BITE user comments - LovePubs
Comments by LovePubs
I asked the inevitable Auzzie behind the bar why the (Sam Smiths) bottled beers were so expensive (�3.49) when the on-tap cask beer was comparatively so cheap. She told me that Magners was even more expensive down the road. Well, that answered my question, didn�t it? Still, she was young and pleasant, but plainly out with the fairies. Having said that, this is a nice place. I very much like the ground floor with its little cubicles; cosy and intimate and good to chat in. I can�t say that my last couple of visits have left me electrified with the bar staff, but they have been pleasant enough and efficient, even if one of them was a bit dim.
25 Apr 2007 16:25
This is now closed until December 07 (according to the info that was in their window) for a full refurbishment. I trust that Sam Smiths will do an excellent restoration, rather than anything else that is going to spoil the excellent interior.
25 Apr 2007 16:20
I went in on a Sunday. I don�t really get some of the previous comments about the smell (maybe they have noted the moans on this site) � it was precisely the absence of the smell of smoke that was instantly noticeable and warmly welcome; no other lavatorial odours were present either. That wasn�t all; the beer (I think it was Adnams Broadside) was very good but most impressive is the interior. It really is something different � wonderfully unique and original and I understand built in an Art Nouveau style at the very beginning of the 1900s. I didn�t eat but the food seemed to go down well � the enormous girl adjacent to my table was shovelling it in, washed down with her pint - but she hardly eats a thing, honest.....
26 Mar 2007 11:38
Since my last comment some time ago, my admiration for this place has risen further. My only gripe has been that they seem to run out of real ale fairly regularly (maybe that�s a good sign?) but when they have it they often have three on tap (e.g. T Taylor, Adnams Broadside and London Pride being examples) which have been of very good quality. They do have a couple of more interesting lagers too plus Fruili as well. It is very chilled and deservedly getting more popular; it is clearly one of the best pubs in the area.
26 Mar 2007 11:31
Why the hell did I go here? Well, I had to meet someone there who clearly knew no better. It maybe �Belushi�s of Covent Garden� but someone went all the way Heathrow�s Terminal 2, extracted one of its boozers and placed it in the Bush. It has as much atmosphere as one of those mocked-up houses in the Ideal Home exhibition could muster and, of course, has no real beer either � just the usual overtly commercial ice-cold tasteless lagers/Guinness on tap. Still, it deserves praise for keeping its clients out of some of better pubs in the area.
26 Mar 2007 11:28
Apart from the fact that the carpet looks like it has the pattern and colouring of number of giant pizzas, this is a very nice place. Unlike others, I didn�t find the bar staff rude whatsoever - in fact the opposite - and the beer was excellent. I�d be very happy to go back.
23 Aug 2006 21:59
A lovely pub and well worth seeking out.
Be warned though that it is not big and when I visited it was a bit busy - the bar staff were as fast as sloths, meaning that I ended up waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting�..
23 Aug 2006 21:53
I am surprised with a previous comment about the poor beer, as it has always been good in the past - though limited to only two of Young's output on my last visit. This place has been pretty good for years but does tend to turn into a kindergarten when the pushchair mafia turn up - particularly over the WE, when there seems to be more pints of baby milk knocking around than beer.
The food on my visit was reasonably good but is now overpriced - at least on the Sunday I went- but I must admit most of the portions did look reasonably large. So maybe there is a bit of quantity over quality going on, as mentioned earlier.
Still worth a visit - don't forget your pushchair now...
23 Aug 2006 21:44
Have you got any real ales? I asked over the phone. Uh?
English beer?
Auhhrrrr....
The stuff you get out of hand pumps...
Uhhhrr... I dunno....I'll check...
Well, quite honestly, why the hell are they employing bar staff who have f*** all knowledge about what they are serving? Maybe he needed more than his three and a half minute training course.
In the end, the Eagle did have a couple of real beers - Green King IPA and a summery Wadworths number called Somersault. They also had a few others - German and Belgian bottled beer - available at prices you'd need a second mortage to afford. Otherwise, this place is pretty nice but considering how big it is lacks seating. However,it does have a huge beer garden - so worth a visit when there's some sunshine.
Just don't ask one of the bar staff complicated questions.....the guy's probably still learning his own name.
22 May 2006 22:12
The Havelock Tavern, Kensington
Fresh paint has replaced the burns - the Havelock is now back in business and as good as it ever was; it even seems to be run and staffed by exactly the same people (what have they been doing all this time?!) I barely tried the food but what I had was great and, even better, it's a pub serving Flowers IPA. The locals may not be to your taste - but you can ignore them and enjoy the pub as it is. One warning; in the past, it could get unpleasantly busy at peak times - Sunday lunch in particular - early table grabbing can get vicious.
22 May 2006 21:52
The sensitively done redecoration of this pub has only made things better. A good mix of normal people, very well kept Fuller's beers, surroundings with character and the very good Thai restaurant at the back makes this place well worth a visit. A good, unpretentious proper pub.
31 Mar 2006 10:56
�2.85 for a pint? A bargain compared to the utterly ridiculous and outright greedy �3.10 I paid for a pint of Young�s St. Georges. Sure, Chelsea Tractor drivers who are likely to frequent this pub will spend that in petrol per mile, but for the rest of us on lesser incomes it is way over the top. The pub management should be ashamed. It is a pity, as this is pretty good pub otherwise - best in the summer months due to lots of outside space. The food was ok but - guess what? - overpriced for the quality. For its sheer greed, I'm giving this pub only 5 out of 10.
31 Mar 2006 10:45
The Defector's Weld, Shepherds Bush
The DF is a considerable improvement over its previous incarnations (especially the awful Edwards) and has re-introduced real ales that were well kept, though the choice of Greene King IPA and Fullers London Pride is a bit boring. Food was expensive but nicely done. When it is not full it is a relaxing, comfortable place if you like large lounge-like places and deserves recommendation for the Shepherd�s Bush area.
7 Dec 2005 13:00
The Brook Green Hotel, Hammersmith
The standard in this pub is very good. The bar staff are efficient and well polished, the beer is very well kept and the food is pretty good. The reworking of the Victorian features scores well too � the decoration refreshingly done. At times it can lack a bit of atmosphere, particularly at the southern end of the pub, but otherwise deserves a lot of praise.
7 Dec 2005 12:56
The Hillgate, Notting Hill Gate
This was once a smoky but interesting old boozer with a character all of its own and always a pleasure to visit. Now, Corporate Make-Over Man has reduced it to something more akin to a Weatherspoons at Terminal 1, though the Landlord was sadly delighted with the change. It�s still ok � the beer was good � but I preferred the old version. I won't be rushing back.
7 Dec 2005 12:51
Normally, I like this pub a lot � loungy, lots of space, food�s good and even some real ale too but our Friday evening visit was spoilt by the sound system belching out end-of-runway levels of noise - hardly conducive to enjoyable conversation. Our group asked the bar staff to get the DJ to turn the music down � to no real effect - as we couldn�t hear ourselves shout, let alone talk. No-one was dancing or taking any notice of the DJ�s music � his presence was more of a deterrent than anything else. Shame, as otherwise this place is pretty good and worth a visit.
7 Dec 2005 12:39
This place was once good - I said was... Last time I went, it had forgotten it was a pub - now mostly a restaurant it seems. Not one single Real Ale was available - maybe they'd run out or couldn't be bothered. I won't be going back in a hurry.
18 Nov 2005 17:14
The Dog and Duck, Soho
What a gem of a pub this, with a great interior that is also very cosy. Things are better still with their attention to real beer and that means good guest ales too. Downstairs is more interesting than up � but what a lovely pub and it is one that I�d certainly head back to when I�m in the area again.
25 Apr 2007 16:29