The Five Bells, East Finchley

Indeed it has been refurbished and has reopened as a "Flaming Grill" steak-house pub.

It's still a Punch Tavern, just switched from a John Barras to their new Flaming Grill brand. One assumes the new brand is a post-smoking-ban response, designed to bring customers in for the food. Indeed, their strapline is "flaming good food". So they do good food, right?

Let me start by saying I've lived around the corner from the Five Bells for nearly five years. It's my local and I've spent a fortune in their over the years. Previously their food was average, to be generous. If was dirt cheap and filled a hole. Otherwise, you go there for the booze, the quiz night and maybe the karaoke.

Now where does it stand, this new steak-house pub? The food is neither flaming, nor good. And, to run salt in the wound, it's more expensive. Yep, they charge more, for worse food.

Questions should be asked about whether their branding is applicable. "Flaming" good food; images of flames rising up through a grill; the black and orange brand colours... how does this relate to the piece of microwaved/oven-baked chicken I was served? My piece of meet was cooked and THEN placed onto a hot skillet. Hardly flame-grilled. What about my partner's beef? She ordered a medium rare steak. She's have been better off eating her shoe. This is, supposedly, a steak house pub... and they can't cook a steak?! My partner said "this is the worst piece of meat I've ever been served"... and it cost more than the old John Barras steak.

God knows how much the refurbishment cost, but it was most certainly not a wise decision. I hear Punch are struggling with lower profits and increasing debt... I suppose this "give 'em shit and charge 'em double" strategy is a response to that.

The old place was cheap and tacky, but met (low) expectations. The new place sells itself on "flaming good food" but delivers outrageously poor dishes for higher prices.

Maybe stop in for a drink... but eat at KFC for a tastier meal.

In other worse, Punch should have left alone.

25 Apr 2011 19:05