BITE user comments - cookian
Comments by cookian
This is an excellent pub. It is very old with low beams, obviously humans were much shorter when this place was built! Several pints of Brakspear bitter and a very good sandwich helped me sleep through the slightly obtrusive planes which were flying over every 45 seconds.
1 Feb 2011 10:46
My sister took me here in November as it used to be one of her 'locals'.
It is not a pub any more. There was nowhere to sit. Two almost hostile men occupying a table for four refused to let us sit on their table and another huge table for eight had a reserved sign on it.
We asked behind the bar and we were 'allowed' to sit on the big table. Although we were hungry we looked at the food being consumed by a family of four and decided it looked pretty hideous! Judging by the prices on the menu it was also very poor value.
On one wall with loads of books to attempt a 'library' effect there was a huge television screen showing a picture but no sound.
Every designer has a right to cobble together a bad interior but this one was abusing the privilege!
30 Dec 2010 18:42
The Nevill Crest and Gun, Eridge Green
Wow, what a transformation. Brunning and Price at their best! They have this canny knack of combining the qualities of a very famous pub with excellent local good beer (as well as their own bitter brewed in Manchester) and superb freshly prepared food. No I do not work for the Company!
Jamie, the landlord, looks like a proper landlord and has the authority. It is hard to believe that this pub, as I write, has only been open about a week. You walk in and it is very busy. There is none of the normal hesitation which you would expect from staff who have worked at a place for less than a week. Everyone behind the bar is helpful and friendly.
The real concern I have is that you are going to have to book for food in the very near future. It is already a hit with 'in the know' locals.
29 Dec 2010 22:21
Old Town Hall Vaults, Whitchurch
I have been visiting this pub since `1984 when in was owned by Borders who were taken over by Marstons. The beer has always been good. The pub was transformed by Colin the recently retired landlord who introduced really good food.
It is now independently owned, continues to do good food and a very good selection of good beers. I enjoyed several points of Sharpes Doombar yesterday lunchtime and would happily have stayed there the rest of the day!
Do not hesitate to give this pub a visit, excellent!
31 Jan 2010 13:26
Staying locally, dropped in for a quick pint and realised I had found a real gem. The 'middle' pump was a brilliant micro brewery bitter and I was lucky enough to meet the brewer who enthused about his different products. He uses the pub vitually every day and always drinks his own beers.
We had a very good supper on Friday evening, The menu is pretty typical 'pub grub' but my sirloin steak was very tender and well presented.
We are looking forward to returning in the summer when we will hopefully be able to sit outside overlooking the Trent, an excellent spot.
26 Oct 2009 18:34
The Combermere Arms, Burleydam
Well, if you remember the old pub then prepare to be very impressed.
The selection of good beers is excellent and constantly changing. The staff are obviously enthusiastic and enjoy working in this excellent, progressive pub/restaurant which, I believe, is part of Brunning and Price who own around 15 pubs in all.
The menu is extensive and imaginative, clearly not cobbled together by amateurs, and the food is prepared to a very high standard.
As a filthy Southerner I was not surprised by the prices but do understand that you are paying for the excellent atmosphere, extremely good decor and faultless food, a bit scarse in the Whitchurch area.
I am sure that if you were an expert on footballer's wives and their spouses this is the sort of establishment to spot them - very Cheshire! I was surprised that the car park did not have electric gates!
8 Sep 2008 18:08
What an excellent pub! This is a Youngs/Wells managed pub offering the usual range of beers. I had two pints of Bombadier which was a good as I have ever had it. Having bought drinks at the bar the really friendly bar maid sorry person offered to help carry the drinks out to our table, no I could not believe it either!
We sat overlooking the sea and then our food arrived, brought to us by the equally friendly and jovial Manager. Nothing spectacular about the food but just very well presented, good pub food, reasonably priced. The Eaton Mess pudding was to die for!
We left thinking that a return visit to the pub is definitely on the cards. It is on the sea front at the very west end of Bognor Regis. Take a stroll along the beach afterwards to work off the lunch or you can have a train ride to the pier amusements and win �400 on the fruit machines which is what one of us did!
1 Jul 2008 14:13
My first pint was Bombadier, not impressed. It had that yeasty taste indicating far from clean pipes, a great pity as it can be an excellent pint. The Youngs Ordinary was very moorish. Just before the end of my second pint my female companion spotted a small rodent in the garden busying itself 'hoovering' up crumbs from under the tables. It was a bit too big to be a mouse and bit too small to be anything more than a very young rat!
The lady 'manager' seemed very pleasant and assured us that the disposal people had been summoned. Probably won't put us off long time but we'll give them a month to sort things out before our next visit.
2 Jun 2008 15:12
The Red Lion, Steeple Bumpstead
I am trying to think of an adjective which best describes this pub without going over the top, tempted as I am. Mediocre is about best I can do.
We arrived in a big family group aged range 10 months to mid sixties. The table was cobbled together but the help from staff minimal. It is one of those 'come up and order everything at the bar' places. You order and we will come and dump it infront of you if you are lucky. If we had wanted to go to the local Wetherspoons we would undoubtedly have got a much better deal and unbelievably we would probably have got better food!
When I queried my tiny portion of prepacked 'roast pork' - they did manage to remove it from the boil in the bag container - I was told that if it was not enough for me I would have to go back up to bar and order more.
Politeness is not my strong suit when I get addressed in this manner so it was a real struggle to point to the next door plate which had about four times more meat on it than mine without uttering even a veiled threat! They then relented and produced another 'boil in the bag' portion.
The Greene King IPA which they are obliged to serve has got to take the prize for the dullest drink calling itself draft beer, to sum up drive at least 20 miles out of your way to avoid this establishment - to call it a pub would be an insult to other hostleries that must undoubtedly be doing a better job than this one! PS, the children's slide was popular with the 3 year old in our group!
2 Jun 2008 14:56
Not much to add to the recent reviewers remarks except to recommend the fish and chips, they also do salmon fish cakes which were up to West end standards - delicious! It is probably because the owner also has interests in Whitstable and gets his fish from there, I guess, judging by the freshness.
24 Jul 2007 08:58
Popped in for a quick pint early Sunday lunchtime. The very pleasant landlord chatted with us about his good beers and was proud that he was booked up for food for many evenings in advance and also for Sunday lunches.
The Sussex bitter (ex King and Barnes) was outstanding and the enthusiastic young attractive staff were obviously gearing up for a busy Sunday. The now obligatory smokers covered area has been established outside.
Clearly a professionally run pub well worth a visit even if you have to go out of your way but it seems that you will have to book if you want to eat or you could just enjoy the mouth watering smells emanating from the kitchen!
24 Jul 2007 08:43
Clearly, a lot of money has been spent bringing this pub up to very high standards of comfort and service. It is definitely placed in the 'gastro' sector, reflected in the prices of bothe the food and beverages.
However, our group of three enjoyed our lunch. Not a very good way to test a chef's skill but two of us had cheese burgers, served with an excellent mustard dressing, side sald and impressive freshly prepared salad and chips which lived up to their �9 price tag.
The third member of our party had goats cheese salad which was clearly not prepared by an enthusiatic amateur but a really experienced culinary practitioner.
The Timothy Taylor bitter was perfect. The bar and waiting staff were excellent. No friendly landlord in sight but it is not really that kind of place, more a restaurant with a large bar.
12 Jul 2007 16:25
I visited this pub for Sunday lunch in a fairly large group. Our waitress was absolutely brilliant, however I thought the food was expensive for what we had, especially as the chef served DEEP FRIED potatoes with the roast - rather like chips but the vague shape of a roast potato - instead of proper roast potatoes, yuk!
My lamb shank was served in an incredibly sweet sauce (I was wondering whether I had jumped to the pudding for a minute). Summary food transport cafe standard, central London prices. The beer was fine, however (like to end on a positive note)!
15 Dec 2006 19:40
The Pump House, Brighton
I was a bit disappointed by my visit on Sunday. The selection of beer is excellent including Doom Bar, Adnams, London Pride and Harveys Sussex so no complaints there.
Having to ask the bar staff to top up your pint is annoying and starts you off on the wrong footing. You will not get a short measure in a Brunning and Price pub. It is so fundamental there is no excuse, especially in an establishment which is owned by the giant M & B where, presumably, staff get some sort of training.
We were a group of four and we ordered a 'sharing' fish platter and a couple of bowls of chips as a snack. I was not told there would be a long wait when I placed the order and when the platter arrived it had been in the deep fryer too long. The contents were obviously from Brake Bros - the crappy food that does not need any skill just the ability to leave it in the oil for the requesite amount of time - and they got that wrong.
1 Mar 2011 15:10