BITE user comments - halfabitterman
Comments by halfabitterman
Now the Jenny Lind's a free-house the beer is a lot more hit than miss. Worth taking another look at.
24 Feb 2013 11:12
The King Edward VII, Stratford
Visited early evening last Monday and they'd run out of real ale. Not a drop! In their defence, it was the day after the Olympics closing ceremony, but that said, the barmaid didn't seem particularly surprised and wasn't apologetic.
16 Aug 2012 17:45
Inoffensive, but soulless pub which lacks any warmth. Sells McMullens beers.
23 May 2012 16:05
Traditional pub, with a mixed clientele. 6 hand pumps and a constantly changing selection of beers served in good condition.
5 Feb 2012 08:43
The Plough and Harrow, Litlington
The Harvey's Best wasn't at it's best, but the Hophead was fantastic, as was the food. Nice, relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff.
29 Jan 2012 13:03
Good beer, nice atmosphere. Didn't try the food but the place was packed on a January Saturday lunchtime, so it's obviously popular.
29 Jan 2012 12:51
Nice pub though it leans towards being a restaurant. Good beer, shame it closes at 3pm on Saturdays. Makes no sense to me.
29 Jan 2012 12:45
On a recent evening visit to this Harvey's pub the Mild was off and so was the Armada (but whilst the bar staff took the Mild off, they continued to sell the 'undrinkable' Armada) - this was all the more surprising as not only was the landlord around, there was a CAMRA meeting going on upstairs at he time.
29 Jan 2012 12:17
The Filo (First In Last Out), Hastings
Went in for a pint at lunchtime on Xmas Eve and stayed for several more! Good mix of people, friendly staff, warm atmosphere and a very warm fire! There were four FILO beers on - Crofters, Gold, Ginger Tom and Cardinal and complimentary bar food. The kitchens's being re-sited now that the brewery has moved up the road, so there won't be food for a few weeks but don't let that keep you away from this great pub.
27 Dec 2011 09:32
The beer was too cold and consequently not in the best condition. Pointed this out to the barman, but he was an 'expert' and was having none of it. Judge for yourselves.
28 Sep 2011 13:35
Good size, attractive building and part of the Orchid Group of pubs. Quite busy lunch time trade with a friendly vibe. There were four real ales on offer: Midsummer Madness, Bass, Doombar and Harvey's Sussex - I tried the Midsumer Madness and had a pint of Bass: unfortunately neither was in good condition. Seems like yet another pubco that's forgotten about the beer. Shame.
12 Aug 2011 15:15
Large pub with some attractive features inside, although it doesn't look much from the outside. Busy on a Saturday night with both diners and drinkers. A good mix of ages with a slightly separate area for younger drinkers and louder music. Friendly staff and Harveys Best and Ringwood Fortyniner on tap.
10 Jul 2011 12:36
This Shepherd Neame pub was something of a disappointment. Looks full of character from the outside but inside, the large interior seemed fairly soulless despite the enthusiastic mateyness of the barman. A family friendly place seemingly geared up more to sell food which didn't seem expensive (though I didn't try it). I did try the MasterBrew however, and it wasn't in good condition.
10 Jul 2011 12:29
This Shepherd Neame pub didn't have any of the draught beers on sale when I went in on a Saturday evening - the barman said 'there's no demand for it around here' but he did offer bottled Shepherd Neame beers. I didn't stay, so I can't say much else about this pub.
10 Jul 2011 12:16
The Hen and Chickens, Islington
I have been reasonably happy with this pub having visited a few times in the recent past. However, the last visit was pretty poor with none of the 3 real ales working and the barmaid at a loss to sort out the problem, not helped by her off-duty workmate who didn't lift a finger to give her a hand. No plans to go back any time soon.
29 Jun 2011 21:46
Interesting history and building which is somewhat smothered by the over-the-top nautical theme. Come on guys - let the place breath! Seems to cater to tourists and diners rather then drinkers and was doing a brisk lunchtime trade in food when I visited. That said, the Harveys Best was good but I didn't linger long as I found the pub rather impersonal and soul-less.
29 May 2011 18:39
Had an OK half pint of Masterbrew otherwise, not much to say either way about this pub.
29 May 2011 18:22
The Royal Oak and Castle, Pevensey
Unfortunately, neither of the two real ales were on when I visited.
29 May 2011 18:19
Tried the Harvey's Olympia Ale: it was sour - OK it was the first from the pump, but not really an excuse. It was replaced without a fuss but that wasn't much better - far too cold and pretty flat. So can't agree with beerbaby about the beer. Don't think I'd hurry back.
26 May 2011 19:09
The Jenny Lind has a nice feel to it and you can now get good food (provided by the eaterie across the road). That said, the real ales are poorly kept which is not surprising as my sense is the staff and management would struggle to recognise a decent pint if you put one in front of them. Shame - it could be a good pub if they could get the beer right.
9 May 2011 08:17
After several visits, I would say the real ales are amongst the best kept in the town. The regulars include Harvey's Best and Hophead and there are usually a couple of guest ales - Betty Stog and Tribute when I last visited. The landlord, Mark knows his stuff and it shows. Good mix of clientele and if you're lucky you might even get an acoustic jam session.
9 May 2011 07:56
Untroubled by fad, fashion or the passage of time, this East End pub is a real gem.
4 Sep 2010 14:45
Went in for the first time on a weekday afternoon. There were 5 real ales on: 4 of them from the Milton Brewery - the TIKI was reasonably good. A bit of a limited choice for a large 'real ale' pub with 16 hand-pumps, though. There was a good choice of foreign beers and malt whiskeys, but the wine selection was poor. The bar maid was pleasant enough, but seemed disinterested and perhaps typified the whole place. It just looked like no-one really cared enough - it was grubby, neglected and looked unloved. I just hope the cleaner or manager or someone who gives a xxxx sorts it out soon! Probably worth a second look though.
16 Aug 2010 20:37
Went to a function in the upstairs room yesterday evening. The stone staircase is impressive, and otherwise the decor is inoffensive if a bit soulless. A couple of Sharp's ales on, which were OK but the evening was somewhat marred by the all to common practice of clearing away chairs and tables before people have finished their drinks - clearly the staff were in a great hurry to get home but this kind of behaviour wouldn't make me want to go back again.
9 May 2010 11:37
I want to like The Ship Tavern but for me, the jury's still out. I went in the other night night after the theatre, for a pint. There were eight real ales on and the Bombadier was good but the Barnstormer wasn't great. The barman seemed friendly enough, but what irked me was they that called last orders at 10.40pm and within 10 minutes had the lights up, TV off and stools upturned on the bar - we didn't exactly feel welcome as the staff hurried through their chores.
14 Jan 2010 19:03
What is it with small pub companies like Geronimo Inns and badly managed pubs? This could be a great local pub, but it isn't. The beer's usually well kept. The food isn't bad, although overpriced (�16 for a steak in the East End) - what's that about?? Even the service, which used to be unbelievably slow has got better and the staff are a nice enough bunch. But I was in there on Xmas Eve and they decided to call last orders at 4.30pm and turf out the 15-20 customers 'because it wasn't busy enough'. Clearly they couldn't give a toss about the punters. So many pubs these days just don't get it and sadly this is yet another one of them.
30 Dec 2009 18:22
The Green Man and French Horn, Covent Garden
Cosy West End boozer with a bit of an an identity crisis. It's location makes it a handy stop-off for the theatres, but the steady tourist trade has allowed it to rest on it laurels. Usually, there is a good atmosphere though it can get noisy at times. The best thing about this pub is the staff. The food is OK if you like pub grub circa 1980s, but not worth a special trip. Then it all goes downhill when you get to the beer. Adnam's Bitter & Broadside and Thwaite's Wainwright - all consistently disappoint. Maybe Faucet Inns will spend some money and get it right one day; in the meantime, if you want a decent pint go to the nearby Harp - it's in a different league. The GM&FH does have a very good, if quirky, pub quiz on a Monday evening though.
6 Nov 2009 21:17
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The Bree Louise, Euston
Unfortunately, the beer quality is very hit and miss. Around a dozen or so beers on and on a good day, the beer can be very good, but on a bad day, it's pretty dreadful. Worse than that, the barmaid advised me the beer was flat 'because it's served from the cask' - with that level of knowledge and expertise, it's a wonder they have any 'good days' at all. Really needs to get it's act together and sort the beer out.
24 Feb 2013 11:24