Dining out

[Yokel]

Last time I ate at the Farmhouse was over a year ago and I didn’t find it very impressive – the staff came across as “couldn’t be arisd”.

[Clevercat]

My friend and I went to The farmhouse a few weeks back, and we were both impressed, we were in deep discussion most of the time and did not pay much attention to the staff to be honest, but they all seemed ok that night.

The food was well presented and delicious, although a little on the pricey side.

[Yokel]

Went to the ‘Donkey yesterday lunchtime – the food was very good (for pub food) and the beer excellent (they do a good pint at the Donkey) – I would say the food is 10% overpriced, girl behind bar nice and friendly and remembered us from last time.

We have a love/hate relationship with that place – at times it has been good and at times it has been below average, and the “below average” bits have been constant, but are easily resolvable:

Wobbly tables
Murky glasses
Noise of chatting – GOSSIP - coming from kitchen
…and the whole place needs a good clean (we had to clean Mia’s baby chair)

So, why do we go?, I hear you ask.  Well, the beer is excellent (DoomBar and 6x yesterday), it’s nearby, family friendly (although I wouldn’t give anything off the childrens menu to mia when she’s old enough, the food is generally good enough or better (for what it is), and on a rainy winters day it’s a nice country pub environment.  I don’t see any of the pubs in the middle of Westbury that meet these standards. 

[Andy]

  Five of us ate at The Hollies today and had some lovely starters and main courses, we didn't have dessert because we had bought a special pudding to eat after a walk home!

Starters we had were a filling vegetable soup with chunky potato and carrot plus peas, while my brother had a large helping of White Bait.

Two of us had a large lamb roast, two a small beef roast and the other meal was a small chicken roast. The roasts are priced at £4.75 for a small and £6.75 for a large. Plenty of succulent meat, roast potatoes, a new potato, carrots, peas, a Yorkshire pudding, cabbage and swede on the plate.

Including drinks from the bar (Wine x 3, Guinness x 2, Beer x 2, J2O, Orange Juice) the total was £64.15 and the service was friendly and efficient.

I'm impressed with the newer, smart lay out in the restaurant and there are some excellent paintings of the local area on the wall.

To put this into perspective for one person : a soup starter would be £3.75, a large roast would be £6.75 so this is £10.50 for two very filling courses and many people would need a small roast (£2.00 less) as the portions are generous!

Well played The Hollies  .

[Yokel]

Went to the Thai orchid in Westbury (for the first time) on friday night.

We had two courses each plus bits and bobs and a bottle of wine, the lot came to £58.

The place istelf is nice, the food is good, you get the impression the staff are trying really hard to get you to spend as much as possible.   I'd give it a good score, but its not as good as the Thai barn in Bradford on Avon.

[Clevercat]

Love both those places.  Both get the thumbs up from me. 

[hermes2007]

Just a couple of additional comments. Just had a lunch in the Hollies - I live more or less next door. I had a cheese omlette with salad. Big portion with fresh salad but rather spoilt by the Mayonnaise being in little, difficult to open sachets - why? The Latte coffe (and Cappuccino) is great and served just right. Half empty restaurant as usual.

I think I've said this before but the Agra Indian Restaurant in Warminster is the best I've had outside London.
But just to mention that if you ask Saffron will change the ingredients to taste (within reason) and Jambo (Chinese of course) will not put Monosodium glutamate on if you ask them not too.

[Yokel]

The sachets are purely a health and safety thing - its not about saving money.  I prefer places that give you a little pot with the stuff in (Donkey used to do that, dont know if they still do).  Hollies is the closest pub to me but I havent been in there for two or three years after finding it rough and full of asbos last time I went in.   

[mucker]

has anyone tried the three horseshoes at chapmanslade,i have been told from a reliable source it is very good.........

[Yokel]

How much would a typical pub meal (pie and chips, scampi, jacket spud) cost at the hollies?

[hermes2007]

Sorry Yokel I don't tend to go for those. My Omlette costs just under a fiver. I think the Scampi is dearer from memory.

[Yokel]

I wanted to try the Hollies as I hadn’t been there for years, it’s the closest pub to home, and last time I went in it wasn’t very nice.  Since then they have done up the restaurant and spruced it up a bit so we went to give it a try on Saturday lunchtime (figuring that that’s the sort of time we would go there).   

The restaurant is much better – MUCH better – and, whilst I couldn’t see “real ale” as such points were gained by having Doombar.  Mia was being fussy with her food so the wooden floor helped us not make too much of a mess.  We had cod and chips off the £4.95 menu, garlic bread, a side of veggies, and a bread roll and butter.   

The food was ok – sort of what to be expected at that price (chips better than avergae) – and, a key thing I find with pub meals, everything was nice and clean.   The service was OK and friendly but the restaurant was so quiet the bloke serving us seemed to have disappeared a lot of the time.  They were good enough to wrap the uneaten veggies and it didn’t feel like putting them out for anything.

There was one other table of people in and they were complaining they were cold but they were only complaining to each other so I honestly don’t see what could be done about that (is it me or do too many people actually not want to solve anything – they just want to whinge at each other?). 

B said the loos were clean but needed a woman’s touch (the hot tap was cold), and she felt that the main pub area didn’t have a “draw” for a lady.

In summary, a massive improvement, worth the visit, would go again, good value for money, recommended.


Right, next, do they do food at the Bell in Chalford?

[cuthbert-murray]

i have been informed by a very reliable source that the cons club are to be opening a resturant very soon

[maxi]

Where is your favourite place to dine.?

[Clevercat]

Another top notch meal had the other evening in The Tale Of Spice 2 in Westbury.  Thanks to Sam and staff for great service and food.