The Poets Ale and Smokehouse — Restaurant in England

My wife and i went to The Poets for lunch today. They were offering 2 for 1 burgers so being on a lunch break i thought the turnaround would be quick. 40 minutes later we were still waiting and a gentleman from the party of 8 next to us (only other people in the pub at this point) was complaining to the barman that to wait an hour and ten minutes for a burger was unacceptable. When our burgers arrived shortly afterwards an acknowledgement that 'there was an issue in the kitchen' was mentioned but no apology offered. Told the chap we had waited 45 minutes, the order was wrong and the plates were oddly cold (the food was warm). He apologised for the plates being cold and the wait but didn't offer to change my wife's incorrect order. I asked what the issue was and he said he wasn't sure....I asked if he could find out as i wasn't best pleased, and with full knowledge i was going to have to inhale my burger if i was to make it back to my desk in time. He said he would find out what the issue was and see if there was anything he could by way of an apology. 10 minutes later we were ready to leave and the chap came over to say he was sorry about the wait. I asked what the issue was and he still didn't know! THERE WERE 8 OTHER PEOPLE IN THE PUB WHO HAD FINISHED EATING AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO SERVE AT THE BAR - IT WASN'T LIKE HE'D BEEN RUSHED OFF HIS FEET.

The level of incompetence at dealing with a very straightforward grievance was simply astounding.

Long wait, wrong order, cold plates, no offer to rectify, did not follow through with the offer to find out what the hold up was, no offer to compensate when he suggested he would and a forced apology when we told him how unhappy we were.

Basil Fawlty has opened a...

Well, what can I say? I hadn't been to this Pub since it had changed management. I was greeted with a very dour, blank faced, unfriendly Landlord? Or barman. He made me feel as if I had accidently walked into someone elses house, no matter how friendly I tried, he just wouldn't crack a smile. My friend had booked a table by phone, yet they had no evidence of this and they had failed to write it down. Had it been full, we would have had no chance for our lunch. Pretty poor. Anyway, since it was practically empty at this point, we were able to use a pre-reserved table empty until 5pm (we were there at 1pm). To be fair, the food was good. Your usual standard 'Tex-mex' pub food but good quality and a good portion. Not too big and not too small. I actually managed to get a small smile out of the bar maid when she collected the plates, yes! So they are NOT robots! Well, she wasn't after all! Then when it came to pay, my card kept being refused. This was the fault of the machine, since I knew I had money and it has worked fine since but the Landlord/barman insisted it was my fault, much to my embarrassment. Luckily I had another method of payment but the damage was done! So in all, a nasty, frosty, unpleasant Pub which no matter how many times you play 'The Gorillaz' on a loop, could not change the atmosphere in there! Maybe the people serving at the bar were having a particular bad day? Maybe the Landlord/barman took offence to my jacket?? It did have some loud buttons on it. Who knows! Anyway, this attitude made the place feel like not a 'Pub' but just another money making chain drinking business. Shame, as it's my local. I will have to go further afield to the nicer, friendlier...

This pub is like a game of two half’s very much like what was being shown on every TV in the pub which is a shame for those of us who dislike the game.

That saying I’ve eaten a very enjoyable Sunday roast at the Poets Ale and Smokehouse. I had the duo of pork - braised pork belly in cider was the star of the show , so I’m not sure why the chef served such a fatty loin of pork to accompany it which was sadly inedible! However the lovely selection of veg was cooked to perfection, the Yorkshire pudding was just how it should be and the gravy thick and very tasty! My daughter had the beef brisket which was faultless!

But here is the other half again - the leeks in cheese sauce were undercooked and I’m not sure why either when we have such fantastic English sausages available the chef would choose frankfurter type sausages for the pigs in blankets - very odd. A shame as you pay extra for these too.

We did however manage a pudding to share and both declared the chocolate brownie and homemade ice cream - the best we had had in a very long time.

The pub staff were extremely helpful and also cheerful which made for a lovely atmosphere. They also went above and beyond when they found out my daughter had a peanut allergy, which is very reassuring.

Lose the fatty pork, change the sausages and it would have been a very well...