BITE user comments - Redriley
Comments by Redriley
Pretty popular, but nothing terribly special about it; I guess its popularity reflects the dearth of decent pubs in this particularly benighted part of London.
4 Apr 2008 18:40
Potentially a decent pub and the Everard's Tiger was good too, but the place had a distinctly odd smell about it which precluded staying for more than one.
4 Apr 2008 18:37
So what was the beer like? Have you ever heard the word 'pub'. P-U-B. Look it up in the dictionary.
26 Mar 2008 19:16
Pretty much agree with the last reviewer. Range of beer is far out and to be honest, I'd never heard of any of the 4 ales on when I visited. Made for an interesting evening though - especially as the wife was driving! Food was good but as the bar can get boisterous, not the kind of place for the food snob who aims to eat in cathedral-like quiet.
4 Mar 2008 19:55
Decent pub. On the night I went, drinkers were outnumbered by diners, although the food and ale were both pretty good. Beer choice is a little staid if well kept.
4 Mar 2008 18:27
Good pub on riverside with oak panelled interior and small patio. Despite serving a wide range of food, it has resisted the temptation to become a restaurant in all but name and is still very much a pub which welcomes those who just drop in just for a pint
23 Feb 2008 12:43
Good pub on riverside with oak panelled interior and small patio. Despite serving a wide range of food, it has resisted the temptation to become a restaurant in all but name and is still very much a pub which welcomes those who just drop in just for a pint
23 Feb 2008 12:42
Good choice of ales in an interesting and rambling old pub which seems to cater reasonably well for both drinkers and diners. It is in a great location for summer evenings but the proportion of tables with 'reserved' notices on them however is somewhat irritating.
23 Feb 2008 12:25
The least of the pubs in Strand on the Green, which is a shame because it could be a real corker. Really needs a sensitive overhaul, a bit of care and some enthusiasm from the staff.
23 Feb 2008 12:15
The Express Tavern, Kew Bridge
I have known this pub for something like 35 years, back to the days of R S Aldington and it's still essentially a good pub but on my last visit I felt it was beginning to seem just a tad down at heel. It always used to cater for a more mature clientelle, but nowadays the customers appear positively geriatric. The range of beers also seems rather uninspired in comparison with other genuine free houses. Food is however reasonably cheap.
23 Feb 2008 12:06
This used to be a real eccentric old pub, but has lost a fair bit of character following modernisation despite retaining a few old features such as the kitchen range and stained glass windows. Food was fine but the beer I had (I think it was Banks's Bitter) had a distinctly odd taste.
8 Feb 2008 11:51
Large pub/restaurant/hotel which was previously an old vicarage. Interior is pleasant with oak panelling and a good range of ales. Didn't try the food so can't comment on that but generally a decent place for a pint.
8 Feb 2008 11:43
Externally a fairly standard Brewer's Tudor type of affair, but this conceals a really top quality pub. Colossal range of drinks of all sorts including I believe 5 real ales (mostly local), half a dozen ciders and a couple of perries. Food was good pub fare, and ridiculously cheap oh, and the staff were friendly too. A real find.
And no, I'm not the landlord!
8 Feb 2008 11:38
The Full Moon, Little Kingshill
I have requested that my 7 December message be removed; the tenor of that message was OTT for which I apologise. On reflection, this is still quite a decent little pub with a good public bar. I just hope that the restaurant is not allowed to dominate to the exclusion of all else.
17 Jan 2008 09:29
Busy and actually quite attractive pub full of mainly males watching football on several TVs. Beer choice was pretty good with several local brewers represented.
6 Jan 2008 23:09
THIS IS NOT A PUB (sorry to shout) but simply a rather expensive restaurant masquerading as a pub, the fact that it sells beer being purely incidental. Suggest that the previous poster leave his messages on some poncey restaurant forum (no doubt there is one) where his comments will be of more use. As a restaurant I would give it 5 or possibly 6 on a good day. As a pub, a mere 2.
29 Dec 2007 20:22
Old Plough, West Wycombe
Long thin pub in the middle of the village which has recently been renovated. Seemed quite friendly although the bar area itself was a little bland and could do with a year or three�s use to bed in. Fairly quiet when visited early one Saturday evening, but promises to be quite atmospheric when busy. Sells real ale, although the choice (Bombardier and Greene King IPA) is not of itself going to draw in too many punters, especially considering what is available elsewhere in the village.
D�cor consists largely of female nudes painted by the likes of Matisse and Modigliani.
26 Dec 2007 21:43
Why would anybody in their right mind choose to go here rather than The Lamb just down the street? Not actually unpleasant but just such a nothing place. Beer choice unimaginative and bar staff, although not rude, did seem to pefer their own company to chatting to the customers.
Plenty of potential and could be so much better in the right hands.
23 Dec 2007 01:18
Traditional with a capital 'T'. I just hope it doesn't get poncified like so many of Young's once excellent estate.
Agree abot the Young's beer though, totally unrecognisable from its Wandsworth brewed heyday. Now simply brown, wet and er... that's about it.
23 Dec 2007 01:11
Forgettable and rather run-down pub just off Oxford Street. Designed for standing rather than sitting, but was fairly sparsely populated on a Tuesday lunchtime. Four real ales but nothing with a wow factor and my Bombardier was truly awful. Didn�t dare sample the food.
12 Dec 2007 09:53
'A real timewarp. Public and saloon - neither were very busy when we visited on a Tuesday night. Superb choice of ales - 3 x Rebellion, Brakspear's Bitter, very reasonably priced for the area and all served straight out the barrel. Place has the faintest of musty smells which kind of suits it. As far as I could tell, no telly, no music. As for the food - no idea, but that isn't what I'd go to a pub like this for. Not the sort of place for the pretentious or the trendy, but suits me down to the ground. Actually owned by the National Trust and according to a certificate in the saloon bar, the interior is listed in CAMRAs inventory of notable (or something) pub interiors.
12 Dec 2007 09:42
The Greyhound, Chalfont St Peter
Imposing building by roundabout. More of a chain restaurant than a pub, although I have to say I didn�t eat there. Only real beer on was Deuchar�s, although the there was a pump clip for Courage Best turned around the other way. Most customers (Saturday lunchtime) seemed to be fresh out of school, and the whole feel of the place, having been tarted up 6 or 7 years ago is that it is becoming just a tad dog-eared.
Wouldn�t rush back.
8 Dec 2007 18:15
The Fox and Hounds, Chalfont St Giles
Despite the comments below, I am in favour of the mobile phone ban. Listening to one half of other people�s conversations pitched at a level for all to hear pisses me off some. If you are that scared about being out of touch, you could always keep your phone on vibrate and take any calls outside.
Anyway, back to the pub. This is an excellent little local with a good-ish range of beer (something brewed within 100 miles of the pub might be nice though), decent reasonably priced sandwiches etc., a dart board and loads of character. One of the few genuine locals in the area.
Visit soon though, as some slimy cretin will be bound to turn it into a gastro pub when the current management moves on.
7 Dec 2007 21:56
The Full Moon, Little Kingshill
I second the last reviewers comments. Used to be a good little pub, but now the tables have sprouted prissy little starched tablecloths and all the paraphernalia that goes with that appalling early twenty first century phenomena - the 'gastro pub'. Beer was seemingly brewed by Sarson's although to be fair, they did change it when I complained.
7 Dec 2007 10:42
The Boot and Slipper, Amersham
Not the greatest of pubs, but effectively the only one in Amersham on the Hill so it doesn't have to try hard. Feels like a typical chain pub (sorry 'outlet')with little character of its own, but the choice of ale was better than expected. Didn't try the food, so can't comment.
A port in a storm, but no better than that.
7 Dec 2007 10:31
The Kings Bar & Bistro, Amersham
This was not only the best pub in Amersham, but one of the absolute greats until Zola Hotels took over. What goes through the mind of somebody who seeing something old and genuine simply has to destroy it. There would be some excuse if the pub had been quiet or run down, but it used to be pretty much heaving.
Absolute bloody vandalism.
31 Oct 2007 15:50
A decent pub and much more of a local than the Bricklayers Arms just down the road. Food was fine, but the beer choice was a little staid; I mean in all honesty, who in their right mind drinks the awful Greene King IPA these days?
All in all though, not a bad boozer.
26 Sep 2007 16:00
The Bricklayers Arms, Flaunden
Remember this as a great pub that sold good food. Went there one Friday recently and on entering was approached by a waiter asking if we intended to eat. Looking around it became clear that it was now only a pub in the broadest sense, and the word 'restaurant' would be more appropriate (see the comments below blathering on about the quality of the food). Still sells a good range of ales, but not at all the place I remember. Car park is full of babies flushed out with the bathwater.
26 Sep 2007 15:51
The Red Lion, Little Missenden
The Red Lion has re-opened!
In a triumph of good sense, it is exactly as before - even the beer range is unchanged (even if it could do with the odd slightly more interesting real ale).
Excellent country pub - could this be the only refurbishment in the last ten years which has retained the outside kharzi?
18 Sep 2007 17:31
George and Dragon, West Wycombe
Another one of those pubs which look fine outside, but with an oh so disappointing interior. Beer was good, but had to play 'hunt the filling' with our baguettes. Could be so much better.
2 Feb 2007 15:39
Attractive old building, but a surprisingly large and soulless bar. Restaurant was totally empty on the night I visited, although the bar food seemed OK. One of those pubs which doesn't work, but you're never quite certain why.
2 Feb 2007 15:21
The Sugar Loaf Inn, Little Chalfont
Actually crowded when I visited. 1930s building with oak panneled interior and large chunky wooden tables. Pub is squeezed in between the railway and the local tyre centre, so hardly prepossessing location. Good choice of ales and food was pretty good too. Not as upmarket as I had expected, although it is difficult to categorise the customers who looked quite a mixed bunch to me.
Overall impression is that, whilst it is a greatly improved pub, it just isn't that brilliant and I would be ambivalent about going there again. Like being savaged by a sheepdog.
23 Jan 2007 09:39
Nice little pub which unsurprisingly considering the opposition, can get very crowded. Its attraction for the neutral is somewhat compromised by being a Greene King tied house.
23 Jan 2007 08:56
The Old Thameside Inn, London Bridge
I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the worst pub I've been in or anything like it, but the attitude of the staff at closing time is pretty unacceptale to my way of thinking. As soon as the 11 o'clock bell rings they are virtually out there with a crowbar to get you out of your seat and on your way. A smile and a bit of friendly banter would actually help the evacuation process but no, full on confrontation is what they are after so many people just drink slowly and dig in their heels. A lesson in there somewhere.
On the plus side, the drink was reasonably cheap and the choice of beers quite extensive, the Landlord that I tried being eminently acceptable.
For Christ's sake just train up your bar staff!!
17 Jan 2007 01:23
Nice medium-sized pub with a dark-mahogany style interior. Serves what I would consider cheaper and higher quality food than most in this mega-affluent/tourist area. Has a good reputation for its beer; but if I was being picky, could do with a little more choice. The landlord is one of the most laid-back and friendliest in the business.
10 Jan 2007 15:18
The Full Moon, Little Kingshill
Stumbled into this pub almost by accident recently and was very impressed. Staff were friendly, beer and food were both good, even if menu was a little limited.Has a very atmospheric public bar where you can play 'hunt the TV'.
4 Jan 2007 00:14
A bit of a curate's egg. Don't get me wrong it's a wonderful building and the ale is good (would have said excellent if they had some example of the local brewers' craft), but all I wanted was a pint and a sandwich - I don't need a huge great steak at lunchtime. But no, it's mega meals only. At the time, I wasn't the only one making this comment and I am tempted to say that there's more profit in meat and two veg than a humble cheese sarnie, so what the poor customer wants can go hang if it isn't going to turn the owner into Rockerfeller overnight. Unfortunate.
3 Jan 2007 23:48
Thought I would be the first to get in a review after the recent refurbishment. To Fullers' great credit nothing has changed - just redecorated and cleaned up a tad. Still the best pub in Chesham by a country mile.
17 Nov 2006 09:54
Standard Chef & Brewer interior, which is a shame as it is a striking old building which deserves better. Last time when I was there I complained about an underfilled baguette, and despite getting a refund, was informed that the sparse method of filling was 'company policy'. So it's company policy to rip you off? Hmmm...
17 Nov 2006 09:11
I have known about this place almost forever, and have visited perhaps every 5 years for the last 20. It never changes, beer is excellent, food good; the best town pub for miles and all this for a pub which has a pea green interior and pink external walls!
19 Oct 2006 01:16
Beer was more than drinkable but all a bit ho hum and if the barmaid had smiled her face would have cracked in half. Must be dozens of better pubs in Borough alone.
16 Oct 2006 00:20
Everything in the place was sticky as if rubbed down with a damp rag leaving the congealed beer behind. Bar staff were not especially friendly and the beer was warm and flat. Will not be visiting again.
16 Oct 2006 00:15
The Nags Head, Great Missenden
Good choice of beers but very food oriented and perhaps just a little too genteel. Interior is quite cosy though in the beams and brasses idiom. Not the place for a wild night out.
16 Oct 2006 00:10
A good pub in a nice setting selling excellent beer and good food. The chalked menu over the bar looks rather out of character though.
16 Oct 2006 00:01
The Chandos Arms, Weston Turville
I had not expected that much of this pub for some reason, but on entering I was very surprised by the quality (and choice) of beer on offer, the friendliness of the staff and the food wasn't bad either.
Essentially a traditional local, at some point knocked through into one bar, but it divides itself up naturally into public and saloon. Worth a visit if you are in the area.
22 Sep 2006 22:31
I have been impressed with this pub on the few occasions I have been there; beer and food both excellent, bar staff have usually been friendly, and the place has a relaxed atmosphere. If I were to be critical, it just seems a little too genteel and sometimes customers seem to have been provided mainly by the local Women's Institute. A few real characters would not go amiss.
22 Sep 2006 22:17
The Bricklayers Arms, Aylesbury
Tend to only go there at lunchtimes, but Tina the barmaid (doesn't take you long to get on first name terms) is one of the best. Pleasant pub, if slightly down at heel. Beer can be variable but never had any problem getting it changed. One of the best pubs in Aylesbury, but this town contains some real stinkers.
22 Sep 2006 22:08
Not that big, but still manages to be bland, soulless and impersonal. Fuller's worst?
22 Sep 2006 13:18
As a diversion from all the politics below, this really is quite a find; an oasis in a desert of pretentious crap. Beer range is pretty standard, food (lunchtimes only) is half the price you would pay elsewhere and the atmosphere is smoky but very friendly.
Beware however, this pub doesn't fit into the makrketing man's idea of how we should spend our leisure time; 'they' will be looking for any excuse to sell it off for development. You have been warned.
21 Sep 2006 16:34
Tidy little pub (and I mean little) opposite cricket green with clean and tidy interior. Has had a rather chequered history, but is now well on the mend. Caution however; is currently being extended.
21 Sep 2006 15:44
The Red Lion, Little Missenden
Now sadly closed due to serious fire damage on upper floor. I am informed this is not permanent, but given the huge number of closed pubs now turned into bijou residences which litter the Chiltern countryside, will believe it when I see it...
21 Sep 2006 15:39
The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield
A once great pub which went into a long decline and is now well on the way to full recovery. Great beer, good food and very atmospheric interior.
One slight whinge though concerns the food and goes something like this:
You stride up to the bar, order a pint and some food; before they will take your order, they insist that you give them a table number, so you wander about the bar/garden, find a table, come back and give them the number. By the time you have decided what you want and paid for it, you return to the table and find that it's now occupied, so you search for another table, go to the bar... Is it me, or wouldn't it be more user-friendly to just take your name and a vague location. Oh, and they expect you to take your own knife and fork as well (and don't always tell you).
21 Sep 2006 15:15
The Bell, Winslow
Seem to remember this pub had a really excellent public bar, but couldn't find it on my last visit so assume it has gone the way of so many other excellent bars. The Bell is really just a so-so place for a pint when you are in the area and not the sort of establishment to make a detour for.
16 Apr 2008 22:02