BITE user comments - Trabbs_Boy
Comments by Trabbs_Boy
You stood back and watched your wife juggle two large drinks and olive trays?
Shame on you sir.
12 Sep 2009 10:29
Agree with the previous. Take the kids for a cheap meal and play area in summer. Or jump in car and look for the Yew Tree in Sandling as probably the only decent real pub/food alternative.
12 Sep 2009 09:09
Currently listed as for sale on the Punch Tavers website.
10 Jul 2009 12:20
Went today for a quick meal and a lager, and it was fine pub fare, basic but good. Wouldn't want to drink at the bar as this is not really a pub any more. Great for a walk or cycle out from Cambridge in the summer, but not somewhere you would feel welcome having a few beers. Gets a 7 just for the nostalgic trip down memory lane. Wish the John Barleycorn hadn't closed years ago.
3 Jul 2009 19:56
This pub has just been closed down following a visit by health and safety inspectors from Medway Council. Do not eat the food here (or at the kebab shop on Star Hill). Surprising such a well known company would let their kitchens get in such a sorry state. Gets a big fat zero.
6 Apr 2009 20:03
Have been here several times for dinner, and the food is fresh and excellent. Also the bar area is comfy and relaxing. Just hope the fact the lease is up for sale does not mean things will change too much. Great old local pub.
21 Mar 2009 21:53
This is a restaurant. Ordered tea and scones here once, but left on being told it would take an hour to make. Would love to hear from anyone who does use this as a pub.
22 Oct 2008 20:08
Victory Pub and Kitchen, Sandling
Alan Partridge would love this motorway junction "pub". Avoid.
8 Oct 2008 20:33
Shabby ex-pub-cum-restaurant with a small bar area by the door. Only worth a visit if all the other pubs in the village are closed.
8 Oct 2008 20:03
The council have just refused an appeal for planning permission for flats. Who knows what the future of this site will be.
29 Sep 2008 06:47
More of a restaurant, in a village quite well served by pubs. Like the Toastmasters across the road, there is a small area where you can indeed buy a pint, but the Windmill or Fleur De Lys are better for that "pub" feeling.
23 Sep 2008 19:10
As much a restaurant as a pub, with the usual Shepherd Neame fare, and quiz nights. What makes this place different is the location, literally in the shadow of the roaring M20 which separates it from Sandling village. Although ironically it is probably the motorway that has spared this leafy corner of Maidstone from developers. Worth a visit, if you can find it!
15 Sep 2008 10:42
The Westcourt Arms, Gillingham
Apparently open again. Hope the refurbishment gives a long lease of life, and attracts new customers.
27 Jul 2008 21:45
Although they have been as guilty as any of selling off pubs for resdiential development, full credit to Shepherd Neame for turn Ditton WMC into a proper pub, with the usual range of SN ales and beers. Small beer garden at the expense of a large car park, nice patio area at the front, cosy fireplace, and additional stage and eating areas. Only time will tell if this large and clean venue develops a good pub atmosphere.
22 Jul 2008 20:44
Under new management, again. Now a licensee, instead of yet another manager. Families welcome and a younger clientele. Not my sort of thing, but let us hope this village pub will stop struggling, as it has for so long.
22 Jul 2008 13:09
Update on my previous comments. Went on a Sunday afternoon and were told we would have to wait 40 minutes to even order food as they were so busy, despite many empty tables. This is the second time in three visits we have left unfed (the other because it was the wrong time in the middle of the afternoon), and we have cancelled plans to bring visiting relative for lunch. Such a shame to have to lower my previous marks, as this could be one of the best pubs in the county. If you are planning to seek out this isolated pub, I strongly recommend you phone ahead to avoid disappointment. Went to the Lower Bell for lunch, and persuaded a couple asking for directions not to bother.
15 Jun 2008 20:10
The Joiners Arms, West Malling
Welcoming and friendly little town pub, with good food, live entertainment, and the usual range of Shepherd Neame beers and ales. The open doors at the front is a nice touch in warm weather. The only downside is this is the first time I have ever paid over �3 for a pint.
28 Apr 2008 19:31
Come here on a boat from Maidstone town centre (licensed bar aboard) and spend a lazy summer day watching the boats come and go. Very good considering it's a Beefeater. We took a boat from here to get married at the Archbishop's Palace. Happy days.
3 Apr 2008 15:47
For those who enjoy a long walk, you could do worse than take the train to Higham, head for the preserved St Mary's church, strike out across the marshes (from Great Expectations), turn left at the concrete flood defences, and follow the Thames past the ruined Shornemead Fort, and the back of the police training college where you can see mocked up streets and aircraft.
Just as you hit the industrial backside of Gravesend, you will find this excellent little pub. A bit of googling and you can find its website. Not upmarket or special for much, apart from the fact it's there! If you do the walk in reverse there are a couple of pubs near Higham station.
3 Apr 2008 14:56
Shepherd Neame are probably the only major chain who could get away with a big new build pub in an ugly new town for the super rich. Not a bad atmosphere, but not sure why so many flights of stairs on a flat site. Great for escaping from the shopping at ASDA.
30 Mar 2008 12:03
The Horseshoe and Castle, Cooling
The following passage appears in "The Kent Village Book", published in 1986:
Cooling really is a decaying village. Now that the Horseshoe and Castle pub is closed and rapidly being colonised by the local herbage there is very little, apart from the church and castle, left.
A worthwhile reminder of what happens when a village pub closes, and even though SilkTork had a bad experience, I love visiting Cooling church and drinking at the Horseshoe and Castle.
25 Mar 2008 21:25
More "local" than the Little Gem (at least out of season), but a very nice pub to visit with a patio area overlooking the river, and good basic pub food. Shepherd Neame's Masterbrew was on sale, and the usual fizzy lagers. Another Aylesford pub with a door for small people.
20 Mar 2008 19:42
Although marked as closed, this pub is listed for sale on a trade website; asking price over �400,000 for the freehold! One can only presume the site has development potential.
21 Jan 2008 02:25
Apparently up for sale for �1.7 million, but then it always has been a money machine. Lots of fun.
21 Jan 2008 02:22
Quick update. After temporary licensees disappeared with the takings, this pub is now being run by bikers, and what an improvement! There is now a no-nonsense attitude to problem drinkers, and a friendly welcome for all. Well worth a visit.
20 Dec 2007 23:17
I'm surprised no one has reviewed this pub yet. A very busy and friendly backstreet boozer. I would definitley visit regularly if it was my local. If more Gillingham pubs were like this, not so many would be shutting down.
18 Dec 2007 03:57
Last time I popped in here for live music it was some 70 year old bloke dressed as Elvis! This pub could be so much better than it is.
18 Dec 2007 02:33
The Chicago Rock Cafe, Maidstone
Looking a lot brighter after the refit, but don't like paying to enter a pub, so had a couple of pints and moved on. Not for the traditionalists, but good clean fun.
18 Dec 2007 02:30
The toilets are indeed disgusting. Bit of a drinking barn, but nice and cheap with a million TV screens. Would rather go midweek, than when there are bouncers on the door.
16 Dec 2007 21:22
As my reviews keep getting removed, I'll just say DO NOT DRINK IN THIS PUB. Feel free to find out why for yourself.
16 Dec 2007 21:18
The Who'd Ha Thought It, Rochester
The anonymous reviewer must be on crack cocaine.
This is the best backstreet local pub in Rochester.
16 Dec 2007 02:51
Not a bad local, but the Red Bull down the road is much better.
12 Aug 2007 10:38
Open again. Visited during the day for a quiet pint, and not much has changed. Typical Maidstone drinking barn with all the usual lagers, and felt very empty, maybe better at night? Will take a lot to tempt me to try the food again after bad experiences in the past.
29 Jul 2007 16:51
Seemed a welcoming place, even if some of the staff were more interested in talking to each other than working. Friendly clientele. Now the smoking ban has come in, the smelly carpet is in desparate need of replacement or a good clean.
7 Jul 2007 07:53
Shame it is full of the extended family of the licensee, as it makes you feel a little out of place. OK for midweek football, or overcrowded and very average karaoke at the weekend.
4 Sep 2006 19:25
Keep seeing the owner in the local rag demanding an end to street drinking in Chatham. Perhaps in the hope the tramps and winos will move indoors and raise the standard of customer. Horrible pub.
3 Sep 2006 20:34
Built for a time when there were still two tower blocks casting a shadow, this is a strange but very friendly local pub in the "notorious" John Street area of Rochester. There are two bars, one of which is usually completely empty, and the other has a nice mix of locals, friendly staff, and a vocal parrot. Give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.
30 Aug 2006 23:05
Doesn't know if it wants to be a pub or restaurant, but worth a visit for a family meal in good weather, the steak and ale pie was very filling. Would have rated it higher if the fence around the playground was in better condition.
30 Aug 2006 19:51
Apparently located within the parish of Burham which lies some way below, have added this isolated pub to our list of places to take the kids when older. Very friendly staff who were making newspaper hats with customers when we were there. My only complaint is the restricted times for food means you need to plan what time you get there, even at weekends.
30 Aug 2006 19:35
Got tired of waiting to be served by bored looking staff and walked out. This was midweek when it wasn't particularly busy. I don't mind paying more for attentive friendly service.
2 Aug 2006 15:49
The What the Dick Inns, Rochester
This is one pub that has benefited from being knocked through and done up. There is something for everyone, with a great atmosphere and comedy nights. But why the stupid name? Its not even near the tourist High Street.
2 Aug 2006 15:44
Look out for the gangs of 14 year old chavs with babies in buggies outside, hassling people for money on their way in or out. Don't they have homework to do? OK for a drink.
2 Aug 2006 15:41
The Little Gem, Aylesford
The Little Gem has been living on its reputation for a while now. Some excellent and friendly staff are really not helped by absentee owners, and stock running out. �2 for a pint of Fosters is not going to save this pub, but I keep going because I do not want to look at that lovely building in a few years and see another private house.
16 Sep 2009 08:42