BITE user comments - glenn9ball
Comments by glenn9ball
The Shepherd and Dog, Ballards Gore
Sadly the Shepherd and Dog has bitten the dust and now closed. Seems to have been shut for at least a few months as the car park is looking overgrown and there's a caravan parked there for some reason.
Whatever happened seems to have happened quite quickly as all the furniture is still in there and you can see a pile of bills on one of the tables.
Nothing about the closure online. A real shame, as was a lovely country pub/restaurant.
6 May 2014 17:29
Strange one, this. Huge, domineering white pub in prime location in Hockley "village", apparently it was originally built as a hotel to accomodate the visitors the the actual spa in hockley, as was the railway station.
Trouble is, it's a terribly average pub. Drinks only, no food and, speaking as a lager lout, a very disappointing range on offer. If you can't stomach Stella or Fosters, the only other Lager appears to be Becks Vier. Couldn't see too many surprises in the real ale pumps either to be honest.
I do applaud a pub that steadfastedly remains "a pub", but if your focus is on drinks only, at least offer the punters a decent range? A few surprises?
As for the clientele, this is very much a local pub for local people. I only pop in once every few months but the same faces are there every single time. Local kids just old enough to drinkdown in the lower bar around the pool tables, regulars in the top, all chowing down on their Stella and Becks Vier.
It's not a bad pub I guess, but can't help feeling that someone's going to snap this place up one day, offer a better range of drinks, and start serving food.
24 Jul 2013 12:11
Another pub that makes so much more sense in the summer. The bar and food areas are fairly minimal and old fashioned and could probably do with a tart up - I didn't see much contemporary furniture, just cheap tables and chairs and not somewhere I'd probably visit much in the winter (even though, thanks to a recently-discovered shortcut, this has suddenly become my "local".
However, get the sun out and the gardens are a lovely place to while away an afternoon in the company of a decent range of beers and lagers. The food menu looked well thought out, although we didn't have time for food in the end, and service was friendly and fast.
Another one for Summer not winter I'm afraid. Are there any pubs wityh roaring fires and comfy armchairs around Hockley?!
16 Jul 2013 14:15
As others have said, the Bull is probably 90% restaurant now, and, as you have to go past a "have you booked?" entrance to the restauranty bit, it certainly looks like using the main part of the pub as a "pub" is discouraged, at the very least. So, in rough weather, the Bull isn't much fun as a drinking den.
BUT, when the sun's out and you venture into the extensive gardens and patio area, suddenly it all makes sense. Good beer, lots of room for kids to play and safely explore (the grounds back on to Hockley Woods) and suddenly it's a great pub again.
Don't get me wrong, the Chef & Brewer food is decent enough (above average pub grub these days), but, purely as a pub, I'd recommend visiting the Bull on a sweltering, lazy summer day, as I did last weekend.
16 Jul 2013 14:05
I hate it when pubs get too cliquey, especially when the clique seems to be the staff versus the clientele.
This certainly seems to have become the case the last few times I’ve visited the Victory.
It’s a shame, as it’s still a half-decent local, but I’ve spent one too many times now waiting for the staff to finish their chats before serving, tolerating a forced lack of “please” or “thank you” and, on one occasion, having one particular little charmer announce to her colleagues, “Are we going to let this one use a credit card?”
In an era when dozens of pubs close each month, surely the chains should be beating their staff into submission over basic customer service and politeness. Apparently not at the Victory. John Barras take heed.
21 May 2013 13:03
Thought I might add an actual pub review to the restaurant reviews previously. I know the food in pubs these days contributes significantly to turnover and always deserves a mention but, at the end of the day, the clue to this particular review site is surely in the URL?
Anyway..moseyed down here with the girlfriend last Saturday. Bar appeared busy (those pesky diners again) but soon cleared . I'm a lager lout more than a real ale man but I saw two regular proper beers and one guest ale, While the lager side was very well catered for with the usual suspects, plus (perhaps in recognition that most visitors here would be driving) two "lower alcohol" variants of Becks and Stella on tap. Also, unusually for a pub round here, Peroni was on tap, which I opted for.
We ordered some very basic food (just a Greek meze platter) which was adequate but, at a tenner plus, must have had an extravagant markup on it. So, no, the food ain't all that.
BUT.. the Peroni was excellent, the range of beers was superb, the interior of the pub looked cosy and friendly, and the garden is large, well kept and a real sun trap on the three days per year of decent weather this country has.
As a restaurant, it's probably not somewhere I would visit. As a pub, it's actually very nice.
11 Jun 2012 12:04
Just a quick update. I saw the last poster mention that the pub is in need of a refurb. Well, lo and behold, the Victory was closed for a week and re-opened all refurbed up at the start of December 2011.
Not a complete overhaul, but new carpeting, upholstery and some new drinks (mmmm San Miguel!).
Didn't get to sample the toilets, but surely they will have addressed this also.
Looks nicer, San Miguel was splendid and the place was packed on a Saturday late afternoon. Menu still the same as previous, so nothing special.
Looks better and smells a heck of a lot nicer!
13 Dec 2011 15:52
The Trading Rooms, Westcliff on Sea
Just popped in for a quickie today and really liked this place. Cosy, clean and good range of lagers (Kroney, Amstel and Heineken etc). Plumped fgor the Heinie and slightly surprised to be charged �3.60, but this looks set to be my local so guess I'd better start saving...!
5 Nov 2010 15:28
Good grief this place is awful. I used to come here with the Mrs about 10 years ago and it was a bit dated then but they had a reasonable range of drinks and that "steak on a skillet n' chips for 2 quid" kept us interested. Used to be one section as the "saloon bar" (full of old scummers and wasters) and the slightly nicer "wine bar" bit in a different section.
Now however they've knocked it all through and err..it's now completely full of scummers and wasters!
You can always tell when a pub's died, cos it has that sickly detergent small that stcks in your throat. The Kronenbourg was stale and they had "run out" of diet coke (Pepsi). I don't think I've EVER been to a pub where they run out of diet cola? Surely Pepsi would be furious about that? Unless of course they owed Pepsi money.
Part of the problem with this place lies with the size. It's HUGE, like an aircraft hangar! Knocking two large spaces into one vast space has doen it no favours at all. Utterly characterless and only a dozen punters (all blokes, all dodgy looking) staring at Sky Sports on the pull down screen (all the blinds at the front were closed to accomodate viewing this screen, so not even a whiff of natural daylight to make things marginally better).
Yuk. Horrible place, horrible people. Somebody buy this place and/or just put it out of its misery....
25 Oct 2010 13:22
Not sure about this place. Location is ace, with a huuuge garden backing on to the River Crouch and plenty of outside seating. Trouble is, a refurb earlier this year has turned the interior into a restaurant with a cocktail bar attached rather than any sort of pub.
The design is all very chromey and trying very hard to look all "Modern" whilst simultaneously managing to actually look like an 80s wine bar.
Then again, what do I know as the place was rammed on a Friday night (albeit mainly by the same clientele who would have originally attended 80s wine bars back in the day).
Service behind the bar was perfunctory and unfriendly, lots of hectic movement from the staff but not really looking like they were achieving much, and an Amstel and a coke seemed to be over five quid?
The real plus to this place remains the garden, which has a new decking area as part of teh revamp with plenty of tables, and individually controlled outdoor heaters service abot 4 tables each. There's a cabin type affair built which is about a third of the way into the garden and I think the gist is to have a barbecue going in the summer. THEN this place might make more sense as a bar to while away a Sunday afternoon. Rated purely as a place to go for a beerintheevening (as opposed to a fairly pricey restaurant) however, really not my cup of tea.
22 Oct 2010 15:33
Thought I'd drop a quick update about this one as we popped in last week for Sunday lunch. God knows what the "refurbishments" were that led to the pub being closed just before Christmas - inside looks identical. Big space, dark wood durniture and trim leading to the place bordering on the dingy. Some peeling wallpaper and the odd cobweb didn't do much to help either.
Drinks behind the bar looked much the same range as before and the food was above average pub grub. All in all, not too bad, but where was the renovation?
ps: Nearly forgot. The Cock has always had a huge garden and plenty of outside seating, the focal point being some fairly modern kids play equipment. The garden's still there but the equipment has been removed, leaving some ugly looking holes in the ground and some risky looking stumps of wood and metal instead. Ahhh so perhaps THIS is the renovation. Way to go guys!
5 Oct 2009 13:41
Having traipsed up from Holborn as the Central Line was closed for a bit, I chanced upon this place on a weekday lunchtime and nipped in for a quickie. There was a stack of scaffolding up outside so it took me a couple of minutes to actually recognise it as a pub: West London currently resembles a huge building site.
From the outside, especially sans signage, the pub looked like one of those minute "snug" places that are still dotted round London.
Inside, this proved completely misleading, as the bar covers the central pub area in a narrow (ish) corridor and is bookended by two medium sized drinking areas.
Anyway, couple of very nice Amstels and a delicious rare roast beef salad (my concession to a healthy diet), and service was quick and polite - although the place was only half full. . And yes, the bar staff are very pretty.
Furniture was comfy, place was nicely decorated, semi-raucous photos behind the bar were slightly incongruous with the rest of the design, but I spose the biggest recmmendation would be that I would definitely return, take a mate or two, and have a lunch with maybe a couple of extra ales for dessert...
By the way, one other recommendation (in my book at least) was the diversity of clientele all enjoying lunch and a drink in a very nice atmosphere, including a couple of familes. Highly recommended pub, particularly for this part of town.
25 Feb 2009 12:42
My affair with Bradleys has been ongoing for, blimey, nearly 20 years now, and I always try to pop in for a nostalgic pint when I'm in the area.
10 years ago, we started off at Bradley's for my stag night and never managed to get out of there, however I do remember finally lurching out of there in full make up (including toenails painted!) with a pair of knickers in my pocket, all dares for the evening completed.
Sadly, my latest visit on a weekday afternoon was an anticlimax, as my beloved downstairs bar was unattended and all lights off. I hope this isn't a sign of the times, as I've never seen this bit closed before. Reassuringly, in typical Bradleys style, the door to downstairs wasn't locked, nor even closed, so I wandered down and stood in the bar area for a minute, which hasn't really changed in decades.
Respects thus paid, I wandered off for a snifter elsewhere.
As it was closed, it loses a point. Otherwise, for it's stubborn "differentness" and fantastic beers (ok, as well as nostalgia), I would have given a 10.
16 Jan 2009 12:25
Must admit I must have walked past this place hundreds of times and never considered a pint in there. However, I was let down by my first choice (Bradley's in Hanway Street) and, to be frank, I needed a wee, so popped in for a quickie - if I'm using a pub's toilet's I will always buy a drink.
Anyway, nice decor, cheap Amstel, considering the location, at 3 quid (although it wasn't a great pint) and inspiring decor.
Quite surreal watching Oxford Street shuffle by outside while sitting in a comfortably full pub. I always expected the place to be rammed with tourists but none in attendance, mainly suits and record buyers (Zavvi/Virgin/Whatever is a couple of doors away).
Overall, quite a pleasant surprise and I would probably pop in again for a quickie, but not a place for an all night session for me.
16 Jan 2009 12:07
They should install a revolving door on this place as I was amused by the number of tourists that came in, backpacks bulging, took one look around at the lunchtime clientele, then turned about face and marched straight back out, no doubt destined for the nearby Maccy-D's.
Anyway, not much to add to other reviews, except it wasn't as tourist-laden as I expected (see above) and is just a regular, not-changed-much-in-50-years West London pub. Had two Kroneys (beers, not friends) from two different taps. The first was lovely, the second a bit whiffy.
The united nations of bar staff have been well trained in "In-selling" i.e.
-"Pint of Kronenbourg please"
-"Would you like to try our olives?"
-"No thanks"
-"Garlic Peanuts?"
-"NO THANKS"
and..
-"Plain burger please"
-"With bacon and cheese?"
-"Just plain, cheers"
-"Egg...?...Extra chips.."
and so on
Just to add, the burger (30 day aged rump apparently) was a bit dry (perhaps I should have accepted that egg) and the chips lukewarm, but I wasn't in the mood to complain as I had further drinking to carry out..elsewhere!
16 Jan 2009 11:38
Decent enough local pub (very local for me!) with standard range of hearty, rather than delicious, pub grub. The garden is nice for a summer pint and lots of play equipment for the kids. Clientele usually made up of older regulars who occupy the seats just inside the door, and builders/tradesmen who set up a cordon around the slot machines. A downside is that, although there is a covered smoking area in the back garden, many smokers (particularly the young lads) tend to mill around just outside the main pub entrance with their fag and pint, leaving families to run this gauntlet should they choose to enter. As this slightly intimidating sight is clearly visible from the main road, I can't help wondering if this is an affecting factor when people are deciding whether to pop in for a quickie...
24 Dec 2008 09:43
This has always been a nice little pub, fantastic for a pint in the summer as the garden is massive. Sadly, we popped over for lunch the Sunday before Christmas 2008 and it was CLOSED. Loads of hastily prepared notes in the window (small enough so you have to park up, get out and walk right up) saying that the pub was now owned by Punch Taverns and they had "taken the decision" to close it for refurbishments. There wasn't any refurbishment going on (and the loss or pre Christmas trade could surely have been better timed) but I'll be curious to see what Punch do with what has always been a distinctive landmark in Rochford. Watch this space...
24 Dec 2008 09:29
Nice range of beers and lengthy menu, six of us all ordered different dishes and there was a reassuringly long (but not too long) wait before they were all served together. Much more of a restaurant than a pub these days, and the meals were all excellent.
The San Miguel was icy cold and slipped down a treat.
One quibble: our guests brought a pushchair along and missed the "no pushchairs" sign on the outside window . They were greeted by a posse of staff firmly directing them back outside. Following the about-turn, the staff all disappeared, leaving us sheepishly standing in the doorway. Not thw best greeting. I don't mind the pushchair rule, but prioritising the policing of it over greeting the guests who are about to give you a hundred quid plus seems slightly misguided...
22 Dec 2008 14:51
The Shepherd and Dog, Ballards Gore
Nearly a year after I posted the previous note, there may be some light (literally) at the end of the tunnel for the Shepherd & Dog. I drove past yesterday evening and the internal lights (downstairs and up) were on, as well as the car park spotlights. Maybe just a security measure, but there seemd to be a different car parked down the side. I do hope this is a sign that this landmark pub/restaurant is finally getting some much-needed TLC.
17 Feb 2015 16:31