Glowing reviews, a Wed to Sat menu (including a kids menu) and statements on the website of,
"Our cosy spot boasts an inviting atmosphere where locals and visitors alike gather for exceptional food and a warm welcome."
and
"...offering freshly prepared menus of traditional pub food, delicious sharing platters, hearty mains, and tempting desserts..."
led our party of 5 (one child) here for an early Mother's Day meal on Sat 9th Mar. However, we were all left totally underwhelmed by the whole experience!
It all started with the menus. We weren't offered any! When I then asked for them the waiter arrived with a scrap of paper with a limited number of options, a limited number of meals for each option and NO KIDS MENU at all! We had to order a smaller portion of the limited menu already offered for my grandson.
We decided to persevere though as my grandson (age 2) was in need of food and it would have been a big upheaval to find another place to eat at that point. The meals were delivered within a reasonable time but they did not reflect what the many reviews and website had said at all. The chicken burgers came with no salad (or any other filling) whatsoever, the lasagne meals were small portions as were the chips and the salad with them was literally two pieces of lettuce, two slices of cucumber and one small wedge of tomato! I can't remember ever eating out and having that awful silence and everybody looking at each other like we did then. We were committed by then though, if only for the sake of my grandson who was tucking into his Spag Bol (please take note staff, do not place a hot dish directly in front of a toddler, as you did today). Sauces were offered when really they should just have been given as we all had chips but when they arrived there were just two small ramekins among the four of us.
We all ate our meals and the food was okay but it was definitely NOT great as we had hoped. Eventually the Landlord came over to ask if everything was okay at which point I took the opportunity to say NO! However, despite Tim being a nice enough bloke all he could say was sorry. His explanation was that he was putting all his effort into the next day (Mother's Day) and that recent Saturdays had been quiet, thus the limited menu. When I asked for a desert menu he stated that they didn't have one, despite the website stating otherwise (as quoted above). Nothing else was offered in recompense, as if we were at fault for picking the wrong day! I'd had a brief email discussion with Tim over the booking, as there is nowhere to mention the number of children on the booking form, and he never took the opportunity to mention anything about a reduced menu because of recent weeks or because of the plans for Sunday.
We paid the bill and left, thoroughly disappointed. Tim's parting words were that he hoped to see us again on a Sunday maybe, I believe. However, he'd done nothing to appease our displeasure so it's highly unlikely we'll be back.
You really dropped the ball on this one Tim and what's most disappointing is that you failed to recognise the situation and rectify it. We're not fussy people with huge expectations and it would have been easy for you to do something more than just say sorry and give excuses. Hopefully you'll learn from this experience and maybe, one day (I'll wager it would be a Sunday) we'll return.
Lastly, I've NEVER been to a pub or restaurant that didn't serve desserts! Very odd...
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