THE RISING SUN - North lane, Clanfield

16/4/2019

We've been to The Rising Sun many times. It's changed hands more times than the ring in Tolkien's epic story. We had yet to drop in under the current management, so thought it was time to put that right.

We've always had a bit of a soft spot for this pub. It has the feel of a good old pub, whilst being of a good size. There's a car park, several entrances, and a smattering of outdoor seating. This does involve being rather close to the road though.

Dad and I found a nice quiet table in the corner and got stuck in to the menu. The first few items on the main menu worried us a little, costing around £14, but as we went on, the meals gradually came down in price to a much friendlier level. Dad has a bit of a thing at present for duck eggs, so when he saw one of his favourites, ham and chips served with duck eggs, he was sorted. I simply fancied fish and chips, so that's what I had. Dad's choice was £12.95, while mine was £11.95. I'd say that's pretty much bang on in terms of what those meals should cost in a decent eatery.

There was some music playing at just the right level, and the temperature was good. When the food arrived, that also looked pretty good. My fish looked nice and chunky, but upon cutting, it became clear that the batter was quite thick. I don't mind this too much, but I think some might. The chips were hand cut, and they were fantastic. I would have liked a touch more tartar sauce, and perhaps more of the mushy peas, but on the whole, I was very happy. Dad's ham was very good, and his chips, like mine, were excellent, although he doesn't like me talking about chips too much. The big disappointment from his point of view though, were the eggs. They weren't duck eggs.

Whoever is in charge of The Rising Sun, is always off to a good start. The pub is a nice place to spend time, and there are plenty of tables. The food here is very good, and the pricing is for the most part spot on. With our critical heads on, we think the menu could be a bit more imaginative, but that's no major criticism. There is always time, and menu's are always changing. I would sum up our visit as solid. No major issues, and we would be happy to eat here again.

Atmosphere          7

Service                 7

Food                    8

Value                   8

Verdict                4*

Older review.

When we heard that The Rising Sun was under new ownership, it was immediately plotted on our future review map. We have previously reviewed this pub, but think it only fair to start with a clean slate and an open mind when a pub falls under new stewardship. This is an account of our most recent adventure in to pubington.

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for this pub. We have often spoken of the potential. Even though the food hasn't always been the best, I always feel warm and comfortable there. As well as being a good size, the general layout is good whilst being light and publy, (If publy isn't a word, I've just made it up, so now it is).

Upon entry, we were greeted warmly enough, and after ordering drinks, were told that menu's would be brought over. They were true to their word, and menu's were delivered. We wasted little time getting stuck in to our options. The menu wasn't huge, and to the best of our knowledge, wasn't supplemented by a specials board. The average price of a meal in a gastro pub has ticked up to £13, and that was pretty much the deal here, although some meals did sneak up nearer the £16 mark. What we did appreciate, were the extra little touches and attention to detail. A good example being the fish and chips, which came with either a pickled onion or pickled egg.

Dad went classic, choosing the fish and chips. I picked the supreme of chicken. I also took the opportunity to test the pubs policy on flexibility. I asked if I could have chips instead of new potatoes, this I was told was no problem, extra points there. The chicken came with either a mushroom or stilton sauce. I of course chose the stilton. Firstly because stilton is a beautiful thing, secondly, because mushrooms are the spawn of hell.

As we waited for food, we took some time to tick off the list of pub fundamentals. Warm, check. Music, check. Clean, check. Friendly staff, check. The final test would be the food, and we didn't have to wait too long for that. When it arrived, it looked very good. Our chips were of the home made and tasty variety, Dad's fish was jacketed in a crisp batter. It was also sizable, leaving Dad struggling to finish. My chicken was well cooked, though not of the same proportions as the fish. The stilton sauce was perfect and the caille was just right, although I would have liked a touch more of it.

After mentioning the potential of this pub, we feel it is now in the best hands it has ever been to fulfil that promise. They have addressed all the basics and the food is very good. Afterwards, in the car, we found it hard to find fault with anything. But if pushed, we would suggest the following. A slight downwards tweak to some of the pricing, a few more imaginative meals on the menu, and I know this is a small thing, but I do think you should get the option of mushy peas when ordering fish and chips. These are all small things which are easily rectified, and none of them detracted from our lunch. We like this pub and would recommend that you try it for yourselves.

Atmosphere          8

Service                 8.5

Food                    8.5

Value                   7

Verdict                 4.5*

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THE BUGLE HOTEL - Titchfield

After the Christmas break, me and Dad were eager to get out there and explore some new pubs. After our last adventure to Titchfield, we thought we'd follow up and see what else was on offer there. Upon arriving in the town centre we thought we'd give The Bugle a go.

The Bugle is called a hotel, but it is essentially a pub with some rooms upstairs. The first thing which was blatantly obvious when we entered was that the fire's chimney hadn't been swept for a while. There was a strong smell of smoke which became more apparent and irritating throughout our lunch. This wasn't the pleasant smell you get from a well maintained fire, more a back up of smoke seeping in to the room. The second thing we found out, was that there are no menus, unless they were being hidden away somewhere. Taking it all in our strides like the professional pub critics we are, we stood at the blackboard to see what wonders the menu held for us. The menu wasn't small exactly, but could have done with a few more options. The prices seemed very reasonable, Dad chose gammon, egg and chips £7.50, and I had chicken pie and mash £9.95.

As we waited for our food we talked and took in our surroundings. It wasn't badly done out, in fact it may have had a bit of money thrown at it in the last few years, but something didn't sit quite right for me, just one of those things you can't put your finger on. When we arrived there were a few people milling about by the bar, but as we ordered and took a table, they all left. I don't think it was us, more that they had stayed the previous night and were on their way home. This left us alnoe in the pub, not a good sign.

At first glance, my food looked alright when it was placed before me. I started off with a fork full of mashed potato, and this is where the story really begins. Me and Dad have eaten a lot of mash in our time, some of it wonderful and some of it not so wonderful. This was, and I'm not exaggerating here, the worst and most peculiar mash I've ever had. Not only was it bland, devoid of any seasoning, but it was of a most bizarre texture. smooth, stretchy, slightly too viscous with lumps for good measure. I am finding it hard to pull the words out my head which can aptly describe what I ate. If you imagine flour mixed with water and then added a few lumps of potato, you might be getting close. Weirdly, the pie wasn't too bad. It was a half pie really, just pastry on the top. I've also just realised there was no gravy, I think that's a first for me. Dad's gammon was seemingly made of plastic and accompanied by your standard frozen pub chips and two eggs.

We have been doing this for a long time now, though we only started posting reviews last year. This is only the 2nd time we have deemed a pub unfit to feature on any of our lists. It simply isn't good enough and we would feel terrible pointing anyone in the direction of The Bugle Hotel, especially when there are other options within a short walk.

Atmosphere          6

Service                 6

Food                    4

Value                   6

Verdict                 Poor

THE WHEATSHEAF - 1 East Street, Titchfield

Today we ventured in to uncharted territory. We have had our eyes on The Wheatsheaf in Titchfield for a while now, and can now add it to our list of conquests. It's a good old country/village pub, which prides itself on good quality food.

The early signs were good as it was one of the busier pubs we've been to in a while. Things got a little sour upon reaching the bar however. When we asked if we were alright to get some food, we would usually get a reply along the lines of, "Yes of course, take a seat and I'll bring some menu's over". Today though we were first told there might be a bit of a wait, that's fair enough if you're busy. We were then asked if we wanted to order off the bar menu, without having menus explained. We were then given a menu and asked immediately what we wanted so the order could be put through. I'm not someone who has panic attacks, but I wasn't far off it then. I like to take my time looking at menu's and thinking about my options. After resigning myself to ordering fish and chips through blind panic, at the last minute I asked if they were doing a turkey roast, it being nearly Christmas and all. Turns out they were. It was apparently on the main menu, but I was allowed to order it in the bar. Taking a deep breath we collected our drinks and headed for a table to gather our whit's.

As we waited under the oak beams for our food, we chatted and soaked up the atmosphere of a festive and bustling British pub. It was a nice change to share a pub with other humans after last week's solitary experience. It turned out that the wait wasn't that long after all, and as Dad's sausage and mash was placed in front of him and my roast in front of me, I thanked the food God's that I'd asked about the Christmas dinner, I even got a Yorkshire, none of this only with roast beef nonsense. I had a generous portion of rolled turkey breast with a stuffing inside, and beautiful roast potatoes, which I later learned were cooked in goose fat. My vegetables came in their own dish and included stunning little roast parsnips. At the other end of the spectrum, my Dad wasn't quite so excited about his food. He said the food itself was very good, but it wasn't what was offered on the menu. It was advertised as sausage with champ mash and caramelised onion gravy, and there in lay the problem. The champ had been usurped by its less interesting cousin, standard mashed potato, and the caramelised onions were conspicuous by their absence, thus rendering an interesting dish in to a very ordinary one.

All in all we had a good time and enjoyed the food, me more than Dad, but we were reminded of last week's trip and subsequent disappointment at how a pub so close to five star can let itself down in small ways. The atmosphere was pretty good, but it could have been that bit better with a chilled out Christmas playlist coming through the speakers rather than a radio station, maybe we're turning in to pub snobs. Again, as seems to be a regrettable growing trend, most things were a touch overpriced. Dad's sausage and mash was £10, which doesn't sound bad, but think about what it is. Two sausages and some potato, there weren't even any vegetables. I could make that for about £1. Service was a bit of a mixed bag, with one of the waitresses being lovely, and one of the barmaids seeming like she was finding it hard to keep her bad mood under control. 

We wouldn't put you off eating at The Wheatsheaf, the food was very good, mine in particular, and it is a nice cosy pub. We have a few other Titchfield pubs on our hit list and will of course keep you informed as to their quality.

Atmosphere          8

Service                 5

Food                    8

Value                   6

Verdict                 4*

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THE CRICKETERS - 1 Church Road, Steep

After previously attempting to eat at the Cricketers, only to be told that food wasn't available due to a function, we returned to see what they could offer our empty stomachs.

This is a nice looking pub, with a rustic decor set off by stripped wooden tables and a fireplace, which unfortunately wasn't lit. It is also very light inside, unlike your typical dingy pub interior.

We had no trouble finding a table as we were the only people there, always a slight concern. A quick glance at the menu gave us a possible incite in to the reason for the vacuous nature of the establishment. We are I'm afraid back to our biggest bugbear. Everything was overpriced. To give you an idea, Dad ordered fish and chips and I had a chicken burger and chips. I'm sure you'll agree, neither of these are gastronomical wonders, nor do they take rare skills to prepare, yet they cost £12 each. You may think us fussy and that a few quid doesn't matter. Perhaps you would be right, but you can't justify charging that sort of money for those sort of dishes. We shall now concentrate on the food.

We couldn't really fault the food at all. My burger was beautiful, the chips were perfect and cooked, refreshingly, until nice and crisp. Even my side salad was good, kissed by a lovely pesto dressing. Dad's fish and chips were also good, his fish accompanied by a different species of chip to my burger. His were much more chunky and rustic. He was however slightly disappointed with the portion size. This is not to say that we demand vast mountains of chips, but it was on the small side, rubbing salt and vinegar in to the wound inflicted by the £12 price tag.

After our post-lunch deliberations, we have decided to award The Cricketers four stars, but we were left frustrated. Although the pub itself is lovely and the food very good, it is the smallest things which stop this becoming a five star pub. We couldn't believe that in the run up to Christmas in a beautiful country pub, you wouldn't have your open fire going, especially if you insist on having the back door open the whole time. The menu is at least 20% over priced, minimal effort had been made with Christmas decorations and Dad found the music quite annoying. The Cricketers is a nice pub, but they are a roaring fire, a shut door, an easy listening playlist, a Christmas tree and 20% off prices away from being a five star pub.

Atmosphere          6

Service                 7

Food                    8

Value                   6

Verdict                 4*

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THE HARROW INN - Harrow lane, Steep

On an unseasonably sunny day at the beginning of December, me and Dad went back to a pub we last visited several years ago. The Harrow Inn is the ultimate olde world, unspoilt pub. A tiny 17th century building complete with beams and fireplace. Probably the smallest pub I've ever been to, it can seat around 16 people, maybe 20 at a squeeze. There are plenty of seats outside for when the weather is fine.

This is where I usually recount how we grab a menu and find a table. It's not quite like that at the Harrow. Firstly the menu is very small indeed, consisting of quiche, soup, sandwiches and a few other offerings. Secondly, you sit wherever you can, even if that means sharing a table with other diners, most unBritish. I had quiche and Dad had flan, which lead us in to a debate about what the difference is. Unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion, we perched on the end of a table and awaited our food.

A good thing about being a small pub with a fire is that it keeps the room warm and cosy, which is welcome as Winter draws in. I collected our food from the dinky bar and sat down to tuck in. A quiche comes with salad and crusty bread and will set you back £11. At first glance that sounds like quite a lot, but The Harrow dress your plate with the King of salads. We aren't salad sort of people, but this is truly more than a salad. It is hard to think of something which wasn't on the plate, it's like the Noah's ark of salads, everything is welcome alongside the quiche. The quiche/flan was beautiful and obviously homemade, but what I loved most was the bread. There's not much better than fresh crusty bread served with plenty of butter and we were given a basket full of great chunks of it. Any pub who gives me a basket of bread goes straight in the good book.

Eating at The Harrow Inn can best be described as an experience. When it's busy, the cramped bar won't be to everyone's tastes, but its charm is without question. You can feel the history in a room which has barely changed in the last 400 years or so. The food is wonderful and without fault, but, and I'm afraid there is a but, the menu is very limited as is the seating. If you like quiche, traditional pubs and you can find a seat, there's nowhere better. If you want a burger or pie and mash and you like your own space, it's probably not for you.

Atmosphere          8

Service                 9

Food                    9

Value                   8

Verdict                 4* 

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