BITE user comments - tommarto
Comments by tommarto
A 'local' pub in the best sense of the word. They have an excellent, constantly changing range of well-kept ales, including many from small/obscure breweries that I've not come across before. The open-plan lounge bar is comfortable and the garden, though fairly compact (good luck with your double pushchair!) is well-maintained and a pleasant place to relax with a pint when the flora is in bloom. I've always been made to feel welcome there, even with a baby or toddler (and there are loads of games and toys to keep them amused for the duration of a pint). There is clearly a vibrant community atmosphere, as evidenced by the variety of groups and activities advertised on the walls, and they levy a fine for any use of mobile phones within the bar (phone users are 'invited' to take their call in the open-air annexe adjacent to the front door). An antediluvian jukebox stands against one wall, but I've never seen it working, so I don't know whether it is ever in service or simply there as a remembrance of times past.
There's very little to criticise this pub - and it's not helpful to post a review of a pub that you last visited six years ago. Give it a go, Thomasgx1, you might just be pleasantly surprised.
25 Aug 2009 11:10
I left the waking horror that is the Stoneycroft Hotel just off London Rd, desperately seeking sanctuary in a sympathetic hostelry. Happily, I didn't have to walk for long - about 4 minutes. The Old Horse is a large yet homely 'come-one-come-all' boozer with a good range of beers (including Everard's Sunchaser - in December?!) and a big menu. The food isn't as impressive as the beer, and one of our party had to send his inedible chicken back, but it's serviceable pub grub. (If you want haute cuisine, there are about 10,000 curry houses in Leicester vying for your custom.) A friendly, vibrant atmosphere, very good ales and no holds barred with the Christmas decorations - just the job to stave off the terrors of staying at a cross between Bates Motel and The Overlook (off of The Shining).
12 Dec 2007 17:44
From the outside, you might decide to give this unprepossessing street-corner boozer a miss. Don't. The first couple of snug little rooms lead into a spacious glass-roofed room of tables & chairs, on the wall of which you'll find a huge menu of home-cooked Indian dishes. Pass through this room into the Barbecue Room, and you're faced with even more sub-continental specialities, cooked on a huge griddle. The chicken tikka kebab I had was exceptionally good, and great value at �2.75. There's usually a guest beer (two well-kept Archers brews on the two nights I visited) and the (numerous) staff were uniformly welcoming. The general atmosphere is friendly, family-oriented and unpretentious, and if you ever find yourself passing through West Brom, grab the chance to visit The Vine.
(PS - A greater choice of ales would have added another rating point.)
24 Feb 2007 15:06
Having socialised in Portsmouth for the last 20 years, and been a resident for only the last 6 weeks, I had previously been unaware of this backstreet boozer. I had missed out. A pleasant interior with various levels and areas (including comfy sofas), this is probably as close as you'll get to a sitting-room atmosphere outside your own house. Very well-kept ales (last Saturday night I enjoyed Landlord and Summer Lightning) and a friendly bar staff make this a good choice for a relaxed drink. I got the feeling quite a few of the clientele were having an early drink prior to a big night out - unless they're just REALLY smart around Taswell Street...
29 Jan 2007 11:08
The Wild Goose, Combeinteignhead
Somewhere out there is the perfect pub, the one that ticks all the boxes, the one without a single noticeable flaw. I don't know if it actually exists, but the Wild Goose must come very close. This tucked-away little beauty has been a pub for centuries, and is still about as lovely a country pub as you could hope to find. The interior is all very olde worlde without being tacky, there's a massive open hearth fire in the winter, and a pretty little garden round the back should the sun deign to shine. There is no piped music, no jukebox, no machines, and no pool table or dartboard. The ales are uniformly excellent, with seven constantly changing and always interesting (mostly local) brews. Last time I was in they had a 'real lager' on, and the time before that I tried a particularly delicious green-coloured ale called Step Into Spring (I think). The quality and choice of beer is matched by the food on offer - all fresh, locally-supplied ingredients, cooked (not microwaved) to order. And very tasty. We popped in for a drink last Tuesday, only to find that it was 'Chish & Fips Night'. A better battered haddock I have yet to eat - my only regret was that I had no room for the homemade treacle tart. Why isn't this the perfect pub? Because it's not within walking distance of my house! A friendly country pub to cherish.
14 Jun 2006 20:17
All right, so it's a Wetherspoons. So it gets more than a few of the kind of drinkers that you wouldn't necessarily want to engage in conversation (or, indeed, meet in a dark alley). But you don't HAVE to drink there! If you're looking for a genteel, chi-chi boutique-y atmosphere you're obviously in the wrong place. But there's a wide selection of ales, they're generally very well kept, you can try before you buy, and it's cheap - admittedly, the probable reason that it's so busy all the time. And the majority of drinkers are more than likely very lovely people. I know I am...
4 Feb 2006 16:30
If you're exclusively a beer drinker, and don't have any sense of adventure with regards your drinking, avoid this place entirely. If, on the other hand, you want to sample artisan ciders in an atmosphere as 'authenic' as you're likely to find in a town pub, you're in for a treat. Ignore the (frankly quite off-putting) shabby exterior and you enter a basic but loveable local pub which sells cider from the wood, country wines, and the odd spirit - but NO BEER. A surprisingly diverse crowd, too.
23 Nov 2005 18:01
The Nook (aka Rose & Crown) is a blinding little pub. I spent one memorable (for the most part) St. Patrick's night there, which started well at 4pm when I was offered a steaming bowl of Irish stew and soda bread on the house. You don't get that at O'Neills... Great beer (including a good selection of local brews), a decent jukebox (although you're unlikely to hear it playing should you pop in for a quiet lunchtime pint) and a real fire in one of the rooms make this a little gem of a boozer. Even the somewhat, er, idiosyncratic pool table doesn't detract from its charm; just try to find a local who'll tell you where it is. Clue - have a look behind your nuts...
18 Oct 2005 12:10
The John Baird, Muswell Hill
Having spent a considerable amount of time staying in Muswell Hill for work, I have become an 'occasional regular' in the few pubs there are up here, and the John Baird stands head and shoulders above its competitors. I've always found the staff to be friendly and efficient, particularly for London, and the drinkers tend to follow suit. During a recent visit a chap asked whether he and a friend could share my table, and gathering that I was alone they asked whether this was my first visit to the pub. After a pleasant chat they continued their conversation and I went back to my paper until my (excellent) Thai curry arrived. They left, and the seats were quickly taken by a couple who were in for the pub quiz. Again, they noted that I was an unfamiliar face in the pub, and made me feel most welcome in their local - this seems to be the rule, not the exception.
The landlord clearly has a passion for real ale, and the broad selection (usually 8 brews) changes very regularly. I have never had a disappointing pint here, and god knows that's rare enough in these parts. They generally have several guests on the go, and I have discovered a couple of beauties - try Sharp's Atlantic IPA if you get the chance.
An oasis in a bit of a real ale desert.
23 Mar 2011 18:07