BITE user comments - dalekemperor
Comments by dalekemperor
The Garibaldi went through a very lean period a couple of years back, but is now firing on all cylinders. Jimmy and Debbie work incredibly hard and provide food and evening entertainments, and also deck the place out to celebrate annual events such as Halloween. As other people have said, the TV screens are not intrusive. The low score (above) of 5.7 reflects how the pub was, not how it is now. Once again the little "village" of 6 pubs behind the London Road (White Lion, Garibaldi, Goat, White Hart Tap, Hare & Hounds and Beehive) is restored to the rudest of rude health, and long may it continue!
5 Dec 2009 09:04
A lovely pub really, although a few of the "eating" customers can be a bit obnoxious - exterminate! But once they've gone this place can be really frendly. They don't mind daleks, so I'm all right! Good beers too and most of the barstaff are fantastic.
17 Dec 2007 16:40
This is a spacious but comfortable pub, with good beers and a tasty lunchtime menu. I trundled in yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It�s also very civilised: customers leave their money on the bar when they pop outside for a smoke, and it�s still there when they come back! The loos are a bit out of the way, but now we know that daleks can climb stairs I didn�t have any trouble.
18 Oct 2007 10:02
Lol, a northern pub at Number One! This is outrageous, I must complain to my MP!
7 Aug 2007 09:38
The Slug and Lettuce, St Albans
"Soulless" or not, I like this place because of its very easy access. I just trundle up the ramp and Bob's your uncle. Many other pubs have steps and goodness-knows-what to climb: exterminate!
7 Aug 2007 09:37
OK, here's the situation. I trundle in yesterday, spend �3 (!) on a pint of indifferent John Smiths, drink half of it at the bar, nip to the loo, then return to find that over-zealous staff have poured my drink away. Exterminate! Dire, simply dire.
4 Jul 2007 07:18
Argh. Overpowered by the smell of stale lager and cheap scent, I trundled into the Gents to relieve myself. Imagine my surprise to be accosted by a funny little man presiding over a mini-chemist shop. He was quite nice but rather pushy, so my response was immediate: Exterminate! What an odd place The Bell is. "Chav Central" is a good description.
16 Jun 2007 12:28
There's a distinct lack of fresh air in this pub. I trundled in yesterday evening for a couple of pints, but left after one because the atmosphere was a bit stinky. All the windows were closed and there was a definite whiff of toilets in the bar. Not nice, not nice.
Then I trundled up the road to the bar of the White Hart hotel, which I surmise once had a connection with the WHT. But the service was so appalling that I left after 5 minutes, without having been served. What is WRONG with these people?!
All in all, not a good evening.
8 Jun 2007 10:05
The Cack, more like.
Crap beer, indifferent service.
I am prepared to accept that the food MIGHT be good, but this place is a "cash cow"of the worst possible kind.
Mind you, the Blackmiths Arms over the road is even worse.
3 Jun 2007 20:41
Good sunshades (!), good food. crap beer.
Take your pick.
Exterminate!
3 Jun 2007 20:37
I don't want to get too alarmist here, but this pub is slipping a bit. The beers are as fine as ever, but there seem to be fewer and fewer customers. Twice this week I've trundled in to slurp some Fullers ales and do a bit of exterminating, but I couldn't because there were no other customers. The bargirl was delightfully pleasant, even to a dalek like me, but otherwise the place was like a desert. What's going on?! 6 out of 10 and falling.
31 May 2007 12:15
I like this pub more and more, but was very confused last night. In the Beehive everyone was in school uniforms, so I trundled up to the Boot to find ... a crowd dressed up as policewomen and escaped convicts. Confusion, confusion, this is all illogical!
28 May 2007 12:00
Rather jolly. But being a dalek I felt a bit out of place last night, when most people were dressed in school uniforms. Aren't human beings strange! But I slurped some Adnams Broadside and that was quite nice.
28 May 2007 11:56
In all my years of illicit drinking, I've never heard St Austell beer referred to as "Snozzle" before. But that's what they call it in this place and - do you know what - it's rather good!
I also enjoyed the Exmoor Stag and Otter ales, which led to very un-dalek-like soporific behaviour and silly laughing etc. My exterminating powers became non-existent for a while, which I didn't like at all.
21 May 2007 20:16
All this sentimental tosh about the old pub sign is getting on my wick - exterminate! In fact the sign only went up in the late 90s so was hardly an historical artefact or anything. The new sign is cruder and strangely similar to "3JB" in Brighton, but there are other reasons to visit pubs!
Most importantly, the Farmer's Boy has really improved for both eating and drinking since the current managers took over a few months ago. Service standards used to be appalling, but have improved beyond recognition. It's a very clean pub too IMHO. The FB is now a "must" for any pub crawl in this part of St Albans.
20 May 2007 08:57
Woeful pub. I only trundled in to get out of the rain and stop my plunger from rusting, but this was a mistake. I thought Elstree was meant to be a well-heeled kind of place, but the Hollybush is grubby, smokey and contains customers whose vocabluary is restricted to one word (which begins with F). Never again. Shocking.
19 May 2007 18:17
The Battle of Trafalgar, Brighton
Trundled in recently to find the old place the same as it was a decade ago. Which is a good thing. Good Harveys ales and efficient service.
19 May 2007 15:02
Personally I don't think Dark Star beers are best - exterminate! - but for sheer variety of ales there is nowhere else in Brighton & Hove to compete with this pub. Pity they can't buy up one of the adjacent houses and expand a bit...
19 May 2007 15:00
What a relief, the new pub is nothing like the disgusting old one. Had only a very quick look yesterday, but shall be back. Looks like the new managers are very professional and well seasoned in this line of trade.
19 May 2007 14:51
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The Gate, Arkley
I have trundled into this place on many occasions and really like it. Pub-wise there isn't much to choose from in this remote corner of Hertfordshire/NW London, so the Gate's presence is very welcome. It provides good beer and good food in a very pleasant environment. Recommended.
5 Dec 2009 09:08