The Boathouse Inn, Astley

Lovely,welcoming canal-side pub. The food is excellant, with a really varied menu which includes specials nearly everyday with everything from Swordfish to Jalfrazi Curries made with fresh spices and Papadums and Chappatis made in house .Debbie and Michelle,the owners, make everyone welcome and have a way about them that makes the atmosphere bubbly and fun.There is an old fashioned Tap room, with pictures of the area past and presant and a Lovely,spacious wooden-themed lounge with big,oak,pine tables where you can spread out with the Sunday papers,which are supplied,and enjoy a great Sunday lunch as well. I have recently discovered this place after being disapointed with the prices and attitudes of the Moorings in Boothstown. If only these two had that place!Try the Boathouse,you really wont be disapointed.

31 Mar 2008 15:43

Moorings, Boothstown

This pub has now gone back to its original name,The Moorings.Its in a lovely spot over-looking a nice part of the canal and a lovely mooring basin for holiday barges. It has a great, staged ,exterior on the outside balconies and a relaxing cool ambience inside. The Menu is varied and interesting and children are allowed. The only problem is the manager and the soft drink prices. I went in with 2 children plus my girlfreind,on the 29/03/08 to eat. The young staff are as pleasant and helpfull as ever the off putting person funnily enough is the manager, a blond women in her 50`s who wanders behind the bar chewing gum and avoiding eye contact with the customers.When she eventualy tore herself away from a conversation, with a member of staff, to serve me, any efforts ,on my part ,to strike up a conversation about the pub ,food or menu,were met with a shrug of the shoulders,a heavy chew of her gum, whilst getting the drinks and no eye contact whatsoever.Really unfreindly and curt and certainly not the "Mine Host" a place like that needs and deserves.The place only had a handfull of customers in as well. But the biggest put off was the price of soft drinks.We ordered 3 halfs of coke and half of cider it came to �6:90!! I asked her if it was right,
"Yeah it`s right" she muttered as she walked away totaly uninterested. We sat down with the menus and started looking through them. As one of the young staff walked past i asked about the prices,he confirmed that a half of coke,(in a 3 quarter glass mostly filled with ice) was �2:00 whilst a half of cider was just 90p.I mentioned the unhelpfullness and unfreindliness of what i thought was the head barmaid,he laughed and said she was the manager and said that you get used to her eventualy,he also added that quite a few people had made the similar comments. We decided not to "Get used to" the Mine host and the ridiculos soft drink prices and go to The Boathouse in Astley village instead.The food and soft drinks there were great and reasonably priced. They also have two "Proper Hosts" in Debbie and Michelle who are the co-owners and give a really warm welcome to locals and strangers alike, by the way,their place was full.

31 Mar 2008 15:15