The Skimmington Castle, Reigate Heath

My partner and I went to the Skimmington castle on the Sat 26/6/10. The pub was quiet apart from a few people outside drinking. My partner and I had travelled here on a friends recommendation - oh how I wish we hadn't. Upon ordering our meal - two rib eye steaks, one rare and one medium I was told there where no rib eyes this was at around 7pm on a Saturday evening! I was offered an alternative of a 10oz rump instead, which I decided to order for us both. The steaks duly arrived and at first sight my partners looked undercooked and on further inspection a cut through the meat it most definitely was - it was almost raw and mine was no better, we returned them both to be properly cooked, when they returned my partner said hers still wasn't cooked properly and mine was okay but not right. I informed our waitress that the steaks still weren't cooked correctly as specified when ordering (rare and medium) and was then rudely told I hadn't ordered medium and rare but medium rare and rare, even so my partners steak wasn't even rare never mind medium rare. My partner sent hers back for a second time and this time the manager (I think) came over and said I understand you have a problem with your steaks I said yes and said i have been a chef for 26 years and know when a steak is cooked correctly or not and she said she did too, meanwhile I had just accepted the chef couldn't cook steaks so decided to eat mine. I actually finished my meal before my partners offering returned - burnt on one side and STILL raw on the other. We had also ordered pepper sauce which had been left on the table during this debacle so had coagulated in the jug and wouldn't even come out. When I ordered our meals we were told they would have chips, onion rings, mushrooms and peas but all we got was peas and chips. My partner ate her steak and we asked for the bill and left in disgust.

Needless to say I will never return to this totally unprofessional pantomime of a pub and would recommend that anyone thinking of visiting changes their mind and goes to a professional establishment.

28 Jun 2010 21:11