BITE user comments - aroundthefur
Comments by aroundthefur
The Halfway House, Southend on Sea
Very nicely done out pub since the recent refurb. Visited a couple of times in the last week - one great pint of Young's, one terrible, decent pint of Adnams Broadside. Very relaxed atmosphere away from the boy-racers in the town centre.
10 May 2009 00:04
Sure, not the nicest looking pub you'll ever go to but great views of the estuary/sea from upstairs. Cracking sunday lunch option for veggies and a decent pint of IPA.
9 May 2009 23:59
The saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' would usually apply to a pub which doesn't look like much from the outside but offers a pleasant surprise on the inside. The exact opposite is true for this place. The recent refurbishment has done nothing to paint over the incredibly rude attitude of the landlord at the Rose Inn - do not be seduced by the exterior. The welcome you get is anything but the warm and friendly experience you would expect from a traditional English country pub.
Our first experience came in summer of 2007 when we witnessed a blazing row between several sets of customers and the landlord. The customers had been waiting for well over an hour for food and were quite rightly not happy. The landlord was having none of it and appeared to be dishing out a torrent of abuse. Needless to say this wasn't the place to stay for a quiet drink. But everyone has their bad days - a one off maybe?...
Our second visit came this weekend and the landlord was on top form again, this time we experienced it first hand. We went into the pub and ordered drinks at the bar, and whilst ordering, decided to order food. Having not yet sat down, we didn't have a table number. The landlord was quite clear in his displeasure at this and sarcastically commented that if he didn't have a table number they wouldn't be able to find us to serve the food and telling us 'don't mind the queue'! Did he want our custom or not, we asked (a mild argument ensued). The guy has obviously no customer service skills whatsoever and seems to go out of his way to be rude.
Like the experiences of other reviewers, we then had to wait approximately 45 mins for our food, which was far from complicated to prepare. Punishment for our terrible misdemeanour earlier, perhaps?!
This is lovely looking pub and beer garden completely spoilt by the attitude of the landlord. We definitely won't be subjecting ourselves to this for a third time.
29 Jun 2008 12:11
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The Last Post, Southend on Sea
The previous post to this sounds like a pretty bad experience but not completely atypical. As with a lot of Wetherspoons, this place can get a bit grubby at times - clearing and cleaning tables often seems to be an issue. Shame though, as I've still not found a better pint of real ale in Southend and the value of drinks and food can't be argued against.
10 May 2009 00:14