BITE user comments - properpublover
Comments by properpublover
Just realised i'd never reviewed this place. Last time i went, the beer was well kept. I had sunday lunch here a year ago and the shoulder of lamb was really excellent. Toilets a bit grotty from what i remember and the 'lounge area' that replaced the pool table is ok but no great shakes. But it feels like a proper pub and a local pub so i'd still recommend it. I nver noticed any 'oyks' whilst i was there.
17 Mar 2011 19:32
Went here the other night and it just felt like it had lost all its atmosphere. Beer wasn't great. A bit sterile. Only four of us in there. Nothing dreadful, the place just feels a bit unloved and like it's treading water.
17 Mar 2011 19:27
Took my dad here last sunday - just a pint and a sandwich. I like it here though. The atmosphere is good as is the food, the beer's well kept, nice landlord, and the public bar is lively. Only criticism is that in the rear dining room the tables and chairs are really packed in and it can feel a bit cramped. Sometimes bring my 11 year old son here too and share a moules/ frites which is huge and great value. Nice in the summer because of the location. keep it up!
17 Mar 2011 19:25
Really liked this place. Selected it largely from reviews on this site - needed a local pub who could cater for a family gathering on a sunday lunchtime - all twelve of us. They were helpful, courteous, and the food and beer were good to excellent. My only mild criticism would be that all of the ales available were of a hoppy character, with nothing malty, which is more to my taste. There were heavy things like porters and stout i think, but something along the lines of London Pride, Ringwood Fortyniner, TEA or Badger would balance things out. Just can't stand a really hoppy bitter - Shepherd Neame therefore being my least favourite brewery. By the way, the photo above doesn't doit justice either - makes it look down at heel. Inside it's a proper old pub with log fire, low beams and one nice high-ceilinged room. Excellent stuff. Will definitely return.
17 Mar 2011 19:19
The Lincoln Arms Hotel, Dorking
I was really hoping this pub would rise above it's 'next to the station and bound to be mediocre' tag. I'd like to say it did, but i'd be lying. Different TV's and music conflicting with each other, chavvy, and just not comfortable or homely. Sure it's been given a lick of paint but really it just feels like one of those 'passing trade' places. On the plus side, the pool tables are in good nick. The jukebox is the most convoluted i've ever come across, but then it also has more music on it than is in most peoples' entire collection. Bar staff nice enough, just a mediocre pub unlikley to ever rise above its position.
17 Mar 2011 17:13
Ended up here last night after disappointments at the Lincoln Arms and Surrey Yeoman. Ok, so it's not a pub, more of a bar, but actually it's not bad at all. It was the first pub i'd been in that evening that had some atmosphere, was reasonably busy, was friendly and comfortable. Didn't have food but the beer was fine. A perfectly nice place to spend an evening. They've put effort into the decor too. Would go back, especially when i can't be bothered to walk all the way from my end of town to the Cricketers! Menu looks interesting too.
17 Mar 2011 17:09
HOW NOT TO RUN A PUB:
Came in here with a mate last night for a quiet pint and a chat. The whole front bar was empty, about 5 people at the back. Sat down with our pints and realised that in addition to the piped music the TV was on. No-one in front part of pub, so turned it off so we could concentrate - trying to have a conversation whilst have both music and TV forced on you is a struggle. Few minutes later the manager comes out and makes a big point of turning the TV back on. "Actually we'd just turned that off", i say - "we were trying to have a chat."
"Well i want it on, other people might want to watch it too"/ I glance around
"But we're the only ones in here and you another near the bar for you to watch"
"Doesn't matter. It's my pub and what i say goes. I want it on".
"But it's distracting, there's already music on. We came here for a pint and a chat".
"Not interested. I want it on. It's my pub etc."
So, not only do you lose our custom for the evening, but we will also NEVER come back. Nice one.
It's depressing the lengths some people go to, to make themselves feel important. You want to take your glasses back, say "You're not very good at this are you", and leave. But there's no point. The ignorant idiot with small-man syndrome is oblivious. Thanks for being a complete textbook arse and ruining our evening.
17 Mar 2011 17:01
Still abdolutely irredeemably, incontrovertibly, mind-bogglingly dreadful. Someone had a bad acid trip, halucinated the worst pub they could imagine (they had a good imagination) and then apparently got someone to make it real. Like a vortex of scum in the middle of Reigate.
28 Oct 2009 12:09
went hear about a month ago, having heard that they had a Michelin star. Good points: perfect location, beautiful setting overlooking village cricket pitch, good space inside and out, real ale was fine. The food, however, was merely good, certainly not excellent. 2 of the 5 dishes were WAY too salty. Overall i'm VERY surprised that this place got a Michelin star. All the food sounds good on the menu, but doesn't live up to it's own description. Back to the Stephan Langton i go. Anyone would think they were paying me, but i just can't find a better pub to eat in locally, and they keep beer well as well. The Parrot just needs to try a bit harder.
28 Oct 2009 12:02
The Black Swan, Martyr's Green
Went here last night. I remember it from the old days when it was the pub they used to film An American Werewolf in London (the interior scenes in the 'pub on the moors'). Obviously it's had a gastropub makeover so is really a restaurant rather than a pub now. It seemed comfortable and clean. HOWEVER, the food was nowhere near good enough to merit the prices - i had two starters rarher than a starter and main, and the starters were �8 and �9 respectively. Most of the mains were around �16. My partners duck was overdone and not worth the �16. Unlike the Stephen Langton (my favourite food pub in Surrey) you don't get offered free bread and butter. The real ale (Doom Bar) was well kept. My starters were nice (scallops wrapped in pancetta on a bed of samphire with hollandaise sauce, followed by black pudding topped with herb potato mash and poached egg), but 3 scallops is stingy - should have been four.
The worst part was that threee separate items that we hadn't had, had been added to our bill. At no point did anyone deem this deserving of an apology, and the attitude was somewhere between 'oh ok we believe you' and 'alright then we'll let you off' which is disgusting when you've cocked up. Service was also inconsistent and forgetful - bread arrived without butter, and when we asked for butter and a second drink, neither arrived until the waitress was reminded. Good, not excellent food (starters better than main, nice desert) but DEFINITELY OVERPRICED compared to other superior surrey dining pubs.
28 Oct 2009 11:55
came in here last friday night. i thought it was pretty average but it was open late. I normally drink real ale but didn't fancy my chances on this evening, so stuck to lager (kronenbourg) which was fine. It can hardly go wrong i imagine. My main coment is how horribly brightly lit this place is. Does anyone really want to drink under the unblinking glare of numerous 100 watt bulbs? Basic mistake, glaringly obvious (excuse the pun), easily fixed.
28 Oct 2009 11:41
The Ealing Park Tavern, South Ealing
Can't agree with recent posts. I went there for the first time with my brother recently. OK, it's a gastropub, get over it. I had the best meal i've ever had in my life, and the service was excellent and attentive. Sure, it's a bit 'yuppie', but i actually like all the wood and the sofas, and the beer i had (Pride - or was it Doom Bar?) was well kept. There are more pubby pubs locally, but the food hear was beyond reproach, and the manager really knew her stuff - all of her recomendations were spot on. So rating for food 9, pub 7.
27 Aug 2009 17:11
Went there again twice recently. I think it's improving. Well kept beer (at least the London Pride that i had). Quite comfortable and friendly; good bar staff. A comfortable place to have a chat and contemplate life. Wi-fi access might be a good thing for the lunchtime punters (i'm surprised more people don't provide it, given that everyone's chasing trade), and i'm not convinced of the necessity of TWO large tv screens constantly on. nice to find a pool table and the garden's ok (but as a garden designer i could suggest a few improvements!). New landlady very personable and professional. One thing though: to run a good pub you need to be able to deal with the resident alcoholic, something that on my first recent visit the young girl at the bar seemed unable to do. One drunk boorish male singing loudly to the juke box can ruin the experience for the whole pub. Maybe direct him to the nearest AA meeting or community drug and alcohol team and make everyone's life happier. Let's face it, Ebeneezer Goode was never a good song, and it isn't improved by being sung by Mr Pisshead 20 years later... So i'll up my rating when they grasp that little nettle and do a bit of weeding.
27 Aug 2009 17:03
Absolutely and unreservedly dreadful. Dreadful beer, dreadful atmosphere, dreadful clientele. It reminded me of George Orwell's description of a bad pub that he returned to two decades after leaving the village in 'Coming Up For Air'. The Market Tavern is as depressing as that book.
15 Jun 2009 21:55
I've become quite fond of this of late. Hard to find a decent pub in Reigate. The one thing this place has got is atmosphere. It friendly and the bar staff are affable. Obviously it's tiny but it is reasonably comfy. However last time i went in the music was WAY too loud - in a pub this small, where people come to chat, that is quite a hindrance to actually having a conversation. The beer is patchy - i remember a middling Greene King IPA (never a favourite) and also i think a so-so Timothy Taylor's Landlord. They should try some London Pride or Sharp's Doom Bar. My favourite in Reigate though.
15 Jun 2009 21:52
went there recently. ok but not great, someone really pissed singing REALLY loudly in the front bar. Beer average, decorv and seats quite nice. Just nothing special.
15 Jun 2009 21:47
Stephan Langton Inn, Abinger Common
Just remembered another thing i love about this pub: the bread and butter. If you're eating, you always get a bowl of it, usually without asking. Always tastes home baked and is delicious. A nice touch. Still a lovely pub. Keep it up!
15 Jun 2009 21:40
Came here for my brother's birthday on a sunday a few weeks back. I have to say that it was the best carvery i have ever had and the bitter was very well kept. I can see waht people are saying about th TV's, but other than that my experience was that the food was fantastic (and a lot of it) and the staff very friendly in spite of being massively busy. Pleasantly impressed, at least for a lunchtime. Maybe not an evening pub
15 Jun 2009 21:29
The King William IV, Mickleham
What to say of 'The Wal', as it was called by people in the 70's. Yes it is in a beautiful location with lovely views over towards Norbury Park, the garden is lovely, and it's got charm, and in winter a log fire. I started going there in the late 80's but friends had been going since the mid 70's. As long as i've been going the food has ben at least good, sometimes excellent. The old landlady did seem to get progressively more grimpy towards the end of her reign, but the landlord (chef as well?) was excellent and the beers were kept really well. The new team started a few years ago. The landlord seems a little stressy and unwelcoming, but the food is still good but expensive. It's Surrey - they charge what they can - and there's a lot of money around. The beers are well kept and there's usually a very good selection, all well kept. This pub used to welcome walkers/ ramblers, but my impression is that they're trying to put them off a little now. One of the nice quirks used to be the serving hatch to the garden, but when i asked about this the landlord merely glowered and said 'we haven't opened that for at least two years'. A shame, as it actually makes it easier to welcome walkers, rather than make them remove all their footwear to enter the pub. The main source of the stress must surely be that they are trying to create decent meals in a TINY kitchen (and to be fair succeeeding) presumably because there would be neither room nor planning permission for a larger kitchen.
15 Jun 2009 21:22
I went here this evening against my better judgement as i had family up and we were all hungry, and it was convenient. The guest beer 'Bankers Draft' was actually rather good. The food however, was at best mediocre. 'Gently poached pear and Prosciuto salad' to start meant, as far as i could tell, tinned pears, with no flavour. Maybe that's what 'gently poached' is a euphemism for. The dressing didn't go with the sald at all; it's not difficult to get a simple dish like this right. For mains, 'superfood salad with chicken skewers. That's a normal salad with some pumpkin seeds on it and lots of raw red onion. The chicken skewers were dry and overcooked. The ham, egg and chips? surely it's impossible to get that wrong? Two overcooked eggs with powdery yolks, large slices of ham which, were the flavour a colour, would have been mid-grey. The colour of John Major's old spitting image puppet. In fact, maybe the ham actually tasted of John Major. There's a thought. Moroccan burger ok, but served with a stupid flat bread when it would far better suit focaccia or a normal decent bun (you don't need to stretch the Moroccan thing too far, we know it's Brake Bros). Generally completely uninspired food, and ANY pub should be able to get the basics right. A pub which is truly excellent at being mediocre.
15 Jun 2009 20:57
This is my local. It's what used to be called a roadhouse. It's a Chef and Brewer. It's average. Occasiionally a good beer but more often mediocre. Food ok but not excellent. Has an aura of 'fake pub' thanks to the hugely expensive renovation. It feels like what it is: part of a chain and corporate. If you're looking for character, go elsewhere. Friendly enough though. Superb view of Box Hill. Popular with local pensioners. I only ever go there because it's the nearest pub to my house.
22 Feb 2009 13:37
This pub makes me really sad. It COULD be brilliant - it's old, has flagged floors, stcoks Youngs and other decent real ales, has log fires, and a decent garden. But it isn't. Ignorant, dim staff, beers no longer well kept and a frankly reuplsive bunch of locals who have colonised the front table and for whom every other word must be a loudly issued swear word. Basically a bunch of ruddy-faced, reactionary, boorish, ornery middle-englanders swearing and telling racist jokes. Bar staff clearly too intimidated by this to bring them to order and therfore numbers will shrink even further. WHERE ARE THE MANAGEMENT and why are they allowing this to go on. You have to have control of your own pub. A real shame.
22 Feb 2009 13:29
Stephan Langton Inn, Abinger Common
This is sometimes my favourite local pub. Sometimes it's the Seven Stars at Leigh. I live in Dorking so they're about the same distance away from me. Here you get an arts-and-crafts building which looks older, real ales well kept, fine wines, the best selection of single malts locally (probably about 30) and food which is always a cut above most of the local pubs without being overly gastro-pubby. It's family and walker friendly and situated in idyllic Surrey Hills countryside close to Leith Hill. In fact you could cunningly contrive a ramble-cum-crawl involving the also-good-but-not-quite-as-good Plough at Coldharbour, which again is beautifully situated with even better views. This place changed management a year or so ago but this has changed it very little really - maybe a few more single malts, but the food remains as excellent as it's always been and the real ales are well kept. Great selection of pricey wines. I spent new years eve here the one before last and there was a folk gig and a bunch of locals and it was one of the loveliest New Years i've ever spent. Aided by a couple of Lagavulins. I stopped going a while ago as i had exhausted the menu. Now i've exhausted the menu at the Seven Stars so i go here again. This is my walking pub, Seven Stars is my cycling pub as i don't do hills! Decor basic but ok with borded wood floors. Nice log fires. Especially busy with walkers on those first sunny and unseasonably warm days of the year, be it February or April.
22 Feb 2009 13:11
Possibly my favourite pub. I don't live here, but fortunately my brother does - on the same road - and it's his local. I go there whenever i visit him. First off i'd give it a '10' but you have to leave some room for improvement and the garden is just average - but that's being churlish. The pub itself i adore. Brilliantly kept real ales and good selection of guest beers. Fantsatic landlord, friendly locals, nice unpretentious and un re-constructed interior (ie. still like a pub, not a wine bar). Food has recently become excellent, nice barmaids, great atmosphere, friendly. It's quite light and airy and in a great position 50m from the canal on a dead-end-street - so you have to be looking to find it. Maybe this is what makes the landlord and landlady try so hard to make it so good. Colin keeps the best pint of London Pride i've ever had and TT Landlord, Doom Bar and Tribute have been other regulars. I come from Surrey by the way, a land of innumerable average to good pubs, but very few great ones (at least near Dorking). I WISH this pub was my local. It's that rare thing - a proper locals' pub that also welcomes visitors with open arms. Highlights are easter beer festival and occasional live music.
22 Feb 2009 12:54
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The Pilgrim, Dorking
nipped in here again recently. not much has changed. They still do a decent pint of ale (Doom Bar) and have a great reputation amongst locals for sunday lunch. very much a local's pub, but not unfriendly at that. HOWEVER it did really strike me how tatty the decor is looking... a ceiling that doesn't know whether it's brown, orange or red, in places once-cream walls with tobacco stains from before the ban. Very dated wallpapaer in the dining area. Just generally DINGY and a bit unloved. Given a lick of paint, could be a lovely little pub. SOMEONE please spend a bit of money on it.
28 Nov 2011 14:00