BITE user comments - PlainSong
Comments by PlainSong
The Kelsey Arms, Tunbridge Wells
Formerly half pub and half curry house.
Now a full time Tesco
7 Jan 2015 15:33
Hand In Hand, Trimley St Martin
Large pub with a separate restaurant area. Three ales available: Adnams Bitter, Old Speckled Hen and Woodforde's Wherry. The last one was well kept and reasonably priced.
Standard pub food offering available at very fair prices. The food we had was very good.
Worth visiting in an area short of decent pubs.
25 Feb 2014 08:07
Seems to be more of a restaurant than a pub. The menu was interesting, not your usual pub food, but very expensive. Likewise the beer was very expensive - almost central London prices.
Adnams bitter available plus a guest ale (Growler bitter on our visit). The latter was well kept but, as mentioned, pricey.
25 Feb 2014 08:05
A cosy little pub with a couple of real ales on our visit, one from the Westerham brewery and one from the Northumberland brewery. Judging by the pump clips adorning the end wall, the beer range does vary.
Well worth a visit and we were impressed by the immaculately dressed barman.
17 Feb 2014 17:26
As a micropub it's small being converted from an old shop. Focuses on ales and cider. Four good ales available on our visit, all well kept and tasty.
The only downside is that it is not open for longer in the day. Hopefully, that will change.
17 Feb 2014 17:19
The sign said "real ale" but nothing but bog standard lagers. The sign said "good food" but no food was available on a Saturday lunchtime. No wonder the place was deserted.
It seems to have pretensions as some form of hotel but as a pub it has precious little to recommend it.
17 Feb 2014 17:14
A Harveys owned pub with a full range of their beers. Those we tried were in good form and very reasonably priced. A good menu with fast and friendly service.
There is the added advantage of an attractive garden at the back, away from the road.
2 Jun 2013 12:35
This "pub" is a Beefeater restaurant. It also seems to serve the large housing estates running back up the hill. It has a large garden but is next to a very busy road with the bonus of the noise from the M4 slightly further away.
Poorly kept and poorly served ale. Not a place to seek out for its own sake.
7 Jan 2013 08:17
The Brewers Arms, West Malvern
This pub is a rare treat. Not large inside but a good sized outdoor area.
Great range of real ales; real chips with lunch as well!
Highly recommended for a lengthy rest after walking in the Hills
20 Nov 2012 08:07
The pub was sold by its pubco to Greene King who plan to reopen it and a date yet to be announced.
2 Oct 2012 08:02
This place is clearly setting itself out to be a community pub and I wish them every success. However, there was only one real ale available (Harveys) for which they are charging �3.70 a pint (and �1.80 for a half) which is very steep even for this area.
There is an extensive printed menu but many items were crossed out so the final choice is relatively limited. Food service was pretty slow for a not particularly busy lunchtime.
I won't be hurrying back and casual visitors would be better off visiting the Crown on the other side of the village.
1 Oct 2012 09:38
More a restaurant than a village pub but we were eating there anyway so not a problem for us. The menu was not extensive but there were a number of good value dishes available and the quality of the food we had was very high.
Two real ales available - Adnams bitter and Trawlerboys from the Green Jack brewery in Lowestoft. The latter was well kept and very tasty.
The staff were very pleasant and welcoming with the barman a fount of knowledge about Sir Alfred Munnings who was born in the village.
1 Oct 2012 09:32
The Station Hotel, Framlingham
Four ales from the Earl Soham brewery available. Both the Victoria bitter and Gannet mild were in fine shape, as well as being very reasonably priced.
The focus seems to be more on food than on beer. It's not a large place and a majority of the tables were reserved on our Saturday lunchtime visit. There are separate menus for lunchtime and evening, with the evening menu proudly proclaiming "no chips".
1 Oct 2012 09:21
A very pleasant afternoon sampling the range of beers brewed on the premises as well as one or two selected ales from other local breweries.
An excellent pub and certainly deserves the praise of the other reviewers.
2 Sep 2012 10:37
This is not a pub but a shop (as its name implies) selling various bottled beers. There are many British ales but a majority of the stock seemed to be imported either from Europe or the USA. As a result, they are not particularly cheap.
The shop is right next to Canterbury West station and part of a larger emporium which is more like a permanent farmers' market than anything else.
2 Sep 2012 09:28
A fairly small pub with most space given over to food. Not much space left for the drinkers although there is a large garden, albeit with most of that dedicated to children�s play equipment. There were many children eating during our Sunday lunchtime visit; not all of those children were well-behaved and the atmosphere suffered as a result.
There is a fairly extensive menu but we opted for the carvery which was good value and good quality.
Only two ales on for our visit: Sharp�s Doombar and Otter Ale. The latter was fine.
31 Jan 2012 14:00
Currently closed due to a dispute between the landlord and Enterprise Inns.
31 Jan 2012 13:47
Very much a food led pub, near to the A303 but nowhere near the railway stations that this BITE entry suggests.
Food was good quality and reasonably priced. Two Otter beers available � Otter Bitter and Otter Ale. Both were in good condition.
A nice place to stop on the way past but I don�t think we would go out of our way.
31 Jan 2012 13:45
A large village pub with a lot of space devoted to food but a good sized space for drinkers, with a TV screen and pool table.
There is both a bar menu and a restaurant menu � be careful where you choose to sit. The food we had was cooked well and good value.
There were two ales on during our visit: London Pride and (a very tasty) Double Drop from Flack Manor brewery.
According to the news clipping posted on the wall by the entrance, the man with the sandwich board on the A303 is the landlord. He spends two hours there each lunchtime to advertise his pub as the local council won�t let him put up any form of permanent sign. Given the weather conditions he was standing in when we went past, we felt the pub deserved our custom but we would happily recommend it to others.
31 Jan 2012 13:38
Busy on a sunny, Saturday lunchtime but the service was quick and efficient.
Three ales on - Otter Amber, Swift One and London Pride - and all very reasonably priced. The food menu is not extensive but focuses on straightforward pub food which is a welcome change.
Well worth a visit
7 Aug 2011 15:43
A lunchtime visit to find London Pride and Everard's Tiger available on handpump - the latter was in pretty good form.
A relatively small sized palce, clearly geared up to serve food (at least at lunchtime) but we did not sample the menu.
14 Apr 2011 08:00
The Barracuda Bar, Bishopsgate
This place has undergone a major refit and now trades under the name of "The Alchemist" although it is still owned by the same company.
The refit has done away with the TV screens and pool tables. The emphasis now appears to be on food: the menu is nothing special but reasonably priced (for the area). I have not sampled the quality.
Lots of different cold, fizzy lagers on tap. Also 4 handpumps for proper beer. On my visit they were serving Bombardier, Youngs Bitter, London Pride and Hobgoblin. I had the last one (at �3.10 for a pint) and it was in pretty good condition.
17 Nov 2010 16:47
The Ship Tavern, City of London
Currently, firmly closed. Hard to tell if it will reopen (as a pub anyway).
12 Nov 2010 11:57
A Hopback owned pub - so only their beers available. We drank the Trick or Treat - a seasonal - darker than most Hopback beers but very tasty and served very well here.
The lunch menu was inviting. Both our meals were well cooked and generous in quantity.
Clearly a locals' pub but we were made very welcome on our midweek, lunchtime visit. If we lived in the area, we would probably make many repeat visits.
7 Nov 2010 15:04
Centrally located on the market square serving Hopback beers. The GFB was in very good form on our visit.
The food was reasonable pub fare without being exceptional. The service was very friendly and efficient which was a slight surprise given how much passing trade there must be.
7 Nov 2010 14:53
Conveniently located on the Market Square but a disappointing pub.
The ales were Ringwood Best and Doombar but both were in poor condition and served way too cold.
The food was little better - served remarkably quickly (always a bad sign) with watery vegetables and something that must have still been in the freezer when we had walked in to the pub, making only a cursory visit to the microwave before its (first) trip to the table.
There are better alternatives in the neighbourhood, including the Ox Row a couple of doors down.
7 Nov 2010 14:48
A Harvester establishment over the road from the Old Sarum site.
No real ale so we walked on
7 Nov 2010 14:40
A small Hall & Woodhouse pub but very comfortable. We drank the seasonal Pickled Partridge which was in very good condition. A limited menu on our visit but the food we had was good.
Clearly a place frequented by its local regulars but the welcome was warm and friendly Well worth a repeat visit.
7 Nov 2010 14:37
We were lost and stumbled across this place by accident but we were glad to find it.
It appears more of a restaurant than a traditional pub but had two real ales on - from the FFF and Flowerpots breweries. Both were in very good condition.
There is an extensive menu but also "snacks" available. As we were pushed for time we went for the latter but were very impressed by both quality and quantity. My wife had a sandwich but I had a lasagne which was many miles removed from the normal pub fare. Both meals were excellent.
There were two young ladies serving, each doing a good job and clearly enjoying their work.
A happy accident in finding this place but I would aim to return if back in the area.
7 Nov 2010 14:25
A Greene King house with 6 ales on: IPA (�3.20), Ruddles Bitter, Morlands Bitter, Hansons & Hardy's Olde Trip (�3.60), and Abbot Ale & St Edmunds (�3.80). By no means cheap unless you are there between 5:00 & 7:00 Mon-Fri when there is 60p off a pint.
More of an eating than a drinking establishment with an extensive menu that mirrors the beer in its prices. Lots of space to sit and reasonable service.
At least the beers we sampled were well kept.
26 Oct 2010 14:27
Very busy on a midweek lunchtime but there is a lot of space here for a large number of customers. The bar itself is small which caused some minor delays but overall the service was very good.
The food menu is reasonably wide ranging with a variety of different price levels according to what type of food you want. We certainly had no complaints about our meals.
There were four real ales available, including local brews from the Royal Tunbridge Wells, the Tonbridge and the Westerham breweries. The last two were on offer at �2.80 a pint which is good value in this neck of the woods. The ales were in good form as well.
21 Aug 2010 09:07
Nice looking place, large but with some quiet corners.
Had 4 ales on when I visited: Harveys Best, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Sharp's Doombar and Arundel Trident. I tried the last one and it was in good shape and very tasty. However, the beer was extremely expensive with prices comparable to those I would expect to have to pay in Central London.
The menu was interesting but pretentious - this could not be described as pub grub. Again, very expensive, even for a sandwich.
A nice place but check you have enough in your wallet before you try it.
23 Feb 2010 15:20
The Salterton Arms, Budleigh Salterton
Called in a few times when visiting the outlaws.
Three real ales on view - Shepherd Neame's Spitfire, Otter and Dartmoor Bitter. The last one was always in good nick during our visits. There was also a real cider available but we did not sample.
Fair sized pub but with a small bar area. More seating upstairs. Comfortable but not much character.
Modest menu that I could see but nothing sampled as we could return to the ranch for food.
22 Dec 2009 08:20
The Royal Oak, Tunbridge Wells
I have known this pub for many years and it has had some ups & downs. The current owners have certainly done a great job in making it an excellent pub to visit. The pub is comfortable with a very friendly welcome.
The food is good � not an extensive menu but good quality and well-priced.
The beers are extremely well-kept, with 4 real ales normally being available. Harveys and Larkins� Traditional Bitter are always available. Hobgoblin and something from the Darkstar brewery normally feature as well. On my last couple of visits they have been selling a superb Larkins� Porter.
Keep up the great work.
2 Dec 2009 09:13
The Crystal Palace, Tunbridge Wells
Has reopened as a free house selling Harveys Best and (an excellent) Harveys Old on my visit.
The pub has been refurbished and well laid out. It was showing rugby on Sky Sports while I was there although I would have preferred the volume to be turned down somewhat.
18 Nov 2009 09:23
The Poet Restaurant and Bar, Aldgate
The Lowlander went broke and closed on 26 October 2009.
27 Oct 2009 13:35
Toad Rock Retreat, Rusthall
New tenants in 2016 have really turned this place around. Three well-kept ales (Harveys and 2 guests) always availabe. Excellent, well-priced food available at both lunchtmes and evenings most days of the week and weekend.
6 Dec 2016 14:45