The Portsmouth Hoy, Poole

Lovely atmosphere and good selection of beers/cider. Shame about the boy behind the bar who had a tantrum when asked to fill a drink to the pint line. I later saw him kicking up a fuss over getting an old guy a glass of water (who had just spent an extortionate amount on plain looking food.)
Recommended, just avoid stroppy-mcgrumpy-knickers.

28 Dec 2009 12:20

The Neptune, Boscombe

It's dirty with rough clientele and rude staff but once you're sat down you can generally ignore that and look at the waves.
On a recent visit though we were given plastic glasses (at 1pm on a rainy day) we asked for glass but were told the manager had told them to serve plastic, they could get fined/shut down if glasses kept being found on the beach etc, I asked if the plastic is for good now and a server woman came out of nowhere and said it will be plastic all throughout the summer(!).
When we sat down we realised everyone else in the place had glass and they were serving in glass. I went up to the bar and asked why this was and the same server grumpily told me the manager had just been over and changed his mind. I asked for 2 glasses and she poured my drink into a filthy glass and demanded I bring the other plastic one up for her to do herself. I asked her to just give me a glass and she rolled her eyes really stroppily (for a middle aged woman!) said 'fine!' and sent me away with another dirty glass.
My partner and I are both in our 20's and were reasonably well dressed. Being clearly discriminated against then repeatedly lied to really was a bit much.
Why is it places with the best potential are often the worst?

12 Jul 2009 12:31

The William Morris, Merton Abbey Mills

What a disapointment, really left a bad taste in the mouth in more ways than one.
The (expensive) Aspell cider tasted off and a guy on the table next to us actually took his lager back because it tasted of vinegar!
Even through this it was nice to look at the river (and try to ignore the staff having a great time and marching about the place/going outside for fags every ten minutes) so we ordered food which really for a place like that was far far too expensive, only to get cold soggy fish absolutely full of bones with undercooked chips and mushy peas out of a tin (the veggie burger was off) and a burnt beefburger.
The pub itself was in need of a very good clean if not whole make over.
Definitely would not recommend it.

12 Jul 2009 12:01