Homemade Pie Of The Day
The Bull At Blackmore End

The Bull At Blackmore End

The Bull At Blackmore End, Braintree, United Kingdom

Full • Soup • Fish • Dining


"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."

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."

King William IV

King William IV

56 High Street Kempston, Bedfordshire MK42 7AL, United Kingdom

Pubs • Beer • Wine • British


"Not the best experience. Joined for lunch and what we wanted to order was unavailable. We order a chicken toasted sandwich and ham, egg and chips. It took about 45 mins to an hour to come out. The sandwich come out first and it looked as if it had been thrown together and didn't look appetising. Had to wait another 10 minutes for the ham egg and chips to come. I still hadn't eaten the toasted hot sandwich as I wasn't given any cutlery or sauces (it was meant to come with mayo in the sandwich but it didn't and was dry I had to call another waitress over to ask for them and the other dish to come out. 5 minutes later the cutlery and sauces came, and so did the ham egg and chipa and the salt was in packets (ok fine! but then they were all empty (people had used them and put the empty pockets back in the tray . Couldn't be bothered to ask for more again. Ketchup was in a heinz bottle and as well as hellmans mayo... the ketchup defo wasn't heinz as it was watery and vinegary. I don't mind cheaper ketchup but it was more the principle of stating it was the premium stuff when it wasn't- this wouldn't be any good for people with potential allergies. Not sure if the mayo was actually hellmans (again more of allergy purposes . The waitress didnt ask if we had any allergies which i believe is now a legal requirement. A lot of other people also weren't getting the food they were wanting as it wasn't available and the waitresses didn't know what table was what and asking people what they had ordered. I still paid for the meals as I can see they are trying to run it as best as possible and I mentioned at the till this wasn't a good experience but before I return this does need to be rectified."