The Bull Freehouse — Restaurant in West Suffolk

This could and should have been a 4 or 5 star review. However... We booked on the afternoon that we wanted to eat and were generously given a table for 2. We arrived and the table was not quite ready, no biggie and it wasn't too long. We were at the bar and able to check the menu so that we were ready to order when we sat down. All good so far. We ordered and service was not speedy but also not terribly slow. The restaurant was busy and we weren't too worried. Both meals arrived, pork chop for me and house burger for my wife. My food was really tasty and I started to tuck in. My wife cut her burger and it was pink in the middle. She wasn't keen to eat it so asked for it to be taken back and cooked a bit more. The waiting team were very responsive and did as asked. The food came back (the same burger) and it was still pink in the middle. The edge had been browned but the middle was still pink. We asked for this to be returned again and the staff were very accommodating, this time offering a replacement of this or anything else on the menu. We were really impressed by this, felt we had been listened to and that The Bull team were seeing to our needs really well. Move on to the end of the meal. We ask for the bill and we notice there is a conference taking place at the pass between the staff. One of the waiters very sheepishily drops the bill onto our table. The great work that the waiting staff had done had all been undone by being charged twice for the burger. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE Ben and Sam! We let the waiter know that we are not willing to pay for the meal twice and the waiter asks if we would like to see the manager. We agree and the manager comes. He is very defensive and will not accept that we were not satisfied with the meal that was cooked. He is trying to make us pay for the extra burger and I refuse so we end up paying for what we had (we could probably have walked out without paying anything!). The sad thing is that if we had been charged correctly I would have offered a large tip as they were so good at the time when we sent the food back. I am sorry to the waiting staff who were superb that they missed out on our tip. Aside from this incident the food and service were great, just a shame the management is so poor! The only other thing I would reduce the rating on is portion size. The meals are obscenely big and neither of us could eat all of the food we were served. Having read other reviews I am looking forward to being told that I am in the wrong by this management team. If you go and are not satisfied be prepared to be abused by...

This was a disappointing mixed bag visit

We have visited twice previously with 1st time a very good and then good 2nd time experience and therefore returned again, sadly aspects of this visit were not to previous standards

We found the food to be of good quality albeit small portion sizes and they have very much increased prices significantly

Rather than the normal pub experience they refer to on their website the dining experience is rather strange. We found the food to be more like fine dining and very expensive.

However other aspects were very disappointing.

Service was very good from the gentleman that looked after us from our initial drinks order through to dessert delivery but then we were let down. The initial welcome by another gentleman was not so warm and welcoming and seem to mirror other aspects from two other gentlemen throughout the evening.

However the ambience, environment and overall eating experience was awful. There were 2 dogs that occasionally barked in the dining room and worse was a large family with an inebriated gentleman, one of the dogs and a baby child that cried most of the time we were there and a 4 year old child that similarly shouted and cried. It was not a very nice dining experience. In our opinion that does not fit with the food offering they are trying to deliver. Our perception was it was like eating in MacDonalds

This culminated in waiting over 15 minutes for our dessert plates to be cleared and a bill requested. During this period we were ignored 3 times when 2 of the gentlemen served the table next to us as they visited and served that table. I had enough of waiting and went to the bar to pay the bill. I mentioned my displeasure with the environment and service and the gentleman and lady...

My daughter decided to celebrate her 28th birthday with our family of eight at The Bull at Troston.

We all ordered starter and main plus several bottles of wine with the bill £500+.

My partner had the venison which was delicious as was the lamb that several other people at the table ordered. Unfortunately the mashed potato with the pie and the sauce with the monkfish were extremely salty and the monkfish was slightly overcooked.

To add salt into the wound, pardon the pun, was when they wanted to charge us £25 to serve the birthday cake that my daughter's mother in law had brought along with her.

When I questioned the £25 charge I was advised it was to cover the "loss of income" because we wouldn't be ordering dessert. We were not going to order dessert anyway after the two courses we had already consumed but brought along a small birthday cake to wish my daughter a happy birthday with her blowing out the candles.

I think the charge of £25 is a tad steep and narrow minded considering we would have ordered another round of drinks to toast my daughter and after cake coffees, which at their prices would have been considerably more than the £25.

Needless to say we didn't pay the £25 and left The Bull at Troston feeling disappointed and angry with management due to them repeatedly telling me the charge was to cover their loss of revenue (obviously the £500 we spent was not enough for them).

Rated three for atmosphere as renovation work in the process of being done. I'm sure it will be nice once finished, not that I will see it as it's the first and last time there for...