BITE user comments - cannockchaser
Comments by cannockchaser
Went in today.
Busy, thriving and a good selection of ales on. It seemed a bit hit and miss. Some really good, some average, and a couple really poor.
the food we ordered was quickly served, but being honest, not the best quality. OK for cheap and cheerful it soaks up the ale but presentation was a bit lacking and it seemed to lack any real taste. On the whole not bad but nothing to really sing home about either.
I live the Rose, its got character and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than a boozer. No frills, no airs no graces. If you want spick and span then this really isn't the place for you, but if you want a rough and ready midlands boozer then this should be right up your street.
On a side note however, friends of mine stopped in the recently opened hotel annex part, and to say they gave it good reviews is understating. Apparanlty its superb so if your in Bilston and looking for somewhere to stay, this is the place. From all accounts you won't be disappointed....
24 Apr 2011 00:33
Disco... Karaoke....fancy Dress.....
Oh come on... what happened to it being a real ale pub like the Olde White Rose......
Why not wham in Sky Sports as well and go the whole hog...
Was planning a night here on the 29th with friends.. Not now.. If I want loud noise and bad singers I'll go to a Spice Girls concert...
We had high hopes for this place when it opened. Now its just another pub resorting to Karaoke and discos to try getting bums in the door. Obviously the real ales aren't enough anymore. When people stop using real ale pubs theres only one conclusion that you can draw from it.
Why do they bother with the real ales.. Just stick on lager, alcopops and coke for the kids ( and I don't mean the drink either ). Its what the pubs obviously about now.
BYE BYE ANOTHER REAL ALE PUB..
21 Apr 2011 18:04
Pitful how badly this place has gone downhill.
Firstly its about time they changed the menu. Its been on far too long and its become boring..
Secondly, and this is where I did get very annoyed, I tried a pint of Greene King IPA. Now believe me, being a pub landlord who serves Greene King IPA as a standard bitter, I know EXACTLY what it should taste like. And the muck they were serving was certainly not what it should have been.
So as you would, I took it back to the barmaid and explained it wasnt right. She had the nerve to tell me I was wrong and didnt know what IPA should taste like because I dont come from that area...
At this point I almost threw the pint over her head. Talk about a lack of customer care. The arrogant and snotty way she replied to me was unreal. I explained I was a pub manager and that I serve real ales every day of the year didnt seem to bother her. I even got another person to try it and he agreed it wasnt right. But no, she would not have it.
Thats certainly the last time I shall ever be going back there. With that kind of arrogant attitude and lack of customer service they can stick their awful beer..
If you like being treated like dirt, this is the place to go, otherwise avoid like the plague.
21 Nov 2008 02:40
Definitely worth a visit.
Sadly our visit to this pub was after our visit to the Bartons Arms in Aston and anything after that was an anticlimax. THat doesnt detract from this place. A very cosy pub with a good and well earned reputation.
The beers are of good quailty and certainly drinkable.
The atmosphere was busy but not uncomforable.
As I said, its defitely worth a visit.
I rate this pub 8/10 but sorry, if its a choice between here and the Bartons then theres only one place I am going..
21 Oct 2008 16:40
WOW just WOW..
There are pubs and there are pubs. THIS IS BEYOND BEING A PUB.
Dont let the surroundings put you off. You arrive and think you may need a security escort. Its in a very run down area and you just dont expect to find pubs like this in such areas.
Once you step inside you are in another world..
The beers are just sublime. I am not the biggest fan of Oakham beers, but I have to admit as regards to quality I havent had beers like this in a long time. If this is the standard of beers Oakham serves either I've been drinking in the wrong place or this manager knows his beers better than anyone else thats ever served a pint of JHB.
If we thought the beers were good, then the food is something else. We were given a menu and I could not believe my eyes. Being a lover of Thai food I nearly fell off my chair.
The food was just out of this world. Utterly unreal.. Whoever cooks it should be given a medal for services to Thai food.
This is just the absolute dream pub. The staff were superb. Well presented, they knew their stuff. They were pleasant and attentive without being overbearing.
Whoever runs this place should be congratulated. Its the best pub in the midlands by many a mile.
All the other reviews are 100% correct. If you have to visit one pub in the world before you die this has to be the one. Its beyond good.
I rate this pub 10/10 and I would give it 11 but the system wont allow me too.
I have been raving to my friends about this place and each one has gone themselves and each one has come back agreeing with me.
Superb.. just simply superb.
21 Oct 2008 16:31
All I can say is dont listen to the hype.
We were told it was the best pub in the region. Forget that idea...
The beer choice is fantastic, but choice isnt everything. You have to have the quality too, and quite frankly the quality was crap.. No other word for it.
When I ordered my first drink I didnt expect to take out a mortgage. Overpriced is not the word. Its scandalous.
The pub is highly over rated and not somewhere I will be rushing back to.
Far better pubs around.
Rate it 4/10
Oh and the other two posters are correct. Is does smell like a toilet.
21 Oct 2008 16:21
Why is this even entered.
Its not a pub.. Its a blot on the midlands landscape.
Someone warned us not to go in there. We ignored them. I wish we handnt.
This is without doubt one of the worst pubs I've been to in my life. Utterly utterly terrible.
I concur with the person who said there is only one thing good about the pub. Thats the door to get out..
21 Oct 2008 16:08
This has to be the most unusual pub we visited that day.
The pub appears to be in the middle of a factory estate, and you would expect it to be empty but it was absolutely packed.
The beers were in tip top condition. Just unreal, and all served in oversized glasses so we got a full pint ( I think the barmaid liked us because I think each drink had more than a pint in ).
The atmosphere was boistrous and the locals friendly. So much so we parked ourselves amongst them and had a discussion about what pubs to visit. Thanks to them for that.
This pub is wonderful. A true real ale drinkers paradise. The owner wants to be congratulated on taking a pub that really should be empty every day of the week and turning it into a proper pub that people travel from all over to visit.
Well done.
I rate this pub 9/10.
Overall the best pub we went to in the whole day. We shall be returning.
21 Oct 2008 16:04
This is a quirky little pub owned by Holdens brewery, and its either a pub you will love or you will hate. Its a marmite pub..
Personally i liked it, but my colleague was less impressed. It depends on whether you like Jazz music or not.
Beer quality was A1. Absolutely superb. I could have stopped all day. But sadly we had other pubs to visit.
This pub is a 8/10 pub. But if you dont like Jazz then perhaps you may want to try somewhere else instead.
21 Oct 2008 15:59
PROBABLY wont like this pub..
Are you kidding.
I DEFINITELY didnt like this pub..
Whoever owns this should be shot...
21 Oct 2008 15:55
The Jolly Crispin, Upper Gornal
Oh dear. Whats happened..
We have been here on numerous occasions and the beers were always excellent and the choice superb.
The choice this time was very limited. Too many beers of the same style. Light hoppy beers. What happened to darker stronger beers ?
The quality wasnt as good as it has been either. Perhaps we called in on an off day, but having been here many times in the past, we were disappointed this time.
Not that we wont be going back. These things happen. It would be a shame if this were to be a regular occurence.
Dont let it slip.
I rate this pub ( based on this visit ) 6/10
21 Oct 2008 15:53
We were on a tour of pubs in the area, and following a recommendation we went here. Apparantly this is the other pub owned by the same person who owns the White Rose in Bilston.
The two pubs could not be any more different if you tried. Where the white rose is dirty and unattractive, this is a bright airy pub, very clean and the staff are exceptionally well presented. They were helpful and made the visit well worth while. The beers were of a good quality. I would definitely say better than the White rose. So congratulations are in order to the cellarman.
The beer choice wasnt as prolific as the White rose, but still good.
Thats the good bits. Now to the bits that disappointed us. We ordered food and sat waiting.. and waiting.. and waiting.. After what seemed an eternity we were approached by a lady who told us that sadly they hadnt got one of the items we had ordered. I must admit to being a bit displeased. I can understand that food runs out when busy. This was hardly the case here. The pub wasnt very busy at all in fact as far as we could see we were the only people eating. Obviously a lack of communication between the bar and the kitchen.
What we did eventually eat was OK. Nothing great. For the prices we paid I have to say it was disappointing.
That said, the staff in the kitchen were very very helpful and the waitress had to be congratulated on her customer service. A poor experience was made 100% easier to swallow by her friendly nature and the way she handled the situation.
If you could take the beer choice from the White Rose, put it into the Port and ale you would have the best pub in the midlands without any doubt. The Port is clean, tidy, the staff are fantastic. Its a shame the food doesnt match the surroundings.
The two pubs are a world apart in many ways, which is a shame. If you could merge the two and take the best bits from each you would have a beerdrinkers heaven.
SOmething for the owner to think about..
I rate this pub 8/10 but sort the food out and get the range of beers from the White Rose and you have a 10/10 pub everyday of the week.
21 Oct 2008 15:46
What a strange place.
If first impressions were anything to go by you would turn around and walk right out the door. Grotty would be an understatement. I dont know who does the cleaning but a P45 would perhaps be the owners first action.
The staff were friendly enough, but a little bit of attention to personal appearance wouldnt go amiss. Bar staff isnt so much a problem, but the staff in the kitchen should make more of an effort,. Especially when they are serving on a carvery.
The beers.. What can you say.. the choice is stupendous. I've only seen a choice like this in one other pub. If you cant find a drink you like in this pub you wont find one anywhere. The real ales are all satisfactory. Not the best I hasten to add, but certainly ddrinkable. THe prices are a bit high, but in this current climate thats the way it goes.
This pub does have charm, and could definitely be the top pub in the area. Just the owner needs to pay a bit more attention to cleanliness and hygiene. A lot more attention in fact.
This pub is wonderful, or could be wonderful if the owner would improve his standards of cleanliness and appearance.
His standards with refards to what he offers is exceptional. His standards with regards to the qualify of what he offers and cleanliness are to be quite honest, severely lacking..
I will rate this pub 6/10. It could be a 9 if the owner had higher standards.
21 Oct 2008 15:30
Back to cannockchaser's profile
The Port n' Ale, Tipton
Oh dear dear me.. What on earth has happened. This used to be a lovely pub, but now its a grotty hole far fetched from what it was when it first re-opened.
The place was a real ale lovers haven, decent beers, good food and great staff. NO LONGER.. Its just... well.. erm.. gone. I would be very surprised if it remains in the Good Beer Guide much longer, if it hasn't already been removed. The beers are to put it frankly, crap. Gone is the wide choice, two beers and to say they are mediocre would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions.
When John Denston took this place on he started well. The beers were the best in the area, better in fact than in his Bilston pub. Now being frank, I'd struggle to say anything nice about the place. Its quite frankly gone to the dogs, and I am afraid its been going this way for a while now.
Can John bring it back to its original glory, I very much doubt it. Its too far gone now. The management are ill trained, not knowledgeable about real ales and are just there to pick up a wage. No passion for the place, which is so far fetched from how it all started about 7 years ago.
As I said, used to be the best real ale pub in the area. No longer..
9 Jun 2013 23:39