George, Fordingbridgeback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Now a restaurant in all but name, only a couple of stools by the bar. A pint of Speckled Hen was £4! Food and service was good, decor was somewhat modern in style, the period wooden (?) beams were painted white. A bit too cold for us to sit outside and view the river. Won't bother going there again
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The major selling point of the pub is obviously the lovely riverside location, which is also reflected it the wet sales prices.
A while since mt previous visit I must admit, the once much admired (by myself) 6X tap had turned in to Old Speckled Hen and Golden Hen, neither being, in my opinion, being any better than a standard beer.
I oped for an Aspalls cider instead, which like any fizzt cider if kept cool should always been in a decent condition.
I wasn't eating, but did scan the menu, which looked to have some good choices but a little pricey.... some starters around the £8 mark, remember this is a riverside pub in Fordingbride not a restaurant in Henley-upon-Thames!
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Nice pub but seems to favour feeding tourists, for obvious reasons I guess. Great in the sunshine sitting by the river watching the HUGE chub.
Could do better!
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This once-excellent pub has gone downhill where food is concerned. It was under the control of a relief manager. The beer (Morland) was good, but the barman seemed incapable of pulling a pint without a substantial head on it.
We had the meal-and-a-pint-for-a-tenner deal. I ordered my steak "blue", my wife ordered hers "medium-rare" -- they arrived identically cooked: rare. My wife sent hers back; it returned well done. While we were eating, someone from another table complained that their food had not all arrived. The manager and waitress were offhand with her and made sniping comments about "awkward customers". Then the bill: it was wrong and, unsurprisingly, the error (which the manager blamed on the till!) was not in our favour.
It would take only two things to pull this pub back up to what it used to be: a manager who has the customer's interests at heart and a chef who can cook.
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lovely riverside location ,nice pint of morlands,ordered eight meals,received six,when queried had the kitchen system explained,no apology,the two missing meals,all on the same tab,arrived after the others had finished,were sent back
"ive taken them off the bill "no apology,given calculator as the items were still on the bill.when we commented at the bar the owner/manager walked away!!
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Went in on a saturday early evening in a group of 8 and managed to find a table inside. Pleasant Pub with good selection of wines.
We ordered our food in 3 lots and asked to have the bill split so we can pay in the 3 groups.
Apparently it all has to go on one bill to avoid confusion in the kitchen.
Anyway, our food also arrived in 3 lots, a mix match of how we ordered it, with the final 2 dishes arriving after everyone else had finished.
The owner (I think his name was Mark) came over to hear our issues, and apologised (it was the most insincere apology I have ever heard) and duly walked off.
Even though he said that both dishes had been removed from the bill they hadn't, and again there was an insincere apology.
He tried explaining how the mishap had occurred, but his 'logic' fell down when we told him the first batch of dishes to arrive we spread across the orders.
As my fiancee was talking to him about the poor service he said 'he hadn't served the table' so couldn't help, and what did we want him to do. Mid reply he just said 'good night' and walked away.
This manager/owner seems to think we are inconveniencing him by coming to his restaurant, as if we should be grateful we were there.
The food was ok. Nothing special. Liver and bacon was not bad, although no better than in a decent pub restaurant.
Recommendation is don't go in a group of more than 2. They won't cope.
And there are thousands of dead midges in the blokes loos. Good to see they clean everyday.
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Couldn't believe how small the serving was when I ordered sea bass and risotto - it didn't fill one third of the oval plate on which it was served! �16.00 for a small piece of bass on a tiny mound of rice, with a thin piece of smoked salmon in the middle - scandalous!! It may be a "pub/restaurant", but there's no need to be so mean with the portions. The free glass of wine alleviated the pain, but I was lucky to go on a night when this was on offer. Only recommended to those with money to burn.
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Sunday Lunchtime. I liked the location - nice to sit by the river. The menu looked interesting and a couple of things looked to be spot on. Pricey for a pub, but then it's not a pub any more though, is it?
I had a feeling they were a bit under staffed. A bit slow, but always polite. Ordered Fillet Steak, peppercorn sauce, chips & veg and a Noodle salad with peanuts, crispy vegetables, honey and soy sauce dressing. Steak - plate nicely presented, well cooked but on a cold plate and the food was none to hot by the time it got to the table.
Noodle salad - looked more like Linguine, only veg were peppers (and lots of them), very strange tasting sauce - too much honey and possibly Dry Roasted nuts. Neither of us could eat it, never tasted anything like it before.
Waitress appologised and said that it didn't normally look like that (guess they ran out of veg so put in extra peppers). We refused deserts and coffee and asked for the bill. I was expecting the owner/manager to appear, but no. We paid and left.
I appreciate peoples taste are different, but this plate of food was not what we expected and clearly neither did the waitress. If a customer says a plate of food is inedible I would expect someone in a senior position to be at my table side immediately.
Didn't try the beer (I normally do). I can't rate this place.
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We moved to Fordingbridge in early 2007 and initially really liked The George as it has been recently refurbished. The atmosphere was good and the food excellent as well as reasonably priced.
It appears to have changed hands again in late 2007 and we went along for a meal.
The menu has been rehashed to appeal to a more upper middle class demographic. Sunday lunchtime the place was full of ruddy-faced, country gents and twin-set-and-pearls ladies. The menu was disappointing and not worth the high price. We ordered sausage and chips for our daughter and were presented with one tiny sausage, prentious rectangular chips and one pathetic brocolli flouret!
Having given up with the food we recently popped in for a beer to enjoy the lovely riverside view. Pint of lager shandy, bottle of Czech beer and a bag of crisps for �7.30!!!!
It's such a shame they have alienated the locals to chase the Range Rover brigade. I only hope the recession sees them coming to their senses.
The landlord, a Ted Danson lookalike is also irritating in ending every sentence with 'sir'. I like people to be polite but it grates after a while.
The waitresses were nice and friendly but have a hard job dishing out such over-priced bland fayre. I give this pub 2 for the location and 0 for the management.
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Has recently been refurbished - looks completely different to what it was like before! The best looking pub ive ever seen - or should i say wine bar - great to go out for a small group meal or romantic meal or just to sit down for a few glasses of wine - very proffessional - chef is amazing and food was very reasonable but delicious, outside seating is beautiful and right on the river! lets hope it doesn't flood down here!
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Had a lovely meal there last night. It is already in a fantastic location, by the beautiful riverside and next to a bridge. However, this does not prepare you for the ambience and up to date, mellow and stylish decor when you walk in. Soft lighting throughout makes for a relaxed atmosphere. Some tables have table lamps others have candles. The bar is all shiny chrome/glass and more clever lighting. Walk outside and there is a riverside decked seating area, perfect on a summers evening. The staff were really accommodating and our waitress was lovely. They had run out of what my friend wanted so offered her a substitute and charged her for the lower price of what she had wanted. I had one of the specials (moroccan lamb and couscous) which was delicious. Followed this with treacle tart and custard (yummy!). Service was excellent throughout and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
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i have recently visited this pub after it being highly recommended by a chef i know in bournemouth, dorset. When i entered the pub i was amazed at how classy the pub looked and how large mirrors captured every detail and made it seem very spacious. when i looked outside at the decking area i was very impressed and just wished it was not raining so i could enjoy it. The service was that of a very high quality and the staff knew exactly what they were doing. I was even given a farewell by the waiter with a handshake!! The food was something very special and although there was some very creative specials, you are able to have good, honest food too, such as steak and guinness pie. the presentation and quality of the food was beautiful, and that i have not experienced in a long time. the food was honestly priced and had options of executive meals with prices that represented that or averagely priced meal deals which will capture the eyes of many!! overall i was very impressed with the george and after a fair time in the trade myself, would recommend it for the beautiful location and fine dining experience.
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I have read all the reviews below and just wonder if competitors to this amazing business are jealous?
My Lunch yesterday was frankly brilliant and at �5.95 fantastic value.
I was well looked after and I would say given the riverside location this is now one of the really special places to go in Hants.
I would like to be able to book and maybe the mixed collection of tables and furniture is not to everybodies taste but overall I give it 9 out of 10 and more importantly 10 out of 10 for effort.
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Dined here last Saturday. The food was excellent, the wines superb and both at reasonable prices. The atmosphere was very friendly and the staff could not have been more courteous or pleasant. We had a lovely evening and so did everyone else there. ( listening to all the comments from other tables ) which were all full. Will go back again in daylight to enjoy the view of the river. Totally non smoking,no jukebox or fruit machines makes this my kind of pub.
anonymous - 24 Jan 2007 23:59 |
AVOID, AVOID, AVOID!!!! New management unbelievably rude - to the extent that member of staff quit prior to filling order. Order then retaken but still got it wrong. I'm not sure if it's the same manager(s) as the comment posted in May but they are clearly adhering to the "lets see how quickly we can ruin the reputation" ethos that has been noted previously. Food below average. If you're looking for somewhere good in the area - try Alice Lisle, Fighting Cocks, Tudor Rose or Royal Oak.
anonymous - 28 Dec 2006 00:12 |
Changed hands on Friday so went in for some food and beer today. Food seems to have gone downhill and the place is being run by a very bossy lady who seems to be hovering over her staff (who remain friendly and efficient) constantly, making them nervous. She was also very rude and arguementative to us the customers, despite us having previously booked etc. Menu for food seems to have shrunk, and a lot of the decent choice has gone. We usually use this pub when we have visitors staying and want to take them for a meal but wont be going back there again for that sort of thing, although it is still a nice spot for a pint by the river. Lets hope the new management run it down sooner rather than later and someone else comes in and sorts it out. Today we could'nt wait to leave. What a shame..
anonymous - 29 May 2006 22:10 |
Having enjoyed a couple of pints of New Forest Bitter in Lymington on Friday we decided to try this beer again in The George. I would respectfully ask the directors of the brewing company to go along and sample it as it was absolutely foul. How two different pubs can serve up the same brew with such an enormous difference in taste beats me. We did look round and nearly everybody was drinking lager...maybe they knew something about the bitter that we didn't!
Other than that, the pub seemed to be very pleasant and well-laid out.
anonymous - 10 Oct 2005 16:31 |
This is a great pub, and there is no finer way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than sitting outside by the river. The food is good and the portions large, particularly the roasts. During the winter there is a huge log fire in the bar. This is still very much a drinkers pub.
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Forgot to mention that there is a sign over the bar which says that all mobiles should be turned off and that a fine of 50p will be incurred by anyone allowing their mobile to warble and this includes text messages . Good stuff. Hope more places follow suit.
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Best visited when the weather is fine as you can sit outside on a terrace overlooking the River Avon. Selection of well kept real ales and good food that is served all day (I think). Separate smoking and no smoking areas. Staff are friendly towards us punters but don't appear to necessarily get on with each other. Two fruit machines. Access for wheelchairs via a ramp at the main entrance.
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