House Martin Pub & Dining — Restaurant in New Forest

Booked before Xmas from a pre order menu. Booked initially for 7pm was asked to arrive at 6.45 as they had a large table booked for 7pm When we arrived we were the only table but still had a long wait for food. When we finally were served again from a menu we had to choose from 3 weeks previously we were told there was no tomato soup....This was from a selection of just a couple of items on the children's pre order Xmas menu. How difficult is it as a restaurant to ensure you have the options stated on a pre order menu?! Tomato soup us hardly a rare foodstuff! My food which was the fish was so overcooked it was actually hard in places. Having just moved to the area I had also booked and left a deposit for a meal with other relations that were visiting for Xmas eve. This time there were three adults and two children. On this occasion the service once we actually were seated was better, however on arrival a young girl told us our table was the one in the corner...There being 4 corners in the room it was difficult to know quite where she meant but she very reluctantly decided to show us. The children were asked whilst we were ordering drinks what flavour ice cream they wanted...This was almost as soon as we sat down. Surley try asking when a meal has actually been eaten!!! The meal itself....prawn toasts? ??? A bowl of prawns in cheap tasting sauce which could have been a shop bought version, toast???? Focaccia bread that was so hard (not through toasting but staleness) that you couldn't even cut it. The roast turkey; discussing! looked processed. The vegetables were awful even the roast potatoes tasted of stale fat. The pudding was ok. Out of necessity we went on two separate occasions there will never be a third. I can't even say it was like school dinners as that would be an insult to school cooks. The only reason I didn't complain on the evening was due to having family with me. What a waste of hard earned money and what an excuse for a meal. How you have managed to receive good comments on the food at your establishment is beyond me. Maybe because there's no competition or any decent food to compare it with. I will never understand any praise you have received. The...

I don’t normally write reviews for places but my visit to the House Martin this afternoon left me with no choice but to share the exceptional experience I had today.

I had visited in the past and whilst the cosy yet open atmosphere inside and the spacious gardens outside made it the perfect place to grab a drink, the food was nothing to write home about.

When I heard that the pub was under new management and now offers a completely refreshed menu, I decided to pay a visit for lunch on a day off work.

‘Pub food’ doesn’t do their offerings justice! The meal I had today puts most restaurants to shame, who’d charge far more. No need to go to Bournemouth or Southampton when food of this quality is right on my doorstep.

The halloumi fries for starters were the thickest I’ve ever seen. Should be called halloumi batons or something as the word fries completely undersells them.

For mains I had the bacon and cheese burger with chunky chips. The burger was fantastic. Not too greasy, yet so thick and delicious. The coleslaw was evidently freshly made and a good portion too.

And the chunky chips! Oh, the chunky chips! The best chunky chips I’ve tried, bar none. Perfectly cooked. Not too soft nor too hard. I usually go for sweet potato fries when available when I’m eating out as I’ve had too many cases of improperly cooked chunky chips. But these were perfect. Next time I’ll order another portion on the side. 😂

As I mentioned at the start of this review, the thing that made this the best pub in the area was the lovely cosy, yet open, atmosphere. The high ceilings and spacious floor plan create a space which stands in stark contrast to the dingy and claustrophobic feel of other local pubs.

Staff are some the nicest bunch you’ll meet. Especially Ashley, who bent over backwards to make sure all my needs were met. He greets everyone with a warm smile and makes you feel like you’re at home away from home.

The House Martin is undoubtedly not just a place to go for a drink anymore, but a destination for anybody looking for mouthwatering, hearty food in a delightful atmosphere. I know I’ll be coming back,...

We booked in advance a table for 12 and we were the first diners in the restaurant. I took us a while to settle down but the waitress came to take our orders for starters and mains.There seemed to be a bit of a wait for starters but they arrived, however, the remaining starter arrived as we were finishing ours. Other tables had become occupied and they all seemed to be getting their meals and they all certainly had their mains before we did. I did ask the waitress if the main course was on it's way and she said yes but they were very busy! There appeared to be only one waitress serving 6 tables. Our fist course dishes were eventually removed but 2 remained on the table. We arrived at 12.30 and left around 3.30 after only having starters and main course! We didn't think we had time to wait for dessert! It was very disappointing and the food wasn't marvellous. One of our table ordered a small Tanglewood pie but a large one was served. We queried the size of the pie but was told they were all one size so she started to eat it. A few minutes later a small pie came out but she had already started it! The staff obviously don't know their menus. It was a special occasion which had been mentioned at the time of booking. From our experience of today there were not enough staff in the restaurant and there is little communication between staff and management. Very disappointing as The House Martin had been recommended to us and although we live locally we don't eat out very often. Very poor and not to be...