Southdowns Felpham Way Bognor — Restaurant in Arun

Thanks Sarah for getting back to my review. Sometimes less is more you know, just a straight up five out of five beer was good nice good nice people food looked good is all you need. But whilst I'm here, allow me to elaborate a little on my visit.

It was a windy and somewhat rainy Sunday evening, I remember it like it was yesterday though it was some weeks back now. I am somewhat of a history buff, an enthusiast, if you will. Having not quite satiated my desire to dive into the rich annals of british history, I embarked from Dorchester to bognor Regis, and specifically, the southdowns.

You night wonder why I travelled so far to reach your humble and welcoming pub. WELL, this my dear Sarah is where it gets interesting. History you see is an interconnected web of stories, people, miracles and tragedies. Some emerge from the most unlikely of locations and still affect us to this day. Sarah, the southdowns is more important to contemporary Britain than you might think.

Bognor Regis has always been a bustling trade town and maritime strumping ground, but few know that actually, it is the setting of first ceremony that our American cousins now know as Thanksgiving.

During these troubled times Britain was in the height of its global conquests but, much like we have experienced in more recent wars, struggled to match the guerilla tactics of an insurgency such as that they faced in the americas. The British army was designed to fight other nations and empires, an enemy that could conseal itself in the population and strike at a moment's notice was not what they were prepared for and it cost them dearly.

The British and colonial americans decided to broker a truce with the native populations. After many months trying to come to an agreement with an adversary that was not itself united, a deal was agreed on, ratified and ready for the seal of the king and a delegation of chieftains. This is where it gets interesting. It was deemed too risky for the king of England and the empire to travel to such potentially hostile territory so it was agreed that the British would grant travel to the delegation and that they would arrive in England within the month.

Prior to the location of a pub where the Southdowns stands was at the time a royal alehouse only open to the very upper echelons of society. The native Americans would not have tried æle and carferæ (carvery) like it which made it a good spot for a peace offering.

When the delegation arrived a grand carvery had been prepared but the chieftains refused to eat. Strange, but the king welcomed them in and got straight to business. After a short discussion the deal was signed by both parties. As a gift, the king presented the chiefs each with their own carvery knife and skewer, in return, the chieftains, who still hadn't eaten presented an exotic bird, alive and unlike anything the British had seen, the Turkey. The king had an idea, the order was given and the turkeys were immediately slaughtered and cooked on a spit. A fresh carvery was prepared but this time instead of supple pork, turkey was served. The chieftains had never seen it served in such a way and could not resist sampling. They were so taken with the culinary might of this preparation of turkey that they dined and dined and dined. Many ales were had and an atmosphere of joy and good will filled the air.

The peace lasted over 100 years and it is in part thanks to the southdowns that the American tradition of Thanksgiving is what it is today.

Next time someone asks if you do a carvery, bear this in mind and perhaps if you do, perhaps turkey should be on the menu!

Still, 5 out of 5, great good nice...

Well, what can I say? Where do I start? We've been here on a few occasions and have never been THAT disappointed - it's not a fancy restaurant, it's a pub that serves food, therefore it's not going to be of amazing quality, but we've never been dissatisfied..... Until now..... My wife and I managed to get out for a 'date night' and we chose here - cheap and cheerful, not too far, and it's usually good food. Well it wasn't a good evening. 2 girls behind the bar and they couldn't really cope. We didn't have to wait too long for food but when it came, we were missing something from a dish (Chick Chick Chicken should come with onion rings). I told them behind the bar, after waiting a while, and 3 onion rings came out in a little bowl. Not once did the (one) waitress come to ask if our food was OK. If she had, we'd have been able to say it wasn't. All 3 pieces of chicken were dry and therefore my wife couldn't finish her meal. I spotted a gentleman in a shirt leaving the kitchen and suggested that could be the Manager so over she went. He refunded the meal, but we still weren't happy so emailed and got a £10 off voucher. Apparently he's not had any complaints recently, and he's a new manager. 1 week later we've been back and it's worse! OK, it's not his fault he's short staffed (chef sick) and he's in the kitchen trying to do the food. But, there's still only 2 behind the bar and 1 waitress. Our food was over 1hr, a kids meal came out 15mins before others, but minus an item. We we're almost given the wrong food twice. One meal was cold, 2 of them were OK, but nothing special (and yes, I know I've said it's only pub food, but after the complaint on 'date night' we were assured it was a one-off). If there are issues with the kitchen, let the customers know, give them the chance to decide whether or not to stick around. After I'd been served, another table was told there's a 30min wait. When my wife complained, she was told that I was made aware there was a 45min wait - complete lie! Unfortunately we won't be visiting again, and it is a shame as we've had some good nights here. Perhaps we'll just go for drinks in the future... If they get more than 2 people...

My Father took me for dinner. His meal was great, several aspects of mine were not hot. The pork was only tepid, as was the tomato. In fact, the plate was hotter than the food. I took my meal back to the bar and explained the issue. The barman asked if I would like a fresh meal made, so I said yes, please. A while later my meal came back, however it was same meal minus the corn on the cob, so nothing fresh at all. I took it back to the bar and the barmen said it should have been made fresh. He said he would get it remade but it would take a while. I said my Father had already finished his meal and thought it better to not bother after the two previous attempts. I'm a type 1 diabetic and my blood sugar level was starting to drop rapidly as I had taken insulin before my meal. I thought it best to leave and eat elsewhere. The manager came and spoke to me at length and explained they had several new staff in the kitchen but were getting 3 new chefs shortly. He also said he was in his first 3 months. My meal with my Father had been completely ruined and yet the manager thought it acceptable to refund me only £8 as we had had used a 40% off offer. That £8 was also less than the cost of my meal after the discount! Neither the barman nor the manager seemed to know to process this on the till. By now my blood glucose level had dropped below 4 which is extremely dangerous. I asked for some juice or something with sugar as my glucose tablets were back on our table and I was feeling as if I were about to collapse. He gave me a apple juice and they were still not sure about how to process a partial refund. After a waiting several minutes with my blood glucose level still dropping I said I had to go and would take it up with their head office. This was truly an awful experience and sadly not the first bad experience at The Southdowns. UPDATE. After 2 days, we still have not received any money back, despite only one of us having...