in all an excellent pub experience. It's about a fifteen minute walk for me and I usually drink at the Sussex Arms or the Prince of Wales, but next time any mates come round I'll be steering them this way to see what it's like in the evening.

27 Apr 2012 10:56