Creamed Potatoes Creamed Potatoes
The Bull at Blackmore End

The Bull at Blackmore End

The Bull at Blackmore End Braintree, Essex CM7 4DD, United Kingdom

Beer • Pubs • English • American


"After waiting 20 minutes to be seated at our table in the restaurant my husband went to the bar to ask if we could be shown to our table. Ten minutes later the restaurant manager seated us and explained that they had some big parties in and one of their chefs had called in sick so service was 'dragging a bit '. We chose our food from the menu and waited for a waitress to come and take our order, which didn 't happen for another half an hour. Just as we were considering leaving, the waitress came and took our order finally, an hour after our booking time. Our first course arrived around 20 mins later (nearly half past nine) and the soup was very nice. When we asked if it came with bread, we were told no as it had croutons in it. I asked if we could have some bread anyway and the waitress reluctantly got us some. However, eating a first course at 9.30pm just seemed too late so by the time our main course came out at 9.50pm we just wanted to quickly eat it and get home as it was late and we had babysitters to get back for. We therefore asked for the bill as soon as the main course was finished and left. I understand some nights are busy and it cannot be helped if the chef is unwell but what I do object to is the attitude of staff, who really didn 't seem too bothered about serving us or making the experience a positive one. If somebody had told us on arrival that there would probably be an hour 's wait to order our food, we would have understood and we would have had the choice to wait or go elsewhere but being told that service was slightly 'dragging ' was nowhere near the truth. It was very delayed indeed. A simple gesture such as a complimentary drink and some snacks to keep customers happy while they were kept waiting would have been all that was needed. Nothing was taken off of our bill as a good will gesture for all the time wasted and there was no apology when we paid. All in all it left a bad taste in our mouths and we will not be returning."

Tolka House

Tolka House

9A Glasnevin Hill Glasnevin Village Dublin, Co. Dublin D09 VH02, Dublin 9, United Kingdom

Pub • Pubs • Irish • Casual


"just now NEW Called in today after a ceremony at a local church- I recommended The Tolka House to the group as we eat there at least once a week as a family. It was a little after 12 and practically empty. We intended to mark the occasion with tea/coffee-a celebration cake and then have some lunch as a group of 7. We had previously been advised that reservations cannot be taken on a Sunday-which was fair enough. We opened a tab and ordered drinks. One of our party had to leave early so we asked for some plates to cut our cake. We were told permission would have to be sought first…a few moments later we were approached in a very indiscreet manner to advise “as he would put it-you wouldn’t bring a pizza to a restaurant to eat it”. We were all stunned at the manner of delivery and lack of discretion involved, especially as there was a young child involved. Had we been asked to pay a cost towards plates etc. we’d have been more than happy to do so. So with a tearful 8 year old who had just been baptised-we paid our tab and left. The irony was not lost on us that we personally witnessed many tables in this establishment very recently commandeered by numerous confirmation parties-all of whom had boxed cakes and balloons on the tables….why no consistency in their policy? Not a single person present in our party today will ever spend another penny in The Tolka House-and we are all locals and business owners ourselves. Very shortsighted indeed."