BITE user comments - norwoodeyes
Comments by norwoodeyes
Having just read the most recent reivew below I have to say that I fail to recognise the Sandrock that I know. Having said that I have only ever been there for lunch rather than dinner. My only guess is that the staff on duty of an evening are less able than those during the day.
My wife and I have lunched there at least a dozen times and have always had the most excellent food, drink and service. My only criticism is that the menu is a little limited and vegetarian options are virtually nil (although it is not something that worries me).
Don't be put off by the negative reviews shown here. Try this place out. If it fails to please you then that's fine but you don't want to miss out on a place purely based on someone else's negative experience. Every pub/restaurant has got at least one person out there who wasn't happy with it.
2 Sep 2009 11:12
I have been in this pub twice and the contrast on each occasion was stark. On the first occasion my wife and I went in on a Saturday afternoon and although a bit empty it was fine.
The next time I went on my own on a Sunday afteroon at about 12.30. The place contained about six regulars who looked at me as though I had six heads. I got my beer and read a paper but I was well aware that I was being regularly stared at. It was so creepy that I actually snuck out when no one was looking. I won't be in a hurry to go back.
3 Aug 2009 13:14
One of the better Norwood Wetherspoons. As others have said, it does attract more than its fair share of local 'eccentrics' many of whom move from JDW to JDW as I have seen them in many of the others.
I have a food a few times and its been what you'd expect. Good but nothing to shout about.
Range of beers is good. Will come again.
3 Aug 2009 13:11
The Royal Albert, Crystal Palace
This place has gone downhill since I first visited it in 2005. It is now a musty smelling pub with no atmosphere and regulars who put you off going anywhere near the bar.
I doubt I'll be going back.
3 Aug 2009 13:07
The White Hart, Crystal Palace
I don't recognise the pub that some people are painting. I have been in here many times over the past few years and I have always been treated with courtesy by the staff. The food is a little over price and just above average but that is fine as long as you know what you're getting.
The range of beer and wine is good. I would come back here again.
3 Aug 2009 13:06
The Cherry Trees, South Norwood
This pub is okay but best visited when you've already had a few. That way you will be more oblivious to some of its failings. The music is ok and the cleanliness is above average (but not outstanding).
The garden is okay in the summer as long as it isn't too busy.
3 Aug 2009 13:01
William Stanley, South Norwood
This could be a great pub but there are so many things that need to be put right first. Staffing is an issue that needs sorting. One or two of the regular staff in here are fantastic but most of the others are just coasting with many of them being downright surly.
The second major problem is the regulars. Most of them are lazy old sots who are so lazy that they all have copies of the key to the disabled toilet so that they don't have to negotiate the stairs down to the gents toilet. I wouldn't want to be a genuinly disabled person using that toilet. The regulars also tend to get served ahead of other people just because the staff know what they drink. You'll be ordering your pint but as you're being spoken to the staff will start pouring the pint for the drunken old prat who's behind you.
The final problem is the food. Quite often, if you order two meals, they are brought out some time apart. This leads to one person being nearly finished before the other gets their food. Steaks are hit and miss and generally best avoided. Other times the chef will eventually turn up and tell you that they haven't got what you ordered when one meal has already been served. Food being served just warm or cold is also common.
3 Aug 2009 12:59
I was in here only a few weeks ago. It was quiet for a Saturday afternoon but not unpleasant.
3 Aug 2009 12:50
The White Hart, Crystal Palace
I've reviewed this pub before but I feel the need to do so again. This pub, like so many others, seems to have a multiple personality. The service varies depending on how busy it is and whether it is night or day.
During the day the service seems fine and my wife and I have never felt that the staff were rude. A tad slow sometimes but never rude.
My only big criticism lies with the food. It's okay but not stellar and certainly doesn't warrant the prices charged. Their homemade nachos are awful and should be avoided at all costs.
The other thing I cannot stand is their obsession with what they call "skin-on" chips. They are served with almost everything. They try to make them sound trendy but what they really are are chips that the chef couldn't be bothered to peel before frying. A few days ago I asked if I could have ordinary chips instead and was told "sorry sir it's the only kind we do". I'm sorry but it cannot be beyoned the wit of the management to get some frozen chips in to give customers a choice and it's hardly as if it is hard to peel a potato.
Come on guys try harder. As others have said - you do have a lot of competition. You need to be worried when the local Wetherspoon is offering a better range of food than you are (and for half the price).
2 Sep 2009 11:22