The Inn On The Lake, Godalming

It's been a while since we visited this place. My memories of it under its previous management, Martin and son apparently, are that it wasn't a very nice place to go for a meal - the food was indifferent and the general ambience not good. Sadly a recent visit to the place in its new incarnation (as a trendy restaurant for the Surrey foodies) was hardly likely to encourage further explorations. Despite the staff being generally friendly, no-one took the trouble to welcome us to the restaurant (we hadn't made a booking: first big mistake) or enquire about what we wanted. We ordered drinks at the bar (definitely not cheap) and sat outside on the terrace (excellent views of the main road traffic!) and waited to see what would happen. Eventually one of the waiters brought us a menu which was...not particularly inspiring for me as a vegetarian - the ubiquitous goat's cheese tart (!) or a Margherita pizza seemed to be all that I could safely order. Alas, by now the rest of the terrace was populated by the tobacco addicts, including a cigar smoker, so we decided that the over-loud music indoors would be the lesser of two evils and asked if we could have a table for two in the main restaurant. Apart from one situated rather too close to the entrance to the gents' toilets for my liking (why do restaurants think this is OK?), there was nothing available (see: we should have booked; but this was an unplanned dinner after an otherwise pleasant day out). We said thanks, finished our drinks and departed; and so I cannot give an appraisal of the food. No doubt this place finds favour with those who will tolerate background music played too loud to be background and too frenetic to be an acceptable part of the ambience of a decent restaurant; enjoy seriously expensive fixtures and fittings; and favour menus with items that are 'pan-fried' (how else does one 'fry' something, incidentally?). Perhaps we were unlucky on the day we called in (it was a Tuesday evening in early August 2005): perhaps our expectations were too high, or low: perhaps it was all just a tad too pretentious for our liking and for its own good. It will probably impress a lot of business clients and visiting tourists and it certainly appeals to the more affluent elements of Surrey society (that is, the majority in this neck of the woods), but it hardly qualifies any longer for description as a pub.

3 Aug 2005 12:40