BITE user comments - InnCheck
Comments by InnCheck
An update; I visited this place of an evening last weekend and the Reports I were given were confirmed as pretty accurate. We were welcomed with dim lighting, a sparse crowd and a smell.
Never in the tills of fallen Cygnus was no such money taken by so many who are now so few. The patron ain'ts have gone on deserstion.
Customers were treated to Heart FM being 'pumped' through the television. Now i'm not sure of the slogan "Give it some Heart", but what this establishment desperately needs back is the Soul that once kept this little gem afloat.
Compare this pub with another on the market and The Swan gets flown out of the water.
I give you the Black Horse, which is not listed on this site.
I like this place. You've got good beer, good service and a good atmosphere. Not much else is needed really.
During the day it's filled with food lovers, lunchtime desk-jockeys and the senior service. You can really appreciate listening to the veteran anecdotes of these men who have been there, done it and got the singlet.
At night it's an asylum of callow youths, party people and the all of sundry of the night's drinkers who are out in Thame.
There's such a mix of people that get in here that if Berie Bassett walked in off the street, he'd probably say to himself, "Christ, not another work's do".
The great composer John Sullivan once wrote, "Only Fools and Horses Work" and the Black Horse certainly works for me.
Carlsberg don't do this pub, but it's still probably the best pub in Thame. So good in fact that it may not appear on comparison websites, especially not CompareTheBeerTat.com. Simples.
10 Jul 2009 16:00
Since the Brothers Grin stopped keeping bar here a couple of years ago, this place has gone downhill with such devastating affects that Jack and Jill are wondering whether there really was a necessity to have that tap fitted.
Contrary to recent reports, although this pub has been acting like a fairground ride, it still seems to find itself lost in the Hall of Mirrors rather than the Hall of Fame.
Since they left, this pub has changed hands more times than an Olympic Relay baton, but has never stayed on track to provide good service or a good atmosphere, two things that you could always rely on.
On some occasions, you can walk in and there is no-one in there; staff and customers alike, lunchtime speaking of course. However, the Reports I�ve heard do not suggest that the evenings have a much better outlook.
When the beer is served, it is good. But good beer doesn�t always bring success. You need a suitable location to enjoy it. Imagine if Wordsworth had never taken a walk through a shady glen�
This venue still has the potential to be a cracking little watering hole, but with the way things are going, they�ll end up with the wrong sort of �hole� that the proprietors are after.
Is this pub going to end up the Swanny or will it return to the glory days of Big Brother, Little Brother? Who knows, you decide.
1 Jul 2009 15:38
Due to a slight miscalculation when this pub was named, it was crowned The Queen�s Head whereas perhaps a more suitable name would have been The Queen Vic. Little did they know when confirmation was sent to the signage company that this venue, in hundreds of years to come, would pay homage to one of Britain�s best loved soap-operas. Please take your seats for this is Eastenders Live.
A feast of regular characters with intriguing plot lines, less frequent extras with their ever developing parts to play and the occasional bit-part players who have often appeared to have forgotten their lines. Good, no nonsense staff make up the cast in this atmospheric venue as they tread the boards with willingness and authority.
Over the years, this building has probably seen more fights than Vegas, more heartbreak than Blind Date and probably more ham over-acted theatricals than, well, perhaps Walford�s very own pub on the square.
Question is what will be going on when you pay a visit?
Duff�duff�duff�
3 Jan 2009 14:10
Shopping along the Magnificent Mile, its 150-foot tall Ferris Wheel and two tall glass sculptures that make up the Crown Fountain are just some of the attractions that may tempt you to visit the city of Chicago in the U.S.A.
In contrast, the long walk through the town centre, the 150-foot queue and the bricked-up Maxell Centre twinned as a urinal, are what you may experience if you decide to visit Chicago, Aylesbury.
As Frank Sinatra once sang, "They have the time, the time of their life, I saw a man he danced with his wife in Chicago"
There were certainly a lot of people showing signs that they were enjoying themselves, but a man dancing with his wife? Not a chance.
Town planners tend to get a bit of stick at times, but one must admire the drollness of the decision to erect this Cafe on the site of the old Cattle Market of Aylesbury. A site where livestock was once auctioned off to the highest bidder. One might say that the full circle of life is complete, and that, pardon the expression, the cows have come home.
The Changing Rooms style makeover that the venue went through in recent years seemed to have taken away some of the encouraging atmosphere that could once have been experienced in more popular times. It now feels as though the party has moved from the living room to the kitchen.
According to 'reliable' sources the name "Chicago" is the French rendering of the Miami-Illinois name shikaakwa, meaning �wild leek�. This is quite apt, as it appears that this is an affliction suffered and shared by every male in the building, judging by the state of gents, even at early evening.
Overall, this place wasn't as bad as previously anticipated after past visits; pleasant door staff, who spoke to you as customers rather than adversaries; good, quick(er) bar service; an air of enjoyment. The DJ was more Thomas Cook than Norman Cook, but his set was well received.
Bottled beers are recommended, unless you're happy drinking 'some sort of yellow stuff' out of plastic glasses and �5 entry fee is way too steep.
Although better than expected, Chicago, Aylesbury will still remain a once in a lifetime establishment. This is of course the amount of times you should visit; having said that, once every two or three months may be tolerated.
4 Sep 2008 21:36
In the mid-nineties, the Hobgoblin, Aylesbury opened it's doors for business. In the same era, Michael Jackson released the album HIStory. Now although both subjects have a lot of this to offer, i feel that the word that has been more frequently used in association with both parties is 'Bad'. However, with regards to changing faces, the Hobgoblin has seen a lot more.
In days gone by, patrons gathered here for a late drink, witty conversation and hassle free beverage consumption, where the theme tune to Cheers would have accompanied such festivities with a perfect sense of togetherness, such as strawberries and cream, Morecambe and Wise, 118-118.
Gentlemen, Ladies, Creatures of the Night, i take you back to these times. Yes, the Hobgoblin is back on it's feet, like the recovering drunks who fell, were turned away, with the last power hungry 'man-at-the-top'.
With this charge in control, finding a late night drink and good inn-keeping was very much like trying to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. But now, thanks to a recent regime change, the WMDs that we crave (Wanting More Drinks) are very welcomely obliged and served.
The mixture of characters are still on show, the flirting of personalities is still evident. But everybody in here is in here for the same reason. A good time, a good drink, a good night and thank-you.
The doors are open, the atmosphere is rife, the service is good, the beer tastes like...like beer. Combine this with the feel good factor of yesteryear and the conveniently adjacent pumpkin-like taxis floating people, who've had a ball, from this once disenchanted Neverland home to rest, and the Hobgoblin is back to how it is liked. Like a pub.
Reminiscent of a distant, ghostly howling on the moors, the resident music-maker can sometimes be heard chorusing it's way through 'The Way You Make Me Feel' and like the opinion of many of the Hobgoblin's frequent-flyers, this is a good thing, not 'Bad'.
19 Aug 2008 17:23
If the Beijing Olympics capture your imagination this summer and you are able to catch a glimpse of the pool events, you will not see a bigger dive than this place.
It looked like a student bar without the education, with surly youths swaggering around the empty shell of a former great pub. Once frequented by working farmers from the market, it appears they have long since gone, but the livestock have returned.
I would never criticise bar staff who are up against it, but all I can say is The Bates Motel had better customer service practices in place than what was on offer here.
After managing to peel my arm off the sticky bar, I was able to hand the barkeep my note. Unfortunately it was bank note rather than my preferred sick note excusing me from any future visits. On receiving my handful of shrapnel, I was rewarded with two flat pints that I can only assume thought they were going to a fancy dress party on Shrove Tuesday.
The welcoming, and leaving committee were fallen idles, littering the pavement wondering, 'Where am I?', 'What am I doing here?' and to be honest, the same interrogation was going through my own mind as well.
All in all, this place should be avoided. It has all the worldly charm and charisma that would probably make Ken Dodd feel depressed. The Samaritans are only a phone call away; a taxi rank is even closer. A Shame really, as this has gone from a very decent pub to a descent pub.
Hail the credit crunch and put this place out to pasture for a year, for these Grapes have become very sour.
9 Aug 2008 12:18
For my sins I recently visited this venue, and after eventually negotiating my way past the sarcastic witisisms of the two bouncers, which incidentally were more Max and Tanya than Max and Paddy, I found myself inside.
Did I dare to choose a pint of watery beer with less of a head on it that one of King Henry VIII's unfortunate wives, or go for the safer option of a bottle? A bottle it was then, on the basis that is was stored unopened and there was less chance of it getting spilled by a flailing elbow as I side-swiped my way through the energetic party revellers.
Getting back to the bar for a second drink was like the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, and although instead of bullets and mustard gas it was vulgar obscenities and cheap perfume that filled the airspace, I would have still preferred Tom Hanks to lead the way.
As per my previous visit to the bar, I didn't get served until, friends, colleagues, lads they took a shine to, or anyone with a height advantage over me had been served first.
After some time spent watching two teens attempting the Jitterbug, the evening wouldn't have been complete without the main event of two alcohol-fuelled 'men' Greco-style wrestling, with bottles and people being knocked to the floor in their wake. They did eventually take their 'fight' outside, presumably because they wouldn't have got their Ben Sherman shirts any dirtier if they rolled around on the pavement, as opposed to the carpet.
We were also reminded by the DJ, on several occasions, that we could post pictures of ourselves �enjoying� the evening on Facebook. The mere thought of pictorial evidence of my visit being published to the World Wide Web is enough to consider becoming a hermit. Either that or emigrating to Outer Mongolia. Do they know about Facebook out there yet?
I paid �3.00 to enter this place; I would have happily paid anything above this to leave.
Finally, a word of advice for anyone wishing to frequent, or being dragged to this establishment; If you've got a shirt or a top that matches, wear fishing waders, just on the off chance that you'll have to visit the facilities during your eventful stay.
23 Jun 2008 13:19
This establishment has it all; friendly, experienced staff, a good choice of lagers and beers with ever-changing real ales, a regular sprinkle of friendly clientele and an atmosphere that entices you back. If you are a stranger, you are welcomed. If you are a regular, you are welcomed.
The bar area is comfortable arrangement of mismatched furniture and oddities, with no smoking at the bar.
Time moves slowly in the pub and an hour-long lunch break can seem like 2, and in some cases, nearly is!
The Thai food on offer is very good and a lunchtime special menu is value for money for a first time try. The evening meals in the upstairs restaurant are also worth a try.
9 May 2007 12:44
The Grapes, Aylesbury
A year is a long time in the pub trade, and could this now be the vintage one that The Grapes was crying out for? The whole place has changed in the last 12 months since my last visit; it�s cleaner, the beer�s better the staff are very good and it now has a landlord (manager) that actually wants people to come in, have a drink and have a good time.
There seems to be more organisation there now and more reasons to return. I was in there on Saturday from early afternoon to early evening enjoying the �12 Bands in 12 Hours� marathon that was organised, whilst enjoying good company and reasonably priced beer.
It was a courageous event to go with considering the times we live in; and for all involved, I hope it reaps rewards.
In my opinion, and all things considered, The Grapes has become a very agreeable stomping ground.
27 Aug 2009 20:37