BITE user comments - doddsy
Comments by doddsy
The Botanist On The Green, Kew
Mixed feelings about our Mothers Day experience. On the plus side they definitely cater for kids, the service was very quick, they did have draught beer at a good price and some of the food was good, apparently - to be fair, the puddings were great - particularly the ice-cream. On the minus side, my lamb roast was poor, the roast potatoes poorer - and it's not easy to mess up roast potatoes. What they should have done was give me the 'big chips' my 4-year old had. These were actually just smaller roast potatoes and a complete rip-off as chips. So not too happy about �13 for a poor roast. Lastly, we were told we were on the noon sitting so turned up just before noon - 2 minutes before - and they turned us away for those 2 minutes. I don't have a problem with places not opening until opening time, but if you're going to encourage people to be on time for their specified sitting, don't keep them waiting. After all, they have a bar area that's ideal for people waiting to be seated. I'm afraid it'll take some persuading for us to consider returning.
19 Mar 2007 10:35
Apologies for coming back with another comment so soon after my last. My wife had a 40th birthday bash in their back room - where they do a great Monday night French film evening. We had a fantastic evening. Great service, fabulous food and wine. But, most importantly, wanted to say they've changed the beers!! After I said they don't ever change them :-) Timothy Taylor and Harveys amongst others. Had to pop in on Monday lunchtime just to have another pint and sit in their back garden in the sun. Marvellous!!
13 Mar 2007 15:37
I used to be one of the annoying hockey players who'd descend on the place once a year and (probably) bother the local punters by taking over the place for a long bank-holiday weekend. It says a lot about it's character that we didn't stop them coming, even with us making a nuisance of ourselves. I'm glad to hear that, 7 years after I stopped going, it's still serving wonderful beer and great food. There's no question that this place was the main draw for the majority of us. It certainly wasn't the hockey :-)
26 Feb 2007 13:29
The Shipwright Arms, Helford Village
I've been frequenting this pub whilst on holiday for over 20 years. It's always had great beer and fabulous food. Make sure you pre-book for evening meals as they only have a small no of tables inside. The (outside) views of the Helford River add to the ambiance. Like most good establishments in Cornwall these days, you can expect London prices. But it's well worth it.
26 Feb 2007 13:18
I'd agree with the comments made recently. The beer was OK, but extremely expensive. And most diappointingly, we wanted to order some fries as a snack and they said that fries were only sold with main courses and suggested we buy one of their starters instead.
23 Feb 2007 14:08
Great pub; good beer. Can't do much about how busy it is. I'd agree with the view that it's the best in Putney, though haven't sampled the food.
23 Feb 2007 10:27
I don't know the clientelle to comment on. The beer is good, though rarely changes. The restaurant at the front serves superb food. Recommend sampling it mid-week at lunchtime when there's a very reasonable �10 for 2 courses offer (can't remember what it is for 3 courses) and the food is the same (great quality) as they serve in the evenings at much higher prices.
16 Feb 2007 12:56
The Teddington Arms, Teddington
There are plenty of good places to eat in Teddington and the surrounding area. However, my wife and I consistently choose to eat and drink at the Teddington Arms. Their beer selection is always good. The food doesn't cost less than the numerous restaurants in the area. But once you experience the quality of their food, you'll undertand why.
A great layout allows for a relaxed meal in the corner of the pub whilst the bar area is usually buzzing. For me, a key selling point of this place is that they vary the menu, with a few favourites thrown in.
16 Feb 2007 12:48
We used your site to pick The Cavern. However I walked in and straight back out again. Only London Pride and a gassy beer (John Smiths?) available. We went down the road to the new Edward Rayne, which is right across from the station and, being a JD Wetherspoon, had a great choice of ales. I'm not suggesting any improvement in atmosphere, but we had a choice of beers (the Speckled Hen was good) and could definitely find somewhere to sit
5 Feb 2007 12:21
The Dartmouth Castle, Hammersmith
Popped in for an impromptu beer late afternoon. Deuchars also on tap & OK. They didn't seem to have any brandy!!??
6 Dec 2006 22:45
Took the small kids and the landlord was great. Had some very good value food - Tanglefoot Pie & Fish&Chips were great. The one beer I managed before we bundled my 2 year old back out of the door was very nice - Thanks!
6 Dec 2006 22:05
3 ales; very noisy and smoky - but then I'd expected that, thanks to other commenters.
15 Nov 2006 16:19
I've been contracting with the council for a few months and this happens to be the local boozer. It might explain the mixed clientelle everyone's commenting on. Good choice of ales. Never had difficulty getting served. Haven't yet sampled the food.
15 Nov 2006 16:14
The King William IV, Mickleham
Agreed the beer & food was good. I called the pub the night before a 1st trip up Box Hill as read good things on their site. Was told that, though not a family pub, the forecast was good and kids would be OK outside. Asked about a kids menu and was told they could do kids sized portions and had plenty of choice. On balance the bloke was saying we should check it out.
On the day, having asked if they did small portions for the kids and regaled them with what I'd been told on the phone, the landlady(?) suggested perhaps I'd phoned a different King William IV, while the barman who I swear was the one I'd spoken to (it's a small family-run pub after all) kept quiet.
I'd probably pick their food & beer over anywhere else in the vacinity if was without the kids, but can't get over my disappointment at the landlady's behaviour.
14 Nov 2006 09:41
The Two Brewers Inn, Chipperfield
OK; the pub food was overpriced for the quality; and we did have to wait 30 minutes for it to arrive; my kids were angels during that time. BUT, they did provide drawing materials to entertain the kids and the manageress was very good with their little foibles. Note that the kids' bangers & mash came with gravy on it - not their cup of tea.
And there's a great village green across the road with some cricket going on at the far end of it, and a wood behind where you can walk off the stodgy mash.
They had 3 beers on tap; GK IPA, Courage Directors & Best.
6 Jun 2007 08:25