The Bugle Coaching Inn — Restaurant in England

Went there for food a couple of hours before our ferry was due to leave for Lymington. The place was not busy at all. With a good range of dishes on the menu my girls opted for hot dogs, my wife the lasagne and I the breaded cracked pepper chicken breast with chips. Waited for ages so we had to ask what was taking so long. Then another 10 mins went past and the food started coming out. Initially the food looked nice but it simply wasn't. My girls hot dog sausages were so overdone they were hard and they couldn't chew them, even I was wondering what they had done to them.. it's like they had been cooked allowed to go cold and reheated in the microwave for 20 mins as the ends were like solid jerky, the bread was also so rock hard it was impossible for them to eat as well. The chips were ok, I also noted there was nothing like lettuce, cucumber sticks or tomatoes for any sort of colour or garnish. My wife's lasagne looked ok she said it was ok, but it certainly wasn't great. My chicken was interesting, the mayonnaise with cracked black pepper was good but the chicken again was tough and chewy like it has been reheated in the microwave. Again a lack of salad or any garnish just whacked on a plate with chips. I also never understand why pubs put food on paper.. the bread on the underside was wet and soggy and now also full of bits of soggy paper, Ok if it was a cheap cafe but paying over £60 for a single course with 70% of the food which was pretty much inedible isn't great. Not to mention they automatically add 10% onto the bill. Now I normally wouldn't mind, but when the food was dumped on our table, that's the last we heard from the waitress. No one came over asking if everything was or if we wanted more drinks etc.. just left in the corner next to a loud TV with patrons swearing loudly in the background.. so not a really nice relaxing place to eat with good food and attentive staff quite the opposite in fact. All in all disappointed, still hungry and down £60, we weren't going to even attempt the desserts, I guess they would have been microwaved until they were...

The food was very good. My husband and I chose this place together, and it was tasty. We ordered a Caesar salad, and the lady was kind enough to ask if she should remove the croutons from my portion, as she gathered from our conversation that I don’t eat gluten (I should add that I have a gluten allergy). The chicken was slightly dry, but when combined with the anchovies, it made a delicious pairing.

Additionally, I have a sensitive gut and digestive system, but everything was well-prepared – I didn’t experience any discomfort.

The next dish I ordered was cod in a curry sauce with spring onion and chickpeas – it was good, although the fish was slightly dry, as if it had been frozen rather than fresh. That said, nothing was burnt, and I’m inclined to believe it was fried in good quality olive oil, which I appreciate since I’m allergic to sunflower and rapeseed oils.

My husband ordered the triple beef burger and was moderately satisfied. The beef was of average quality, and it would have been better if there were two thicker patties to make it juicier. (I should mention he eats a lot of beef in all forms, and when he cooks steak, it's always rare or medium-rare.) So, unfortunately, the beef didn’t quite meet expectations.

The place is fine for a quick bite with a beer, but not for a culinary experience. Overall, if you’re not too focused on food quality and just want something to eat and have a beer, it’s okay. We don’t drink alcohol, but the food was decent, and I felt good afterward with no discomfort.

I can...

Went for Lunch with my daughter . I had the roast which was fair to say was well below average. My daughter had the plant based spag bol. It was HORRENDOUS. it was a microwave heated up dish of slop would be the best way to describe this. Swilling around in excess liquid it was absolutely disgusting. When we complained the the server said he would pass it onto the manageress and chef. We heard nothing, No visit from either to apologise in any way, so when we got up to pay and leave I questioned the bill. The HARD faced manageress realed off the two meals and the two drinks. I said the spag bol was inedible. She asked why so I explained again all she could say was well it was Vegan so would taste different! We are well aware of that being vegan! She then reluctantly said well I can take if off if you like! No No please let me pay for the meal that we did not consume because you have a chef that cant cook! Again no apology disgusting customer service if you can even call it that. We left feeling disgruntled and my daughter shaking with the stress of it as we are not ones to normally complain. I have since spent the afternoon on the toilet thanks to whatever was in my so called roast NEVER EVER AGAIN. Def would not recommend for both food OR...