RE: Eating out - 9

If you are ever in Worthing, go to the Blue Ocean fish bar right opposite the pier.
I was there last Wednesday and decided to have a meal before the mad 12 noon rush, (why do all pensioners find it imperative to fill every establishment to the brim by noon).
I ordered the large cod and chips and a cup of coffee, when I saw it I nearly had a thrombo, 12" square plate, fish corner to corner AND a small piece on the side, a mountain of chips, 2 tomatoes quartered, red onion, lettuce and a couple of slices of lemon, I was there an hour eating it, (glad I didn't order any bread and butter ,or mushy peas), and the price £6.50 all in.
When I'd finished the guy came to clear the table and asked if everything was ok, I remarked that's the best fish and chips I've ever had, and I'll be back.
FANTASTIC, and I didn't eat again until next day.

Making me feel hungry John,sounds good.

John

At least thats sounds a lot better than Harry Ramsdens opposite the pier in Brighton. I think I may have mentioned this before, but I am not a great fish eater but my wife is, so we gave it a try. I thought mine was terrible and for once my wife agreed that I wasn't just complaining because it was fish, she said it definitely didn't taste right.

Phil

Hi Phil

I live in walking distance of 'The Dog' harvester at studley - terrible place!!, service never very good and even had dirty cutlery. do you remember the old dog, a lovely unspoilt place. i am not sure what the toby is like in studley itself, 'cus the dog is actually in mappleborough green. there is another pub not far away, the holly bush, just before you go down the long hill into mappleborough, you turn left down the old birmingham road. not been there for ages, used to be good. my son, daughter in law and of course the grandson are veggies, which makes it difficult sometimes. perhaps we ought to start a thread for good pubs to eat in.

i used to find it much easier to go out hiking with the dog and call into pubs for a bite and a coffee, the dog was always welcome but a lot of pubs are not child friendly.

molly

steph

Hi all
did post a reply but i think it went on another thread, eating out.

anyway, sorry if im repeating myself. phil i live in walking distance of the dog at mappleborough green, and to be honest i dont like it, the service is always bad in there and one time i had dirty cutlery, so dont go, its more like a posh version of mac donalds not a country pub. do you remember the old dog, a lovely little pub. not sure what the toby pub is like up in studley, used to be good but has changed hands a few times. studley has a lot of pubs. there is one called the jubilee which is supposed to be quite good value, never been tho. just before you go down the big hill to mappleborough green, turn left and then right, down the old birmingham road, there is a pub called the holly bush, that is supposed to be good.

when i used to go hiking with my dog we would aways call into a pub for a bite to eat and a coffee, they were always dog friendly but a lot of pubs dont seem to be children friendy.,

molly

Steph

Your other post is here as well, you must have missed it. I used the Dog before it was swept away for this Harvester and it the second one I have used now and I shall be using no more. I only used this one for the granddaughters sake.

I have eaten in several of the pubs around Studley and Alcester, perhaps we should have continued on to the Boot. Whats that like these days. I always found the Barley Mow in Studley well presented but nothing special in the food department. We used to use The Fish at Wixford quite a lot before they poshed it up, they used to do an enormous steak and huge spider crabs washed down with a couple of bottles of Hungarian Bulls Blood it was great.

You can use this thread if you have any recommendations or bad reports on restaurants.

Phil

Used to drive past the Fish a lot when I worked in Stratford,never went in.

John

As I said before they poshed it up, it was a great place for a meal, we used to eat in a little back room that was like a kitchen all that was in there was a kitchen table with a plastic tablecloth and a six chairs a welsh dresser and that was it. So six of used to go and we had the room to ourselves. Of course they served other meals in the bar at the table where you were drinking as well.

The steak used to be a minimum of 32 ounces and took up the whole plate, the rest of the meal was served on a separate plate. The first time we went there and they brought out the spider crab which she had ordered my wife screamed because she thought it was still alive, but once she was shown how to eat it she really enjoyed it.

We went there a few years back, we only took a look inside the door and we left, we could see it was nothing like it used to be.

Phil

Phil
There used to be a wonderful place out at Abberley that was similar to what you describe. /theys erved small parties in a back room and it was like eating at home, except the steaks were "grown" in the field behind , as the owner had a little farm and raised his own beef . Pub long gone now and the owners long dead.

Mike

The trouble is today, that restaurants think posh and chic is want we want. What good are those two attributes if the food is no good and the service is poor. I don't care what a place looks like as long as it is clean and I don't mind waiting a little if the food is good and plentiful.

Phil

Here Here !

sorry,

ooops, yes, i did send it twice. the barley mow, i think is now a toby inn. so many pubs in and around studley and further up into coughton, the throckmorton arms is quite good. i used to take my kids to the royal oak in studley for lunch many years ago and that was quite good. a lot of people like the golden goose on icknield street in matchborough, redditch, not far from the washford mill.

not been to the barley mow for a long time. i think the mother huff cap at great alne is very good, go through studley and turn down spernal lane, the quick way to great alne.

i v heard the jubilee in studley is family friendly and have a pet s area, rabbits, etc.

molly

Just back from another culinary catastrophe, The Plough, Stratford Rd, Monkspath. Another eating place to draw a wide line around. My first time in the pub and my last. My granddaughter took myself and her grandmother for a meal there today and to be honest it looks the business, but thats where it ends.

I ordered the cheapest meal in the house so as not to put a strain on the granddaughter's finances and so did my wife. That was the Sunday Roast at £7.95. What a delight that was after an hours wait. One slice of tough roast beef, 4 small roast potato's a sprig of broccoli 3 strips of carrot and a Yorkshire pudding. All that I ate was the potato's and the meat and my wife left most of hers as well.

To be honest I might go there for another meal, just so I can have the pleasure of kicking up a fuss and send the rubbish they serve back, but for the granddaughters benefit everything was great and it was the best meal we have had for years.

In honesty though if you are thinking of patronising a Beefeater establishment and you want a decent meal, then take my advice try somewhere else.

Phil

What a shame Phil.

Must say I went to 1709 in Lichfield last Friday with people from work.

The place was packed but the service was great.We ordered a couple of drinks that never came but that was my only complaint.Young staff but they coped well and with a smile.

Top marks to the chefs,with so many people eating you could have expected the food not to be so great but it was well cooked and presented.

Prices reasonable,they have a good name in the town and deservedly so.

Sometimes it's a delight being the oldest couple in a family. It means we get invited out so often by different members of the family. Today it was the grandson in law (is there such a relation?) The only problem being was it was the Plough at Monkspath again.

This time forewarned was forearmed and I ordered a steak. Well he might be young but he has got a good job. The steak I have to say wasn't bad at all except they brought me the wrong one but I said nothing. I was still not happy with the service and I couldn't wait to get out of there after 3 hours for only 3 courses.

All I can assume is that they are understaffed and that is the reason it takes so long to get served, but that is no excuse for serving a tepid cup of coffee, once again I said nothing but had a sip and left it.

Obviously my grandchildren have recommended this place to each other, and that fact worries me. They know much better than this place I know because at one time or another we have taken them to better places. I don't know perhaps it is me that has got it wrong and they are right.

Phil