The Royal Oak Inn, Great Wishford

Oh dear - this great pub has changed hands a few times recently. The last time I visited it was welcoming and had an unpretentious restaurant serving good english fayre. I walked in a few weeks ago (September 2009) and was greeted by the sound of jazz. The sniffy barman had a big fat silver tie on and seemed in two minds about letting us sit in the restaurant. He eventually acquiesced but having seen the unimaginative and overpriced bar menu (lasagne, burger etc) and the resturant (which was empty) menu we lost our good mood and our appetite. Resturant menu consisted of usual gastro garnishes to trad dishes to bump up price. We had a drink and watched somebody's buger arrive on a trendy platter with a few chips in an individual bucket.

The Royal Oak is in a great village and its lay out is ideal for being a friendly local for a convivial drink and a nice restaurant if you fancy treating yourself. Unfortunately the people currently running it have forgotten this. It doesn't matter how much you tart things up (I heard somebody ask for a bag of crisps and they were offered 'sea salt and crushed black pepper') it's still a pub. People pay top whack for the ambience of a restaurant - not for the dubious pleasure of cramming themselves along a wooden bench even if the frozen chips do come in a bucket. The biggest turn off - as always - was snooty bar staff. Where does that attitude come from? It ain't Chez Bruce, fellahs. Sure the locals must be biding their time until somebody with a handle on the current recession reality takes over. We left and went to The Swan at Stoford. It was still overpriced gastro food but at least the welcome was warm. It's an entry level requirement if you want people to come back and pay through the nose.

1 Oct 2009 08:48

The Harp, Covent Garden

Was in there last night (Tuesday 20th October). Bini the friendly landlady is doing all the right things - great array of well kept ales (nicest Harveys I've had)which you can try before you buy, eccentric and eclectic art on the walls and hot sausages readily available. What more could you wish for? Congratulated her on having the best pub in London. Richard

21 Nov 2007 20:29

The Bear, Wilton

Great little pub with the best pint of Badger First Gold I've tasted. Unique wood-crafted tables and Ben the pub dog. Jukebox and pool table. It's a proper pub!

9 Jul 2007 16:56