BITE user comments - EccentricRichard
Comments by EccentricRichard
No idea what the place used to be like, but I have eaten and drunk here twice this winter. The pub/restaurant now trades under the separate name "The Ancient Mariner", and has an interesting decor theme, from a 21-inch torpedo outside to old ship's bells, builders' plates and marine-based metal sculptures on the walls. It is odd but undeniably smart. Excellent Sandford Orchards coders on tap (I particularly liked the Devon Red). Food was exceedingly good too (I had an especially memorable king prawn and mussel linguine). Ignore outdated negative reviews - this site seems to be dying and the moderators are doing nothing to ensure balance isn't affected by a total lack of recent reviews.
12 Feb 2019 06:44
All previous reviews to be disregarded - "George" is long gone (the landlord's name is Simon) and this is now a friendly pub with good food, good beer and lots of locals with dogs and muddy Land Rovers. The decor is a bit dull, and the bar area is small while the upstairs dining area is pretty big, but families are welcome and prices are reasonable.
16 Sep 2016 16:19
Two things to note. One, it's owned by ginger 2@ and Top Gear ruiner Chris Evans, so if you don't want to line the little pillock's pockets, avoid the place. Two, exguvnor, real ale is supposed to be cloudy. It's just corporate brewers adding isinglass that enables it to be clear - which is in no way necessary to produce good beer.
16 Sep 2016 16:05
Stroller, I checked the dates at the time, the one-star rating seemed to predate the takeover and kitchen refit. A lot of foody pubs are having trouble with officious jobsworth inspectors who don't understand how cooking works - the White Hart at Witley, the (admittedly depressing) Percy Arms at Chilworth and the Canbury Arms in Kingston have all fallen foul. The pub trade's confidence in inspectors is at a low ebb - there's a definite need to review their working practices and guidelines. So I'm prepared to give the Grantley the benefit of the doubt in that regard - but there is no excuse for what the new owners have done to the place!
16 Sep 2016 15:44
The Canbury Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
I've been noticing a lot of foody pubs getting low hygiene ratings and I've done some digging as a consequence. It seems that it's down to the trend for slow-cooked meats, which can be unpredictable in the time required for them to be cooked. The inspectors demand an exact temperature and duration for cooking, and it's just not possible. The White Hart at Witley got its fingers burned very badly for this. I haven't eaten at the Canbury but when I was there, a couple of years ago, I had an excellent pint and what food I saw looked wonderful. Nice atmosphere too.
16 Sep 2016 15:28
I suspect that the 1-star rating must have been the old management. It's now a 4-star establishment, having been inspected in May. It's still lamentable what the bastards have done to the building, though.
22 Aug 2016 23:26
Now a Thai restaurant under new ownership. Seems to be getting good reviews elsewhere.
31 Jul 2016 02:05
Not really a pub - more a restaurant with a bit of a bar. Dogs NOT welcome. Four ales on - Greene King IPA, Hog's Back TEA, Adnam's and Sharp's Doombar (standard fare, but deeply unimaginative - and there are several good craft breweries in this area). Decent pint of Hog's Back "Hazy Hog" cider (made by Thatchers). Middle-aged landlady with a bizarre 2000s emo asymmetric long fringe and shaved short at the back, and more orange fake tan than Donald Trump visiting Essex. All other staff were Eastern European - pubs wonder why locals won't support them when they won't employ locals! Service was glacially slow and largely unhelpful. Portions stingy - lamb arrived cold and had to be sent back for reheating twice, and my "10oz" steak (little more than half that) arrived charred. I'd asked for it to be moderately well done, not blackened. It was largely flavourless, rescued only by a rather good pepper sauce. A request to obtain a beef wellington without chicken liver paté was rejected as apparently it's all pre-prepared. Variations on the menu are impossible here. The veal was skipped as it's Dutch veal. My brother's summer fruits meringue proved to be just a plate of fruit with a 1-inch-diameter wafer-thin disc of meringue, more ornamental than part of the food. The prices are eye-wateringly expensive too. As for the building - it certainly has character, and it is mercifully devoid of dove-grey paint, but the windows are small and it's really dark and dingy - not helped by drapes being hung on all the dining room windows (presumably for diners' privacy). The tables and chairs are child-sized and really crammed in - it made for a most uncomfortable experience, with no elbow room whatsoever. Noise levels were high, and the inanity of the bellowed conversation at other tables was truly depressing. Ceilings are VERY low - I'm only 5ft 10ins tall and had to duck through the room between the bar and dining room - to be expected with such an old pub, I suppose. However, on the basis of my experience, I will neither return nor recommend the Withies to anyone else.
31 Jul 2016 01:57
The Running Horse, Leatherhead
Having eaten at the 'Horse on Tuesday evening, it's probably a mercy the kitchen isn't open when walkers will be turning up. The food was dreadful. My burger was burnt and flavourless, in the cheapest supermarket bun - more raising agent than flour. The chips were dull, dry and flavourless. The salad was OK. My brother's bangers-and-mash in onion gravy turned out to be bangers and some sort of industrial instant-mash (either potato puree or powder) in bland gungy non-onion gravy which just contained a few burnt onions and no other vegetable matter. I was not impressed. This is a good pub to drink in if you like Thatcher's Gold cider (I do!) or Shepherd Neame beers, but I really would not recommend it for its food. I shall endeavour to try the food at the Penny Black - what I saw there looked much better.
24 Apr 2016 18:19
The Running Horse, Leatherhead
I should add, the kitchen isn't open through the afternoon, no food to be had between 3 and 6 - short-sighted considering its walker-friendly riverside location, methinks.
12 Apr 2016 13:13
The Abinger Arms, Abinger Hammer
I was going back to 2010 or so, Wealdman, in response to those lamenting its demise.
12 Apr 2016 13:07
Good suburban boozer - a real contrast to the decidedly rural village-y Running Horses round the corner. The building is a former post office - big, spacious, high ceilings. The vibe is somewhat akin to the nicer urban Wetherspoons, but it's smarter, cleaner and inhabited by - dare I say it - a better class of drinker. In the early evenings it's mayhem, loud and bustling, but can get pretty quiet after 10pm. Decent range of beers, just the one cider on tap (Aspall), but a really good range of whiskies. Dropped in late one night after a session in the Running Horses and had a luscious Laphroig - mmm, I can still taste it now... decor is smart and the walls are covered in interesting historic photos and maps of the local area. Haven't tried the food yet and disappointing that such a busy pub only manages one draught cider, given the wide range of beers available (I probably shouldn't say this here, but I can't stand beer - tried various assuredly quality ales in many pubs and hated them all!), but every landlord tells me the same story, no market for more cider here...
12 Apr 2016 12:41
The Running Horse, Leatherhead
Nice little Shepherd Neame pub. A quiet local, a real oasis of calm, slightly isolated from the town centre. Two bars, completely separate - you've got to go outside to walk from one to the other. The back bar has a dartboard, pool table and jukebox, while the (much older) front bar is just a quiet cottagey pub. The beers are almost all from Faversham, but there's usually a decent guest ale or two. Thatcher's Gold on tap for us cider drinkers. Decent crisps and a log fire for warmth when it's cold. It's now a little tired, the loos especially (the Gents, bizarrely, is entered through the base of a chimney where a fireplace formerly existed), and the front door could do with being unblocked (it'd really bring more light into the pub), but it's honest, unpretentious and charming. Quiz nights on Tuesdays. No idea what the food is like yet, but intend to find out. It'd be good to see this pub in local, independent hands and revamped sympathetically - but not modernised (i.e. ruined!) like the Grantley (Ghastly) Arms at Wonersh...
12 Apr 2016 12:24
Now a yoof centre. http://www.dorkingandleatherheadadvertiser.co.uk/Malthouse-youth-centre-Dorking-opened/story-16561582-detail/story.html
17 Jan 2016 12:33
Gone for good. Now private housing, albeit retaining the etched glass "The Bush Inn" sign above the front door.
17 Jan 2016 12:00
The Abinger Arms, Abinger Hammer
My parents were telling me they dropped in here for lunch not long before it closed - run-down, awful decor, indifferent beer and poor (i.e. frozen, microwaved) food. I'm afraid it deserved to die. Shame it wasn't taken on by someone who could make a go of it as a pub.
17 Jan 2016 11:53
The Stepping Stones, Westhumble
Popped in here for a swift one earlier this evening (6:50-7:40ish). The ownership arrangements are that Punch Taverns own the freehold and lease it to the landlady, with some conditions as to choice of beers etc. Mixed impressions. Decor warm despite some grey pastel paint. Reasonably well-stocked book-case with an interesting range of reading material and a large flat-screen TV in the middle. Tastefully furnished, with some very crashable leather sofas. Landlady's dog ambling around, friendly and well-behaved - there was a water bowl on the floor. No fire, despite the freezing weather outside - would have been a nice touch. Not much choice for the cider drinker - Stowford Press on tap (from a metal chiller thingy, along with a couple of lagers) and bottle (which I had), plus Kopparberg fruit flavoured 'ciders'. Beer - Sharp Doombar (which says it's from Rock, Cornwall, even though it's brewed in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire), Hogs Back TEA, Tillingbourne Falls Gold and Hardy & Hansons' Rocking Rudolph (a Greene King beer). My father went for a half of Falls Gold. We both had Tavern crisps - I the beef & mustard, my father the salt & vinegar - both poor, a bit upmarket Walkers. There are far better crisps available... Dad also pronounced himself unimpressed with the Tillingbourne, which he said tasted flat. However, the landlady and her gentleman friend/partner (who apparently is a flying instructor) were friendly, and the food menu looked good - reasonably imaginative and using the local Norbury Blue cheese in some things. Had we had more time, and had he not been driving, Dad might have explored the other beers. Didn't check to see what wines they had, but would be surprised if Denbies, the vineyard next door, didn't feature. OK, it was a January evening in an out-of-town pub, but I thought it seemed very quiet - there were about four other customers in the pub in the time we were there. No special events, live music or anything to drag the punters in. This isn't some massively-out-of-the-way rural pub like the King William IV at Albury Heath - it's a handful of car-lengths off the A24. I would have thought more could be done to make the most of this promising pub - why has it got this reputation for poor beer? Is it down to cellarage, or just an inadequate rate of consumption? I would also have thought more could be done, outside the dead hand of Punch Taverns control, to support local brewers like Surrey Hills (based next door at Denbies now). Kitchen open from 11:30 to 9pm according to the menu (I think!), so if you've walked through the afternoon to get there, you shouldn't be left hungry at 4pm! I'll give this pub a reasonably generous 7/10, but it could be better. A good local, but not yet worth a lengthy journey in its own right.
15 Jan 2016 23:24
I've just been banned from the Grantley's Facebook page for daring to criticise what they've done, ripping the heart out of this formerly lovely pub. Bunch of twats. Here's a big fat zero for you.
30 Dec 2015 13:32
The William Bray , Shere Guildford Surrey
Now changed hands, according to the local press, and has undergone something of a redecoration, although I don't like the look of the new decor any more than the old! Remains to be seen how well it will fare - I have yet to return in person.
29 Dec 2015 14:48
I should add, this places deserves a vastly higher rating than the dismal 3/10 it currently holds (based mainly on ratings given before the big 2009 revamp). This pub is easily a solid 7/10 overall, possibly 8/10. Highly recommended.
29 Dec 2015 14:46
Eaten and drunk here on many an occasion in the last five years or so. It's friendly, busy and the food is bloody good. They're open for breakfast, which is useful when one has had to dash out first thing in the morning. The quality of meat (from a local farm near Hascombe) is truly sumptuous. Good beers and representative selection of ciders. Friendly service. Yeah, it's part of a small national pubco, but it's one of the best pubs in the area. Don't even think of the other two Cranleigh pubs - grotty dives!
28 Dec 2015 01:17
Attended a community meeting here recently. We were sent away from the main area to an out-of-sight room. Expensive - the locals call it the Pricey Arms. The decor is a mixture of grey and muddy brown, with "moody" greyscale photographs of African savannah. I've also heard it called the Botswana Arms. Furnishings modern and ugly. Ordered a whisky at the end of the night - the beautiful Macallan - stupid girl behind the bar immediately dunked a load of barely-frozen ice in it before I could stop her. It had thawed completely within a minute, completely diluting that wonderful malt. Service, such as it was, was inattentive and unfriendly. Not impressed. Much better pubs in this part of the world - the Onslow at Cranleigh, albeit part of a smallish national pubco, is in a different league. The Jolly Farmers at Bramley is also good. This pub, in its present form, deserves to fail. The sooner it goes bust, the better - maybe someone can then take it on, rename it to escape its awful reputation and make a go of it. As it is, it's going only one way - although the restaurant area looked moderately busy on what was a December week-night. Not sure I'd want to eat there, given its poor hygiene score!
28 Dec 2015 01:12
Ate and drank here back in August after a trip to Beaulieu. Simon Thoyts, the landlord, initially seems gruff and authoritarian - but by God does he know how to run a pub, and a very warm and friendly exchange was had when we left at the end of the evening with the last of the locals. Those in my party who drink beer (I can't stand the stuff!) pronounced themselves thoroughly satisfied with the real ale (Ringwood, I believe). Unfortunately, there wasn't a draught real cider to be had: I opted for a perry, which was a little bit gassy and too sweet for my tastes. I think there was a bottled real cider, I can't remember now - that'll teach me to review a pub immediately after the visit! - but one pint was enough for me. Dogs - Simon's two yellow labs were very friendly, but much better-behaved than some of the yappy little rats belonging to clientele. However, the locals were a friendly bunch - not the frosty welcome you sometimes hear of with other pubs! Food - excellent - had a Thai sweet chilli chicken starter followed by scampi, chips and salad. Be warned - the portions here are HUGE. I'd have skipped the starter and left room for pudding if I'd known. The quality simply could not have been bettered, as far as I'm concerned. The prices initially seemed representative, but given the size of the portions, I thought them extremely good value indeed. I am a very difficult man to please, I tend to be intensely critical of most pubs these days, but this came closer than any pub I've ever visited to being my absolute ideal. Beautiful historic building, warm ungimmicky decor that avoided seeming dark or oppressive, wonderful setting - if hard to find! Several wrong turns were taken before the pub was eventually located. I was told this is not uncommon. However, for those who do know it, it's well worth the trip. Yes, they did have a Christmas tree up in August. Seems to be a running in-joke. I don't get it, but it's one of the personal quirks of this wonderful pub - no corporate image or upmarket pretentiousness to be found here. A well-known company check website lists two current directors for the place: Simon Michael Thoyts (b. Oct 1962) and Daniel Earnest Algar Wells (b. Jul 1954), Mr Thoyts being the sole shareholder. No pubco involved here! It has that all-too-elusive feel of a really personal, old-fashioned pub, where the bloke pulling your pint isn't just some hired manager, but has invested his own time, cash and emotions in making his home a thriving, viable pub. Well, the place was packed out all evening from 6 to 11, doing a roaring trade - if that's representative, the turnover here must be enormous. I dare say this isn't the only really good pub in the New Forest, but I would stake my reputation on saying you won't find a better one anywhere in the south of England. You can't go far wrong here - just remember the huge portions, you might want to starve yourself all day if you want to pack in three courses here! As Simon Thoyts said to me, "we want to make sure a customer never goes home hungry" (or words to that effect). Well, he certainly achieved that! I hope to explore the New Forest more in the coming year, and a return visit to the Chequers is definitely on the cards. Very highly recommended - and a big, grateful pat on the back to Simon and his staff for the best pub experience I've had in a very long time. If I was going to be really churlish I'd knock a star off for the lack of a draught real cider, but I think that would be a bit of a slap in the face to those who work so hard to make this such an exceptional pub. To the local regulars, all I can say is, you lucky, jammy bastards! One of England's truly great pubs...
28 Dec 2015 01:04
Pub completely destroyed by flooding. A news article from a while back discusses a planning application to convert it to apartments: it seems it had been closed for some time. It looks unlikely that it will ever be rebuilt in any form.
27 Dec 2015 23:33
Now renamed The Wisborough and - from what I've seen on TripAdvisor - a very expensive and not particularly wonderful gastropub. The former landlord & landlady now run the Half Moon at Kirdford, which is reportedly much transformed (for the better). I haven't visited either pub yet, hence no rating.
10 Oct 2015 12:17
Now under the management of the former landlord & landlady of the Bat & Ball at Wisborough Green and reportedly much transformed. I haven't visited yet, hence no rating.
10 Oct 2015 12:15
The Middle House Hotel, Mayfield
I almost wonder if a pub can become a victim of its own success - this place clearly has a significant reputation and, as such, can become frighteningly crowded at times. Having said that, there's no excuse for not allowing punters to sit down anywhere unless buying a meal - that's no way to convince people who've dropped in for a drink to stay and eat. My advice would be to try and find a time when the place is likely to be quieter and enjoy it then - it won't be terribly cheap, but it still offers pretty good value for money overall. I shall try to return at some point this Easter or over the summer holidays - living fifty miles to the north-west means I can't visit the area all that often.
2 Apr 2012 03:23
Never eaten here (it's not exactly welcoming), but it's a rubbish pub. Staff none too friendly, beer never great - on several occasions they've managed, somehow, to run out of beer completely. This is lovely walking country but rubbish pub country, sadly. Neighbouring Westcott and Abinger don't have much to offer either.
17 Feb 2012 09:19
The William Bray , Shere Guildford Surrey
An interesting gastropub. Not really a walkers' pub, but long popular as a gathering for car clubs due to its capacious car park (on our arrival at lunchtime on Wednesday 15th, we could only park as a newish Aston Martin V8 Vantage departed - there were NO other spaces, and they weren't strung out either, but the place was very busy). The building is large and essentially Georgian in character. Decor a bit characterless, but some interesting motorsport-related photographs hung on the walls, and a poster bearing all the usual slogans at to what Some Say... the Stig is (Top Gear's home is close by) hung by the entrance to the gents' toilets. The reason for this is that the owner of the pub is Julian Bailey, some-time Formula One driver who claims (and is long reported) to have been the Stig at one time. To cut to the chase: once a table was cleared for us (the place was EXTREMELY busy, as I said), four of us after a quick lunch, taken from the bar menu. One had fish (pollock) and chips with mushy peas (yes, even in a place as posh as this!). Excellent chips - hand-cut potato wedges, really. Lovely tartare sauce. The other three had the Bray's famous beefburger, served between two slices of toast with bacon and cheese, with a tomato sauce, more potato wedges and salad. Really, really EXCELLENT. My mother drank some sort of beer, can't remember what, she liked it. Dad and I went for Aspall's cider, which was nice enough, though it came from one of those machines you usually see dispensing Pepsi - didn't taste the same as if it had just come from a bottle or a barrel somehow! Maybe it's just my imagination. One of us is too young for alcohol. Service was good and prompt, though there was one member of bar staff I thought a little cold, but he was always helpful. Pricing was not cheap (neither was it heinously expensive) but very reasonable for what you get. What this pub is missing, though, is atmosphere. The decor is all essentially pale grey: the log burner nearby did little to lift the spirits. It DESPERATELY needs an injection of character. Some more colourful, distinctive, warm decor would be enough to turn this into a 9/10 - the remaining 1 being that it still wouldn't really be a dogs-and-boots sort of place, but it's not meant to be that anyway. There are other pubs in the locality which do that sort of thing.
17 Feb 2012 08:50
I really don't understand the criticisms levelled by the last reviewer. Yes, it's much more a foody pub than a beer'n'cider pub, but I found both food and service to be truly excellent. Maybe they had staff off ill or something, I don't know, but it certainly does not sound like the same establishment I visited.
3 Nov 2011 01:03
The Middle House Hotel, Mayfield
By the way, �31.15 for three people, for starters, main courses and good quality apple juice (Ringden Farm?), comes to under �10.40 a head, which strikes me as very inexpensive for what you get!
6 Jul 2011 12:14
The Middle House Hotel, Mayfield
Had an evening meal here about four years ago! Pleased to see that most people's reviews accord with my own experience. Not cheap by a long way, but very high quality food in possibly the most stupendous pub building in the country. Nice friendly place, rooms looked nice, large car park round the back...
6 Jul 2011 05:01
Actually, it seems that the barman/landlord I encountered who was such a laugh was killed in an accident not long after...
6 Jul 2011 04:35
Have to say, having been here a couple of times (though not recently) that I always found the food and service to be good. Charming landlord and landlady, much food produced on-site by them off their smallholding, landlord has converted his car to run on chip oil from the kitchens to try to be environmental etc. Quite interesting and slightly oddball people. Lovely building, good atmosphere, but I don't recall anything being outstanding as such. Can't understand the negativity of certain reviews here. I'd guess a 6 or 7 out of 10 for me, but won't score it officially.
6 Jul 2011 04:29
As for the 'smart casual' dress code, I turned up wearing an M&S pinstripe shirt, a pink M&S sweater, some battered old jeans and a pair of equally battered builders' boots. No-one batted an eye-lid. As long as you don't tramp mud all over the place, I'm sure walkers would be welcome.
6 Jul 2011 04:13
More of a food pub than a beer pub, but not at all an overpriced pretentious gastropub and the beer wasn't bad at all. Also, a decent selection of ciders and liquors - it's not just Bell's/Teacher's blend whisky and Strongbow sweetened cider, they had about 4 ciders on and three different single malts as well as the usual blended rubbish the English drink...
Went here a couple of weeks back for dinner - it was a late decision, we arrived late and were told we were very lucky they could accomodate us, due to a cancellation. I cannot say definitively whether this was true or not: what certainly was true was that there was only one vacant table in the whole place when we arrived, so it seemed believable. If it was just spiel, it was good spiel given how believable it was! The incredibly full dining room spoke volumes.
The food was absolutely excellent. The menu offered a wide variety of choices (all four of us had a real job choosing what to go for) - everything sounded mouth-watering. When we did get our food, it was highly enjoyable. My only criticism was that my turkey'n'ham pie was one of these topcrust jobs rather than a 'proper' pie.
Service was attentive but never obtrusive. Food took a while to arrive but they were incredibly busy and everything is prepared fresh, no pre-prepared frozen veg or any of that crap.
The building lacks atmosphere to a certain extent - it's not the most characterful building and the decor is a little modern for my tastes, but is certainly pleasant.
There was a bit of quiet piped muzak at one point (James Blunt, anyone?) which irritated a little if one didn't talk over it, but this was soon switched off, without me asking for it to be so (as I sometimes do ask in other establishments).
All the staff were very friendly, approachable and seemed to know what they were doing. I understand that the proprietors are not from the licensed trade, but set up in the recession (redundancy?) and tried to create the kind of pub they liked. The only slip-up was that the young lad who handled the bill for us didn't think to add on a tip and we didn't have any cash on us. He actually seemed surprised that we were going to tip him - which was odd, as his tip was thoroughly deserved. Will tip double next time! The cost of the evening was not low, but the prices were far from astronomical and seemed like conspicuously good value for money.
Now, numbers. I've picked various little holes in the overall package, but somehow to give this place a mere 9 seems churlish. Thanks to all at the Inn on the Green for a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable evening. 10/10.
Incidentally, car-parking is not a problem. There is some parking on the street outside and also a car park down the side of the pub which will hold (in my estimation) over 40 cars. Would suit a classic car gathering or whatever.
6 Jul 2011 04:09
I have absolutely no association with The Plough. It isn't a bad pub by any means, but there are better. Certainly, the food, while good solid stuff, is pretty middle-of-the-road, pleasant and heart-warming but largely unimaginative. I've also seen Anna Abrehart being pretty chippy with other customers. So no, not ideal - just not as bad (at least in my experience) as some people have made out. Clearly, the experiences reported by Lulu, Sallyanne et al are pretty horrifying, and I too would never visit a pub again if treated thus.
30 Jun 2011 17:18
My parents planned their wedding here in 1988. They say it was absolutely fantastic, but, at some point in the mid-90s, one of the proprietors (a brother and sister, Enzo and... erm... Chier) had to sell her stake as part of a divorce settlement, Enzo pulled out and the pub changed totally. Went badly downhill, by all accounts. Enzo ended up at the Angel in Guildford, but is no longer there and no-one there remembers him.
30 Jun 2011 17:14
I'm surprised to see some of the negative reviews here. No, this place isn't perfect but it is good nevertheless. The setting - nestled in a fold in the North Downs - is idyllic and it's ideallly situated for people coming from Leith Hill. On the various occasions I've been there it's always been busy and there has been an assortment of dogs, mountain bikes, touring bikes and even the odd horse outside. The downside to the setting is that you're not going to get a lot of peace and quiet, and my father says he finds it a bit claustrophobic. The beer is generally good (and several ales are brewed onsite in a microbrewery out the back - they come at a price but are worth it). Don't come here if you want a gourmet dining experience: the food is just good solid pub grub and none the worse for that. Externally, the building is Victorian, but behind the facade it's a much older (17th century at the latest) timber-framed affair. Both the bar area and the little dining room have fireplaces and - in cooler months - log fires. This is a pub best sampled in cold, wintry weather: it's warm, the old windows mist up and it's very atmospheric. Given the choice, though, if going for an evening meal in the summer, I'd go elsewhere (I can thoroughly recommend the Inn on the Green at Brockham, where I went last night on the longest day) - but don't write this place off because it doesn't deserve to be written off. It is deservedly popular and so, thankfully, seems unlikely to be turned into a gastropub, unlike the Windmill at Shere...
As for the landlady, Anna, take no notice of her! Yes, she's very Oirish and as odd as a three-pound note, but behind a thin layer of fierceness she's absolutely lovely. I don't remember so much about her husband Rick, but I can honestly say I've never been disappointed by the service here. All the staff are friendly and anyone who says otherwise is talking nonsense (though it's a few months since I've had a chance to get down there). One warning: car parking is very limited. There is a small car park across the road and some on-street parking but there's only space for about fifteen cars or so.
So, no, not a polished perfect gem, but a pleasant pub nevertheless. I'll give it a 7 out of 10.
22 Jun 2011 11:01
Was treated to a lunch here back in September. I'm afraid I can't comment on the beer, since I didn't try it. I remember I had pork belly, which was rather fatty, served with a garnish of burnt onions and rosemary. It didn't look too appetising and didn't improve much on eating. Service was pretty slow and not especially friendly. Another young man in the party dared to ask, for dessert, not for one flavour of sorbet but a bit of all the flavours on offer (four, I think). This took a long time to arrive and was a rather smaller portion than another of the party got with one flavour, which seemed a bit mean. I can't remember what I had for dessert but there's probably a good reason why. Luckily, I wasn't paying, but the food was none too cheap, if not enormously expensive. The other criticism was that this was a beautiful September Saturday or Sunday (I forget) afternoon, very sunny, but the dining room is a dark, claustrophobic, windowless space at the back of the building, completely isolated from the bar area and from natural light. Overall, we all (eight of us) left feeling somewhat underwhelmed. I discovered yesterday (on BITE) an excellent foody pub called the Inn on the Green in nearby Brockham and found that much more enjoyable: better food, nicer views, much friendlier atmosphere and no more expensive. Guess which one I'll be going back to...
22 Jun 2011 10:26
Back to EccentricRichard's profile
Royal Oak, Overstratton
A rather third-rate wannabe-gastropub. Nice building but the cider is average at best, food is poor and the portions stingy in the extreme. Nasty aroma of hydrocarbons from the gas fire in the ancient inglenook! Oh, and watch out for the very amiable pub dog's droppings in the garden and car park... All in all, I cannot honestly recommend this place.
12 Feb 2019 06:50