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*