BITE user comments - redbarrel
Comments by redbarrel
Most offbeat, quirky pub I've ever come across. Didn't get a chance to examine the bric-a-brac lying around the ancient, timbered bar but the collection of cats and dogs are still going strong. Looks like parrot is no more. Run by a mother and daughter team who look characters in their own right. They were most welcoming and was chatting away but after a half of decent Abbot ale retreated from the attentions of the most friendly animals back to Kemsing for lunch in the Bell.
16 Feb 2018 21:41
Four of us gathered here on Tuesday for lunch. Food excellent and about four different beers on pump. The only slight hitch was the vegetarian amongst us was served bacon on their plate and on the menu it looked like a veggie choice. Tip: choose the bar area to eat in; we chose to sit in the restaurant part of the pub and were left in splendid isolation while all the action was from the large bar where people were also eating. Staff very friendly and 'mine host' does a great job of jollying along the punters and staff. The pub itself is a classic Tudor Inn with all the oak beams, old fire places you could wish for.
17 Mar 2017 08:19
Renamed The Pheasant about 18 months ago after being added to the Brunning and Price group. Impressively revamped and upgraded to a pub/restaurant with about half dozen ales on pump at the bar including Surrey Hills Shere Drop. Good range of food on the menu and cooked well so a few notches above standard pub grub therefore that bit more expensive. Couldn't fault the service. Very popular, so need to book at week-ends. Well worth a visit.
30 May 2016 23:45
Having found The Bull at Benenden packed out lunch-time my brother and I headed for Biddenden. Only one pub here now The Red Lion. What a contrast in popularity to The Bull as there was only one young couple at the bar ordering drinks, the rest of the pub was eerily empty. We wondered why it was completely devoid of regular customer when the up-market café next door also with beer and wine on the menu was full of diners and whether we should move on but as it was quarter to two by this time so we decided to stay. The roomy eating area had a log fire and was well laid out with cutlery and napkins with a tall red candle burning on each table and that together with the plentiful hanging Christmas decorations gave the place a retro feel of some forty years ago.
The large chalk-board (no menus on the tables) had a respectable choice of starters and main courses. My brother ordered from the old chap behind the bar in the small drinking part of the pub who offered to put it all 'on a piece of paper' for payment at the end. I was having liver and bacon with veg and my brother ordered bacon egg and chips instead of the ham egg and chips on the chalk board. That at first was refused as the meal came as a package of ham egg and chips but after an argument he offered to ask in the kitchen if that was possible. The young couple had meanwhile brought their drinks up from the bar past where we were sitting to a slightly separate part of the dining area at the back but a shouted instruction from behind the bar told them to come back and sit in the main part as where they'd chosen wasn't for eating (although the tables were set for meals). Meanwhile a couple of old regulars had arrived to a cheerful greeting and 'mine host' engaged in friendly conversation with them.
Judging by his demeanour with outsiders, just passing through, as if he was serving customers in a cycle shop but chatting away to his local buddies gave us the impression of someone who thought we should be treated in as customers who could have unpredictable demands and questions.
If you would like to experience the nearest I've come to Fawlty Towers, do try the Red Lion. After all the beer was good and the food reasonable pub nosh, so I guess we must have met the famous Bob of previous comments which could be the answer as to why the pub was almost empty.
21 Nov 2015 02:17
Pub closed sometime in the last year and is now a post office and general store.
21 Nov 2015 00:21
The Fox And Hounds, South Godstone
Went here last week and had one of their fresh fish specials - Bream which was delicious and was fresh. There was small new potatoes served with it but if you wanted any other veg it was extra. The three fish choices were £17 or £18, glass white wine £7.80. For two of us having two fish, two halves Spitfire, two sides of peas, two glasses of wine and two coffees came to £71. So pricey! Stick to main menu, beer instead of wine, no coffee - should be a reasonable price. Excellent service, very nice old 15thc pub with history of smuggling but only small car park in front. Well worth having a look at.
11 Nov 2015 11:02
Not a pub I'd particularly want to go back to. Only two hand pumps, one with clip turned round, the other had the ubiquitous Doom Bar but there were plenty of pressurised lagers on offer. Seating in the bar consists mainly of low stools round low tables or high stools round high tables. Separate conservatory extension for meals which on this grey, December day was even gloomier as sun blinds partially closed over windows and roof.
Having said that, on the plus side, the meals on the menu were reasonably priced and my pan fried salmon with veg followed by apple pie all tasted fine and same for the cod and chips my wife had.
Shame about general décor and seating but judging by the number of TV screens around this pub is geared for the sports viewing crowd needing the floor space.
1 Dec 2014 16:15
went here for lunch yesterday. It looks like the interior has been modernised and refurbished sometime in the last few years by modern designers who've created a very pleasant light Scandinavian feel to the open plan bar. Plenty of window space looking out across the main road to the river.
Quality of food was excellent and the bar staff were friendly and knowledgeable when I enquired about two of the ales on pump. One pump labelled 'The Red Lion' and one labelled 'Pumpkin' (Halloween theme) were brewed by Caledonian. The Red Lion was a light beer and the Pumpkin a darker brew with rather a strange herby/fruity flavour. The other pumps had Deuchars (best choice) and London Pride.
Well worth a visit to get your own opinion on the pub.
13 Nov 2014 13:28
think Fullers who run this as a showcase 'destination venue' as we were once told, must have a policy of not giving much elbow room to guest beers much like Youngs Brewery or rather Youngs Pubco. But having said that the Fullers Summer Ale went down a treat and in any case all irrelevant as most punters are here for the food and the unique setting.
The lunch my wife and I had was excellent - both her cod and chips and my lamb noisettes were well prepared and cooked and not your usual pub microwaved stuff and therefore as you would expect is a bit more expensive. Our meals with desserts and drinks came to £43. The other price you pay is that this isn't a pub in the usual sense of the word and certainly doesn't have any pub atmosphere. A restaurant with a bit of pub in it (bar and pumps) in a very picturesque setting is a better description.
It's still a good experience and we will be back every so often just because it is so different.
22 Jul 2014 23:15
The Tide End Cottage, Teddington
wife and I called here for lunch last Friday and pub was very busy with lots of punters sitting outside as it was really nice day. The two bar staff were doing a brilliant job touching all bases, pulling pints, fetching and carrying to and from the kitchen, due to staff shortage but this inevitably meant customers had to wait a while to be served. We were warned food order could take half an hour but as we were in no rush we stuck with it and enjoyed the beer - Greene King bitter. Food arrived within twenty minutes and my steak and chips with side salad was fine as was my wife's scampi. Nice buzz in the pub from different age groups students plus locals so all in all would definitely return.
15 Jul 2014 20:09
called in for lunch a couple of weeks ago and found this pub to be a very nice not too revamped local with a separate dining area and a general drinking or eating bar. There is also a gallery upstairs with an outside terrace where you can dine with great views across this part of the Vale. My gammon grill was done just how I like it with a small bucket of fat chips. From memory (anno domini is not kind on memory cells!) there were a couple of local ales on of which I had a pint of one which went down a treat. Definitely worth turning off J34 for a couple of miles to try.
14 Jul 2014 18:56
Wife and I had lunch here recently and the food was excellent. The pint of London Pride I had was in good condition. Nice neighbourhood local with obviously a strong local custom by the way the barmaid greeted all by name. Age profile pretty high which is prob par for the course with this type of pub. Agree with previous comment on décor - dated, with a strange taste in the wallpaper also going across the ceiling, last seen a lot of in French B&Bs.
22 May 2014 18:25
think BusterGut should get real. This is a chain pub (Ember Inn) catering for volume custom and is straightforward about it in the way the pub and the menus are laid out. My wife and I had lunch there twice recently, on weekdays, and the service was O.K., not fantastic, but O.K. I had gammon grill both times which went down a treat as the gammon was cooked well done just the way I like it. I tried two of the ales which were fine. What you see is what you get!
22 May 2014 18:07
Newly refurbished and opened in February 2014. Revamped from its previous life as a Brubeckers eatery & bar by the owners Brunning & Price and turned into a very presentable pub/bar downstairs and restaurant upstairs looking out at Hampton Court Palace and the Thames. There were three different real ales on each time we visited. I tried Brunning and Prices own original bitter 3.8% which is a standard bitter. The restaurant is accessed via a central spiral staircase and the couple of times my wife and I have been there we found the food and service excellent though I have heard one or two other reports that the service was very slow (although the food, when it arrived, was fine).
13 Apr 2014 21:56
A good basic local pub with friendly atmosphere. This is a pub my wife and I have callled at for lunch on one of our many trips from Surrey down to West Wales but unfortunately it's so long (about two years) since putting this piub up for inclusion and Bite posting it that I've forgotten details of food & beer.
21 Feb 2014 15:27
My wife and I called in lunchtime on a Friday recently. Usual regulars there seated at and near the bar. They seem a friendly bunch but its a case of you don't get talked to 'til they know you. Ale always in good condition here. I had the Shere Drop which apparently is now 'silver medallist ale for 2013'. It's OK but I can think of other beers I'd rate better than Shere Drop. Also Greene King IPA on. We tried a couple of the Thai dishes which were excellent. Nice atmosphere of a real local, unmucked about with, pub.
19 Dec 2013 17:31
This is a traditional local village pub still keeping a separate public bar and saloon bar which I don't think I've seen in years. There is a separate Thai restuarant leading off the saloon bar which seems to be run as a independent concern. I had a good pint of Abbott ale and my wife and I tried the Thai food on the menu which was excellent. More expensive than other pubs for a lunch - the two mains, two desserts and two drinks came to £31 but it was a very pleasant visit.
6 Nov 2013 16:59
Four of us had a main course and pudding plus two or three drinks here on Friday lunch time and it all came to £78. The menu had a good choice and not too pricey and we found the food very enjoyable.The bread and buttere pud was a great hit. I had two pints of Ringwood fortyniner 4.9% a fresh and not too bitter ale. Friendly atmosphere in the bar where we ate and very affable bar staff.
A good experience-and well worth a visit.
14 Apr 2013 12:14
The Stepping Stones, Westhumble
The recent facelift to the inside of the pub has wrought quite a remarkable change. The place is much brighter with light oak type wooden flooring and new furniture. The bar area has improved a lot and has lost that rather bare village hall effect and the restaurant now looks very inviting.
I tried the Falls Gold ale (4.2 abv) from the local Tillingbourne Brewery which was quite a light refreshing beer.
This pub is well worth a visit.
15 Nov 2012 11:33
the clientele sitting down to their enjoyable lunches yesterday when my wife and I visited were mainly well above middle age (going on 90 by the look of one or two of them) but still very sprightly and in good spirits.
Not being that hungry my wife had a prawn baguette and I had just one of the starters - black pudding & bacon on toast washed down with half of Surrey Hills' Ranmore ale and a half of Harveys bitter. Both beers in good condition but I preferred the maltier flavour of the Ranmore. The admittedly small amount of food that we wanted was very tasty. Will try a full meal another time.
Decor is plain and unmodernised which is great in my opinion. and with plenty of seating. Old chap in charge behind the bar knew what he was about (don't know if that would be the 'Ken' referred to elsewhere) and seemed a bit of a character.
Great pub will defo be back.
15 Nov 2012 11:10
my wife and I called here for lunch yesterday and we were impressed at the good quality of the food and the friendly service from the staff. Between the main menu and the daily specials there is a reasonable choice of dishes although they do major on their pies for mains, so it's particularly good if you're a pie fanatic. I ordered a chicken & curry pie and my wife a welsh (hand-made) lamb-burger both with chips and salad. To follow we had one vanilla ice cream and one Rhubarb & blackberry pie with cream.
I had a very good pint of Tribute ale and my wife a coke and the bill came to a very reasonable �33.
There are two eating areas and a 'snug' bar which looked like it was for the locals to have a pint in and play darts.
There were two minus points. For me personally one was that I'm not a great lover of my meat pie being served in a ceramic dish with just a top crust of pastry although this is a widespread catering method of cooking these dishes. The salad was likewise served in a dish so if you don't decant the dishes on to your plate you're left holding knife and fork vertically to avoid the sides of the bowls or else you tip the contents out and end up with a bit of a mess.
The other minus was that we had a long wait for our dessert to be served.
Having said this the food was very tasty and this pub is definitely worth trying.
13 May 2012 00:47
In fact both fosterman and TonyMac are right about this pub in their own way. If you want a traditional pub to have a drink in, you would go elsewhere but for a meal of acceptable quality at a very reasonable price and excellent service the Royal Oak would take some beating.
Three of us went for a late Sunday lunch (3.00pm) yesterday and the pub was still crowded, with diners at most of the tables. The beers on pump are three of McMullan's own; IPA, Country, and AK.
For lunch we ordered a sunday roast beef dinner, a roast chicken dinner and I had a lamb steak with chips. We had two desserts and with sundry glasses of water, a soft drink, and couple of halves of AK the bill was �40.
A very pleasant young waitress served us and all in all it was very good value for money. No wonder half of Chingford seem to be in the place.
Well worth trying the Royal Oak for a meal, but not the place to head for in the evening to have a few drinks with friends in a pub atmosphere.
12 Mar 2012 09:11
The Fox on the Hill, Lower Kingswood
Visited the Fox for the first time since October when just the bar was functioning. There's been yet another change to this pubs fortunes but this time for the better, in fact a whole lot better.
The bar area is much bigger, back to the sort of area it had five years ago. Although the decor is plain it does the business. A draught ale was on which tasted fine (couldn't see the name from where I was standing at the bar) but for good or ill they've left the pool table in one part of the room, no doubt inherited from the previous management.
The restaurant is back to it's former glory but with a Nepalese style to the food. The meals we had were excellent the quality of the meat and the flavours were as good as I remember they nused to be. The service was very prompt and friendly and we had quite a laugh and chat with the staff.
Well recommended to give this pub a visit more especially if you intend eating.
26 Feb 2012 10:02
Rather a strange layout. When you enter the pub through the front entrance the whole seating area kind of straggles round the bar in a sort of U shape and then through a narrow arch into a dining area. A non-descript atmosphere is re-inforced by the decor reminiscent of a struggling three star hotel, all not helped by there only being a handful of customers. Would not bother to re-visit.
21 Jan 2012 00:13
The Castle is a restaurant in all but name, the pub has been virtually linened and cutleryed out of existence, except that there is a pub bar which not only has pumps still on active service but with an unusually good selection of real ales. The beers on were; Harveys Sussex, Pilgrim Progress & Pilgrim Sussex from Reigate Brewery, and Brakspears Oxford. I tried the Oxford and it was very good but my brother tried one of the Pilgrims and abandoned it. Well, that's just the luck of the draw when you try beers you haven't come across before.
No doubt, by the look of the chalk board menu, you can eat rather well here for a reasonable price, but it is the beers that are the Castle's saving grace as a pub.
21 Jan 2012 00:07
The first pub visited in Outwood turned out to be easily the best of the three in the village. Really old (17thc) oak-beamed pub with plenty of space inside. Separate dining area at the back but we could take lunch anywhere in the main bar areas. The pub had been an independent until six years ago when it was taken over by Fullers, however it has managed to retain its individuality, and that includes the menu which has a very varied choice and not the usual standard Fullers' fare. We ordered the steak & kidney pudding with seasonal veg. This was soon served, nice and hot, and was an old fashioned suet pudding. It tasted very good but I personally wasn't keen on the winter vegetables of swede, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. I would have preferred peas, runner beans, sprouts or cabbage, but the new potatoes were excellent.
Beers were good but here we were limited to Fullers products, namely; Jack Frost, ESB, and London Pride.
We found the two young bar staff friendly, helpful and giving a very good customer service. The Bell is well worth a visit.
20 Jan 2012 23:58
Yes, my mistake, there is a car park. On my first visit didn't even investigate the sort of rabbit burrow that goes through the ground floor.
It's such a great pub with plenty of character that I took the missus there before Christmas for my second visit. Apparently the chef is German and I tried one of his specialities - think it was Z�richer Geschnetzeltes mit R�sti. Excellent! Only slight criticsm is that like a lot of pubs the casual bar staff can do a lot to help or hinder the atmosphere and here I think the pub is a bit lacking.
7 Jan 2012 18:41
Tried the Shere Drop (Surrey Hills Brewery) which was a very good pint. The 'Bar Snacks' menu didn't have anything much in the way of cooked food, so headed round to the dining area. The pub itself was quite busy but the dining room was empty although it did fill up later. I had pork & herb sausages with Colcannon mash. Food freshly cooked and the meat sourced from the local butcher. The William IV is a fairly large pub with the space broken up into different sized seating areas to go with the vagaries of a very old timbered building. The whole pub though, has a nice friendly atmosphere. Well worth a visit.
9 Dec 2011 19:46
Fairly run-down establishment built on a slope so that the entrance is from the car-park at the rear into the upper storey. The street level floor serves as the cellar, apparently. The upper floor is separated off into different areas of disparate, non-descript styles. The whole building needs a lot of money spent on it to do a major refit, pulling it together into a cohesive whole. Beers on were an unexciting trio of TEA, London Pride & Doom Bar.
9 Dec 2011 19:25
Now called The Inn on the Green/The Grumpy Mole and has completely changed from the original pub no doubt at great expense. It is now an out and out Gastro-Pub with a small seating area in front of the bar. The menu looked varied and attractive. Staff were friendly and on the ball. Gives every indication of being a fairly up-market venue for a decent evening meal (at a price). Can't give a pub rating because it is essentially a restaurant.
9 Dec 2011 18:58
A nice, probably Victorian era building on the outside, spoilt on the inside by a rough attempt at modernisation in the 60's or 70's, by the look of it. The interior is L shaped with a sports club looking bar at the corner of the L and odds and ends of seating around with a few tables and chairs for meals at the rear of one end of the L shape, at the back of the pub, and a dart board down the other end of the L, at the front of the pub. Not what one would call a cosy, olde worlde Inn but no doubt it serves a lot of the locals well enough otherwise it would have closed by now.
Beers: Youngs Bitter, Fullers London Pride & Sharps Doom Bar.
9 Dec 2011 18:49
Large car park in front. Pub divided into two distinctly different areas. When you enter the pub from the car park through the door situated fairly centrally in the front of the building you are then faced with a choice of doors to your left and right. The left door leads into the general bar which has plenty of seating in a relaxed atmosphere with a large open fire going at one end of the room. We tried the Old Speckled Hen which was in good condition. The door on the right leads into a large, quite formal, dining area with many tables laid ready for dining for two or four people.
18 Nov 2011 19:53
Nice friendly atmosphere in this old pub with original features that haven't been mucked about with. Pleasant barmaid served us with a smile. Lunch-time menu choices limited to about five or six items but the bacon, sausages, eggs, peas and chips that my brother and I had, went down a treat with a nice pint of Skinners Cornish ale. The Brakspears Bitter tasted flat by comparison. Will definitely visit again.
18 Nov 2011 19:39
Good 'gastro' food cooked on premises at a reasonable price. Guinea fowl, Quail, Venison, features but without an offputting gastro pub style. Having said that, as far as we could see, all the seating is laid for dining with not much room between the tables, the main barman was rather assertive and the pub feels like it�s run to produce an income stream and not as a good, welcoming pub. Beer: Youngs.
14 Nov 2011 13:44
Rather odd little set up split into three areas, no doubt due to the ancient character of the building. One small, rather rough looking drinking bar, approached through a door directly on the High Street and another general area through another door lying back from the High Street. This area houses the bar tacked on to the side of the room and with some seating for a few diners having lunch when we were there. At the rear of this area a short connecting corridor leads into a longer wider section with a few tables and chairs along the length and a door out to the car park at the rear. Despite the main bar retaining its old character with oak beams and large open range fire there was a distinct lack of atmosphere about the place. The Courage Best went down well though.
14 Nov 2011 13:00
Old coaching inn with a very rambling layout. Seating in bits and pieces through the bars. Could be an ideal old pub but it feels that the hotel side takes priority and the bars are just an adjunct. Beers: Greene King IPA & Hogsback TEA.
11 Nov 2011 21:28
Irish landlord, very jokey 'til he decided he'd done enough customer entertainment and turned it off. Party of about 15 OAP's arrived. Food was very good - cooked on premises. Beers: Brakspears Best Bitter & Three Drop, Adnams Southwold, Sharps Doom Bar.
11 Nov 2011 21:17
Large pub, L shaped inside. Packed solid Tuesday lunch time with diners. Must be good, to be so popular - seeing how it's stuck up a rough country lane in the outback. Difficult to get served with a drink at the bar so we left without ordering.
11 Nov 2011 21:08
Very nice little village type pub. Food cooked on premises with a wide choice on chalk board menu, on the wall over a large traditional open fireplace. One area given over to dining with what looked like the usual fairly close packed tables for four. Variety of seating in rest of pub. Pub definitely shuts at 3 o'clock sharp with reminders that "we'll be closing in a few minutes". Puttenham is very accessible as it lies just off the A31 with the A3 nearby but the pub had no car park as far as I could see, and the on street parking is severely limited. Beers: Old Glory & Otter.
11 Nov 2011 21:01
Obviously, originally a 1930's road house style pub. On a trangular site
formed by Reigate Road and the Old Reigate Road, with the building side
on between the two roads at the base of the triangle and the rest making
a large parking area in front. Pub now almost totally given over to a
mid-market restaurant, done out in a modern, light, Scandinavian style.
A couple of cuts or more above yer Chef & Brewers and yer Ember Inns.The food is excellent and well worth a visit as a restaurant but not as a pub.
11 Nov 2011 20:51
A nice spacious pub, with a bright decor. The floor space is split into several different areas with a mix of dining type seating and easy chairs with low tables. and a central bar area. We called in the middle of the afternoon so didn't eat. They had four ales on pump two Greene King beers, Sharps Doom Bar and a guest beer; Dark Island from the Orkneys - a dark ale (4.6%) with an unusual flavour reminiscent of roasted coffee beans. I quite liked it. Full marks to the young bar-maid for offering us a taster glass first without being asked.
Will call again and try the food.
25 Oct 2011 17:45
This pub is very popular on sunny week-ends due to it's marvellous location overlooking the sea not far from Penarth. Get there early else you have to put your name down behind the bar to queue for a table and then wait for service. Large menu with usual pub choices but food is very good. Good choice of beers on pump. Well worth a visit but can well imagine on a cold wet winter's week-end the place would be a bit of a mausoleum.
11 Oct 2011 17:33
The Fox on the Hill, Lower Kingswood
The bar is now open. At least it looks better than it did before the previous incarnation closed down but no draft beers on, just the usual lagers on tap. The bar is now completely separate from the yet to open restaurant section which will have it's own outside entrance. The polite bar person was a man of few words but did volunteer that the restaurant section would open "probably in about two weeks". Yes, well, we'll see.
11 Oct 2011 16:25
We were heading for Cowbridge for lunch back in April when we passed the Red Fox and as it looked so well kept we thought we'd stop for lunch. The pub has a nice traditional atmosphere and was taken over four years ago by a couple who have obviously put a lot of effort into making a go of it. We chose off the specials menu, my wife tried the faggots which were tasty (I tried some of hers) but she didn�t manage to finish them as they were nearly as big as tennis balls. I had chicken wrapped in bacon with a pate filling which I did finish. Although served in the modern tower style the portions are filling though my meal had too much salt added for my taste. I tried both the Thos. Watkins OSB & Evan Evans Cwrw ales on pump. Both beers tasted fine but not as good as Brains ordinary bitter.
24 Jun 2011 16:19
Recently called in on Saturday lunch time. Wasn't that hungry so just had the soup of the day which was celery and a cheese soup served with fresh bread and butter. This was very good but the apple & rhubarb crumble afters wasn't. Rather strange after taste to the crumble. However, my brother enjoyed his roast pork main course. The menu had a reasonable choice with specials of the day.
There is a separate dining area in a bright, glassed, extension to one side and probably as it was the weekend had family diners. I wondered why all the tables in the main pub bar area were also set for meals. A pub usually would leave a few unlaid for the ordinary drinker. The local and fairly mature (notice, I'm polite) customers who obviously all knew each other were congregated at the bar which one could describe as giving the pub either a nice community feel or being cliquey depending whether one is gin_and_tonic or not!
Overall, well worth a visit.
15 May 2011 12:13
Taken over by new owners two years ago. The pub has been refurbished but kept the original layout and character. No sign of any blue paint. Couple of real ales on pump. Plenty to choose from on the excellent menu. Specials change daily. Everything cooked from fresh hence prices more than the average pub fare but the quality makes it well worth it. Well worth trying.
13 Apr 2011 17:28
Sign above the pub 'to let' plus open offer to run it (if anyones interested). Pub absolutely dead this lunch-time. Nobody else in there - the only sound was from Michael Bubl� bouncing off the walls - ugh! Had a half of Black Sheep which was served chilled - ugh, ugh! before quickly moving on.
23 Jun 2010 17:05
Wife and I called in here briefly early lunch time today. Pub was fairly empty at 12:15 so got served straight away. We sat outside on the terrace as it was a brilliant sunny day and I enjoyed a pint of Fullers Hock. Dining area looked nicely laid out in a conservatory type extension but menu wasn't too appealing to us, with mashed potato with a lot of the choices. Looked like it was easily heated pub food. The area outside is very extensive if intensively developed for seating. Plenty of student types coming in and giving a bit of atmosphere to the place. Riverside venue makes it an attractive venue but we didn't give it a good test. Have to try drinking and eating there on a busy evening.
21 Apr 2010 16:16
Recently visited the pub for the first time and was most impressed with the food. All home made - my steak & kidney pie with five veg was superb. The best pub lunch I've had in years and a nice drop of Adnams to go with it. Pub was pretty crowded with what looked like a lot of regulars, so it made for a good atmosphere. Best arrive early with a good appetite as portions are huge.
13 Mar 2010 21:53
The Bell, Kemsing
A very doable local pub of the Greene King ilk, managed by friendly young Irish guy who kept everyone well served. Beer selection still not inspired having three on offer; Greene King IPA, Abbott and one guest beer. The Abbott was in good condition. On the other hand good variety on the menu. I tried a straight forward gammon steak, two eggs and chips which was fine.
Not a destination pub but if you're around the area, worth looking in.
16 Feb 2018 21:53