Pan Fried Chicken Breast
The Inn On The Pond

The Inn On The Pond

Nutfield Marsh Road, Tandridge, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Vegan • British


"Went for mothers day with the family. The booking system was great and the pub came back to me promptly with a query I raised. the pub externally is looking quite tired, there was what looked like an abandoned car out the front so first impressions weren't great. We were seated in the upper section of the restaurant, which really lacks any character and makes you feel as if you're sitting right in the thoroughfare for the kitchen. The set mothers day menu seemed good for the price, 3 courses at just under £25. We asked if we could swap a starter dish from the standard menu with the mothers day but we're refused. Out of the party we ordered 2 roast dinners, these weren't great. They came swimming in gravy which unfortunately wasn't a very nice tasting so ruined the meal. The roast potatoes were so bland and tasted like they had been frozen. The real disappointment came at pudding, we ordered the chocolate brownie bites from the children's menu, firstly to be told there was one left then told they'd run out. My son opted for the ice-cream instead then to overhear (when the waitress was serving our desserts the waitress very loudly announce to another waitress that the brownie bites were back on (not sure how they had found them all of a sudden? , would have been better firstly not to announce this across the restaurant as my son overheard and secondly if there was going to be a delay on the bites then it would have been nice to have the option. Had expected a much better experience. There are many other pubs in the area so I'll be opting for another one for our next outing."

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


"Disappointing experience! Invited friends there who had not been before wanted them to like it, BUT ... On the menu was Cromer Crab on main menu at £13.95, but a special on the night at much less. Also chilli crab cakes as a special . The two ladies ordered the dressed crab salad. When servered, the crab meat was BLACK, smelled decidedly off and tasted foul! The new potatoes were cold. No self respecting chef would have served the dish in this condition! The waitress kindly offered to exchange the two crab dishes for some other dish, thereby delaying the whole meal for the four of us. We were told the cost of the two crab salads would be taken off our bill really! Admittedly, the replacement steak was good but my wife 's replacement fish and chips was poor. Again, the fish was not fresh and was undercooked no doubt in haste! The chips were cold and tasted stale (as did mine with the Bull burger)! Our bill was approx £100 a significant amount for a disappointing eating experience. On the positive side, the place itself is lovely and the staff very helpful with good service. We suspect that the crab, and fish, had been in stock for some while and was being off loaded as specials , the chilli in the crab cake there to mask the off taste. This is dangerous practice with crab in particular. The problem is probably in the kitchen and needs addressing urgently."