Friday 25 September 2015

THE ROBINHOOD INN - 26 The Green, Rowlands Castle




Today was George's birthday, so me, Rachel and Dad took him out for lunch. We went to The Robin hood Inn in Rowlands Castle as we knew it was good. Me and Dad had been there once before for lunch and were mightily impressed. This lead to a follow up trip where we tried their Sunday roast which was also wonderful.

There are a handful of tables scattered out the front of the pub, but though the sun was out, it wasn't quite warm enough to sit outside. There was plenty of space inside, so we picked a table and were promptly asked for a drinks order and handed the menus. It's an example of what a pub menu should be. A perfect blend of pub classics and original, interesting food. There was also a specials board to choose from. 

Between us we went for beef and mushy peas suit pudding, cauliflower cheese with crusty bread, 100% beef burger and rolled plaice stuffed with samphire on a sun kissed potato cake. I'm still not quite sure why the potato cake was sun kissed. The wait wasn't too long and when it arrived, the food was presented beautifully. 

George was trying a suit pudding for the first time and polished it off in no time. The gravy was rich and tasty and all the vegetables were cooked perfectly, including green beans, baby carrots and broccoli. Dad had the burger, which is something I don't think I've seen before, but he said it was a fine burger indeed. I could smell the cheesy goodness emanating from Rachel's cauliflower cheese, I even managed to nab a bit of her bread. It was warm, fresh and crusty, just like bread should be. My plaice was lovely. I know samphire is currently quite a trendy vegetable, but I do like it. 

There is no question that The Robin hood Inn is a good pub. It catches that perfect ground between the rustic and the contemporary and the food is consistently of a high quality. If you are ever in search of food in the Rowlands Castle area, The Robin hood is the place to go. 

Atmosphere 8
Service        7
Food           9
Value          8
Verdict       5*

Saturday 12 September 2015

THE WHITE HART - Hambledon Road, Denmead






Updated 9/9/18

After a Summer hiatus, we decided to start things off with a refresh and revisit mission. The chosen target was The White Hart in Denmead.

There is plenty of parking here, and plenty of outdoor seating in a pleasant pub garden. However for this trip, we decided to take a table indoors. We sidled up to the bar, all casual like, and procured some cold, fizzy drinks. The word that popped in to my head to describe the service was abrupt. Not bad, but certainly not warm and welcoming.

The specials board was advertising meals for just £6. This would generally leave us feeling slightly wary, but we have eaten here plenty of times, and had expectations of good quality food. Dad jumped straight in to said specials board, going for the bubble and squeak with sausage and gravy. Yes it did say sausage, not sausages. This spurred my Dad to enquire as to the number of sausages to expect. Turns out it was two, but it's always worth checking. For my part, I went for something a bit different. The apricot and goats cheese nut roast with vegetables.

Let us briefly touch on the pub fundamentals before the food arrives. The temperature was good, the music was present and of an acceptable volume, we have already touched on the service, and the pub itself is a good size and a generally nice place to be. Now back to the food.

Let's begin with the meal from the specials board. It was exactly as advertised, plus one sausage. The bubble and squeak took the form of a cake, and was joined by some gravy. We now enter the grey zone of pub food. It's hard to argue with anything when you are getting a feed for £6, but the two sausages and a squeaky cake, just looked a bit lonely, like something was missing. It was all tasty enough, but we thought that a spoon full of vegetables would have eased it out of the grey zone and in to bargain land. My nut roast was pretty good, but then I do love anything with goats cheese on it. I also had a nice selection of vegetables including carrots, parsnips and leeks. If you like your carrots well cooked, these ones may have bothered you, being on the just about done side of the vegetable spectrum. Much like Dad's meal, I thought the addition of a few little potatoes would have rounded off the plate nicely.

We do like this pub, both in the Summer eating outside season, and the Winter cosy pub months. The food is undoubtedly good, and you can't grumble about a £6 menu. We just thought a few added items to certain plates would make a big difference. And as is always going to be the case, warm and friendly service is the least you should expect when paying to eat and or drink in a pub. On the whole, we have found this to be a reliable pub, serving above average food, and we weren't put off returning at a later date.

Atmosphere 8
Service                 5
Food           7.5
Value          7.5
Verdict                 4*
 


Previous review.

My Dad couldn't come out to play this week, so I was joined by able deputy, my brother Tom. The sun was out so I thought it would be nice to get out in to the country. To the best of my knowledge I have been to all the pubs in Denmead, but haven't reviewed any of them yet, so we aimed for The White Hart and set forth.


I remember this pub being refurbished several years back, but unlike allot of pubs I've been to after a "Refurb", this one made a significant difference. It's beautifully done out, managing to fuse country pub with contemporary class. I also know the food has always been pretty good and it has a beer garden.
We followed the usual routine of drinks, menus, find a seat, in this case outside, we were even given a little basket containing cutlery, condiments and a wooden spoon. The first thing to say about the menu at The White Hart, is that it is the best sounding menu I've seen for a while. You have your pub standards, but there are also more unique meals on offer, including good vegetarian options, I was tempted by the vegetable and stilton crumble. One thing on the menu interested me above all else, they have started selling freshly made pizza's. Me and Dad have often discussed why more pubs have never got in to pizza. Everyone loves them and the mark up is huge.


When it came to ordering, me and Tom were finding it tricky to choose, so I made a suggestion which broke the first rule of manly food etiquette, we shared. I was curious to find out how good their pizza was, but I'm always up for as many different things as I can fit on one plate, two if necessary. We finally decided on BBQ chicken pizza with added pineapple and sweet corn, and a chicken burger with chips, salad and coleslaw. When the food arrived we got very excited. The menu didn't specify the size of the pizza, but we had no need to worry. The portions were good. When it came to splitting, it was easier than we had anticipated. The pizza was already sliced, and the burger was made up of two chicken breasts. My brother simply cut the ample bun in half and then there were two.


As I said, I remember the food being pretty good here, but this was right up there with the best. The pizza was brilliant, loads of topping and plenty of cheese. Now I know this may upset some people, but I think Domino's are rubbish, absolutely crap. The King of Domino should take a trip to The White Hart and see what a pizza should be like. You might not be able to get it delivered, but it's nearly half the price and a hundred times better. I'd rather pay £9 and go out for a quality pizza than pay £16 to get a crap one delivered.


The burger was also impressive in taste and stature. A big old bun held two chicken breasts, both cheesed up, garnished with lettuce and onion, we were both delighted to note no tomato. At first glance, we thought the prices may have been one or two pounds over the odds, but after seeing the quality and size of the food they may be well within the margins. Most of the mains seemed to be just under £11, although the pizza's were between £8 and £9, very reasonable indeed.


This pub is a real jewel in the Denmead countryside. A beautiful looking pub serving top quality food. A nice place for a few drinks or for a good meal. The White Hart has shot up in my estimation and I won't hesitate to put it up there with the best pubs I've visited.


Atmosphere  9
Service        8
Food            9
Value           8

Verdict:         5*

Friday 4 September 2015

THE ROBIN HOOD - 6 Homewell, Havant





In our search for uncharted territory, me and Dad headed to The Robin hood in Havant. It is literally a stone's throw from one of our top pubs, "The Old House at Home". The Robin hood has recently be taken over by Fuller's, and I'd seen some reviews which sounded quite promising.


As is the norm, we got some drinks in and procured some menu's. We were also pointed in the direction of a specials board, this week it actually was a specials board. After going through said board and menu, I must confess we were feeling a little underwhelmed. The menu read much like a menu would have read in a pub 15 years ago, "something and chips". On the up side, the prices were mobydiculously low, £5 or £6 for a main. I opted for battered chicken with sweet chilli sauce, while Dad went for ham, egg and chips.


The Robin hood is a proper old-fashioned local pub, it even says inside, "The only real pub in Havant". There's nothing wrong with that, most of the people in there seemed to know each other which made for a friendly atmosphere. Perhaps the menu reflects what the clientele want in this pub. I don't imagine grilled sea bass would go down too well with the old chaps perched round the bar.


Our food appeared promptly enough, complete with salad garnish. Now this is where I find myself in a slightly awkward situation. The food here is never going to blow your mind or change the world, but it is fine for what it is. We could find no fault with what we had, and for the price it's a bargain. We've been to several pubs like this, where you can get decent food at a very good price, but they aren't good enough to make it on to our top pub list. Today's trip to The Robin hood has however planted a seed in my noodle. I am thinking of adding a new page to the site, a cheap and cheerful page. A place to add those pubs that aren't top quality, and indeed aren't trying to be so. It's handy to know a few places where you can feed yourself for a few quid, it's got to be better than going to McDonald's.


Atmosphere  7
Service        6
Food           6
Value          9

Verdict      3*