please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
We visited on a Friday, mostly because the nearby Titsey Place doesn't do lunches in its tea room. The beer was good (happy to find Doom Bar on draft) and it has a good atmosphere (give or take some tacky advertising) but the food really lets the place down. Why, oh why can't pubs get Sunday roast right? We ordered two roasts (turkey and beef) and both came with that thinly sliced processed stuff which felt like it had been heated with the gravy already on it. And between 4 adults and a child we got one small plate of "seasonal veg" or the usual carrots, broccoli and cauliflower to share. The best dish was the child's one where they actually had to cook the sausages, chips and peas freshly. A real let down.
|
Went there after a long walk recently and were pleasantly welcomed. Food was OK but one of our party had to complain about a very small fish dish priced at £10.95. She was offered another dish free which made up for the disappointment. Good beer and friendly service throughout.
|
Nice pub, ale well kept. Food average especially fish as they boast of their associated company. Over priced, but considering this is "South Chav Land", 'tis worth it as no chavs seen on all my visits, which have been many. Great in the summer for ale & nosh half way enroute from Biggin airport to hovel. One wish, better applications in the kitchen with more realistic pricing.
|
Went here one recent late Sunday afternoon. Nice looking pub and location at the top of the North Downs, but very dissapointing for food which was overpriced and very average. Better to travel the extra distance to the numerous excellent pubs in Old Oxted.
|
Went to this pub to see the Dayglo Pirates, an excellent Jethro Tull tribute band, unfortunately an othewise excellent performance was ruined by a totally in competent sound engineer and inadequate PA. There are some good bands playing there soon but I will avoid it and wait to see them at a more suitable venue. Felt a bit ripped off £8 only to get in but sound was awful.
|
Have been using the pub for about 10 years and find it a great place to relax and enjoy good beer & food.
The sunset on a summers evening is a must whilst sitting outside in the gardens.
Entertainment is good and varied,
Food is excellent.
|
Seemed a nice place with a nice bar...
Food was reasonable, bit pricey though. Also had a quiet atmosphere inside with seemingly the feel that everyone is watching and hearing you...
Ok visit, would return, not a priority though
|
Been here a few times. Bit of a strange place, miles off the beaten track, huge car park, but only about 10 people in on a Saturday afternoon. Beer was good, but food a bit overpriced at £9 for pretty ordinary scampi, chips & salad. They have tribute bands etc in a marquee at the side, but not sure what the place wants to be - a country pub, an upmarket family restaurant, or an entertainment venue? Nothing to stop it being all three I suppose, as long as it gets the punters.
|
Went there last Thursday evening and the place was almost empty. Despite what I might have said, previously, the place was warm and clean but this does not seem to attract much clientele.
Also, the drinks, generally, seem to be on the expensive side compared to other establishments
|
In the two occasions that I have gone there for pub lunch-type grub, I have been appalled by the quality of what was served.
I do remember a prawn sandwich with salad garnish which had to be seen to be believed. The sandwich was tasteless and 'mean looking' and the garnish comprised one cherry tomato and a sprig of lettuce.
On another occasion I asked for a portion of chip but didn't expect these to be of the 'oven' variety - if they were deep fried then I'd be very surprised.
The Chef (then) should have visited, say, the Padwell Arms at Stone street, or the Old jail at Biggin Hill to see what a sandwich should be like.
|
I rate this pub, others may not, but what do they expect on the outskirts of Croydon!!. Food is good, staff are good, location is good, BEER IS GOOD, and yes kids do like the fact there is a small animal feature. Also most everyone likes taking a pint in both the Eastern and Western hemisphere at the same time, It's on the Meridian. My industry chums and customers from a Global list like it. I have listed it on various industry websites for visiting crews to sample. Don't groan, it is a family pub for ALL AGES.
Thanks Botley Hill for some fun times.
|
Re-visited recently after a break of several years. Reason for the extended time interval was an unhappy experience on the last visit. Most of the points raised by previous reviewers were totally concurred with.
Happily, although the dreadfully 'low' types of entertainments(Chas & Dave + Tribute To Headbanger & The Nosebleeds etc)continue: The range of beers and the condition in which they are served continues to impress.
The food, well cooked and nicely served, is good value. The menu is varied. Service was, although not with a huge smile, was, at least without a snarl.
One criticism! One of the bars (the one next to the lavs which seems to be full of giggling adolescents) is positively bristling with mobile phones which have, shall we say, 'indiscreet' ring tones which blast out at 20 second intervals. Suppose it could be the aforementioned "Headbanger & The Nosebleeds latest: "I Aint Been To No Music School"- available on the "Rabid Dog" label.
Chin chin & TTFN.
|
I really don't know what to make of this pub. I think the experience varies from ghastly to enjoyable depending on which day of the week you go and whether you choose to eat or not. It seems to attract a varied selection of irritating punters - some of them middle-class urban types with over-inflated opinions of themselves who think everyone wants to hear about their utterly boring lives and children; some of them drunken geezers who want to go to a country pub in the sun, "innit". In my opinion the food is good, albeit overpriced, but don't even think about eating here on a Sunday lunchtime unless you're willing to wait all afternoon for your food. The beer is usually good - the pub was one of the first to take the Westerham beers when they started brewing. In summary, you can have a good time here, but the pub as well as some of its punters has an over-inflated opinion of itself.
|
When I went here a few years ago, Bernard Manning was coming to do a gig in a few weeks time.
Says it all really.
Should be shut down and turned into an abbatoir.
An interesting location but somehow a complete failure to make this pub at all interesting.
|
Well I enjoyed it, good food, great beers and breathtaking views.
maine - 11 Sep 2006 19:36 |
Yes, the pub is naff and as Nick Davies has rightly said, it is frequented by the Croydon Mondeo owning classes and their beastly children but to be fair, it "does what it says on the tin!"
It serves food all afternoon which is useful after walking or riding. Last bank holiday the pub was packed but my other half and I were served much better than avarage bangers and mash amazingly quickly.
The beer wasn't bad so credit where credit is due.
|
Good luck to anyone wanting to copy Absolute Chaos and cycle to this pub. It lies at the top of the third highest hill in the South East and neither Leith Hill or Gibbet Hill have a pub so this is (by some considerable distance) the highest pub in the South East and not worth the effort.
|
second year on the trot, good beer and views but dirty tables, one rude member of staff. don't know the words please or thank you. At 4.30 on a very hot summers day it is entertainig to see customers arrive and clear a table, just as you had to . No manager and obviously no one cares. Sunday obviously different but like the locals one to be avoided.
|
Its main attraction is seventies tribute bands and acts that attract a similar audience, Chas and Dave, that sort of thing, in a marquee at the back, very popular amongst the Croydon Mondeo owning classes it is too.
However even if you can't stand the thought of all of that as a pub it isn't bad, olde worlde stuff, log fires and beams, respectable range of beers, food the Vintage Inn (despite it isn't one) type stodge appreciated by the punters attending the above. Nice to sit outside in the summer for the views but it is a very exposed spot in winter, you can get blown away just walking from the car.
|
As already noted, the setting is superb. Whilst I agree that the food is expensive, it was pretty decent on the day I visited. Fast service and plenty of bodies behind the bar. There was a live band playing in the beer garden. No need to drive there - I went by bicycle!!
|
Situated out on the Surrey Countryside, this has a very beautiful location. However, that is mostly what it has going for it - The menu makes a big thing of it's fish, and the prices are not cheap, but the quality is poor - I had a pate starter that was like wallpaper paste and a cod and chips which I have had better in a Wetherspoons (it was the thinnest Cod I have tasted)
Therefore, as a pub to pop into in the summer to enjoy the scenary I recommend, but not for much else. It's location miles out of the way also means someone would have to drive so you can't really have a proper session there either.
TheGP - 29 Mar 2005 10:05 |
