Crab & Boar — Restaurant in England

We stayed twice in December. We knew this place as The Crab, a very popular restaurant in its heyday, so decided to try it.|It is easy to find, along the Wantage road. Big car park, free parking. The exit is on a bend, and it could be a but tricky at times.|The reception is also the bar, standard practice in taverns/inns . Friendly staff. On our first visit, we were allocated the Enborne room, and all rooms are named and not numbered. The rooms are at the rear of the restaurant. Our room, along with four others, is accessible by steps. The steps are steepish and exposed to the elements. Could be a problem in the snow or heavy rain.|The room was lovely and spacious. But we noticed no bath, just a shower. My partner had broken her knee, so wasn't able to stand in a shower. Went back to reception, and they moved us to Popeswood. Apparently, you have to request a room with a bath. We booked through Booking.com, and never knew this.|Popeswood is a lovely room. We came back a few days later.|Breakfast. Included in our tariff. But boy oh boy is the menu confusing. Every item 8s individually priced, so we had no idea what was included in our B&B rate. Even the waiting staff weren't sure. We just ordered a few things. Coffee offered on arrival at your table. But no refills offered. On the first morning, we never had fruit juice, didn't realise it was available. Food is sparse, and in my opinion, overpriced. But we enjoyed it.|The bathroom is excellent in Popeswood. And the room is nice and warm. Freeview TV and free WiFi . Basic tea/ coffee making facilities. No biscuits or tissues in the room. No milk, but you can get it from reception. Housekeeping lady we met was very friendly and chatty. Our room was serviced on request. I reset the clock in the bathroom, it was wrong by over 70 minutes.|Not sure if the smoke detector was actually working. It wasn't flashing.|On out second night we had family joining us for dinner. Four of us went in, shown to our table by a lovely young girl. There was a Christmas party going on. They were in a separate room, for some reason we were sat right next to them. Staff did apologise about the noise, but yo be honest it wasn't a problem. As we sat down we were informed, no oies and no burgers. That is inexcusable, two items missing off a limited menu. The starters very fine. We ordered two fish and chips, excellent, and two gnocchi, disgusting. The gnocchi tasted like French onion soup, barely any pasta. We did complain and one meal was taken off our bill. |We then had tea and coffee in the lounge. The waiter warned us that the Decaf tea isn't very nice. He was correct. Vile. No matter how hard we tried, couldn't get ant flavour. |The staff did seem to spend a lot of time apologising. There is a loose bit on the steps to Popeswood. We mentioned it, ' oh, we know about that.' It was still loose on our second visit. A female member of staff apologised for the traffic noise from our room. There wasn't any, just a bit even in the bathroom. When we came down to dinner we fancied a Mulled Wine. We had seen the urn on the counter. We were told, ' I wouldn't feel comfortable serving that to you' by the bar person. Weird thing to say.|So stay here, but be wary of the...

Never heard of the C&B before and was excited to meet a friend there and take in the advertised gorgeous views, food and drink. It was situated at a midway point between Farnborough and Exeter. I chose it because the pictures on their website and in Google maps were so tantalising and promised excellent fare. But something was amiss on the day I went as our order was never put in and our food never came after an hour. They did own up to it being their mishap and were generous with extra bread which we did not require. We already had our fill. The waiter who took our order never apologised and just said the computer didn't take it as a matter of fact. She might have been fed up with the system too. The other waiter who had assisted us from the beginning was very apologetic and wanted to make up for the shortfall. We were offered food on the house, but I was not okay with that as food costs money and businesses are hurting anyway. It has to be hard re-opening, etc. They offered us free dessert as well but we were there for a short time with our friend who had to continue on to Exeter. They convinced us to order dinner on the house and said it would come out very quickly. I know they were doing their best. When the bill came only 10% was taken off. My husband and friend were not okay with that and I just wanted to pay it and leave this place behind. The food was not very good. The mash was pasty, the steaks were just okay and the veg did not smell or look nice. I felt guilty b/c we did order it after they convinced us to, but we probably should not have. I think we were obliged to pay something but the other two were livid. The manager even asked us what we want off the bill and I am sure the other two were fuming b/c we were promised no charge. It didn't feel right not to pay something so I just said 20% so that we could leave. We tipped the waiter who helped us from the start. The place has nice views thought the road did get busy and I hadn't realised there was a motorway in the distance. There was a brisk wind that doesn't allow you to stay too long to enjoy the view and eat. We ended up inside and that is possibly where all the mess started. I did book in advance. In the end, the view wasn't worth it and it did not contain what it said on the box. The food was not great and not presented like in the photos.I asked for a bellini which the waiter was not familiar with but there it was on their menu! It came back as gritty brown stuff an inch up from the bottom of my glass. It was horrendous looking. Also, the antipasto platter was not worth £22! It was 12 pieces of salami (small circles), some olives and pickled cauliflower. I am all for helping businesses right now, but only those who can deliver what they say they will offer. I am sorry if it was an off day for the restaurant but we had a special occasion too, not just meeting a friend but we were also celebrating my husband's new job. I will have to make up for that now. I wish the C&B all the best. It looks like there was some great improvements from what it once was and the place was clean, but the food and drink were not up to par with the...

Butcombe and Crab. More than Beer and a Cheese & Onion roll. Much more. In fact fayre of the finest 'pub grub' that you'll find anywhere in the UK. 100% Satisfied.

I know Butcombe for having a tiny pub near Norton St Philip / Falkland (A336). Many years ago this pub was managed by a distinguished lady who offered beer from the barrel and cheese and onion rolls. That was it. I believe it was also an outlet for local eggs.

Going to a place that has changed hands is always a risk. Imagine my surprise when we arrived at The Crab to find its new owners were Butcombe.

Anyhow, importantly coming from Newbury the road is open - at least to The Crab. The sun was shining and there were already cars parked up.

We had not booked, and as walk-ins were welcomed to stay for dinner.

Menus were inspected outside in the warm evening sunshine - which makes anywhere a relaxing place to be. I was there for a business meeting and like have calm around when I meet others. So far so good

The menu options had a mix of seafood and plenty of options for most if not all preferences. Each with something that I'd never heard of. Usually a red flag for me, as this often means you pay for fancy food. I need not be concerned. Mostly it was my ignorance, part of the joy when Chef's care and cook with appropriate ingredients.

We skipped starts and heads for mains Atlantic Cod and Rib Eye with thrice cooked wedges (massive,). Cod came with a bed of tiny form of pasta and the Rib Eye on softened and possibly caramelised(?) onions. We were assured no sides needed. This in fact was the case. Both meals were plentiful and delightful. In fact I could not finish the potato fest - too voluminous. A first.

Onto deserts. How is it that we always make room? Turnovers with a creamy custard sauce. Incredible. Rhubarb and apple served in such a fine manner I have never known. Too flowery? Well, it was cooked to perfection, not too sweet and the rhubarb- in season was very tasty.

That was that. Three hours gone. Service was excellent and surrounding also. Not too noisy.

I expect the price is more than a pub, but for entertaining, this was perfect.

I am glad that we took a punt. And, importantly a shout out to Butcombe for investing in the The...