Tag Archives: chain

Hampshire

The Scholar’s Arms

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Southampton:

CAMRA/Whatpub

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We should have known better, but we needed a sit down, a drink, and lunch. The outside impressions were of a typical, perhaps student-aimed, city centre pub.

Inside, it was, as our friend said, “a drinking shed”. Quite accurate- it’s a big space, no real character, quite spoons-a-like, down to the mucky table that we had to ask to be cleaned.

To be fair, the staff were pleasant, and service was quick, but the food was a bit disappointing- the bread was past its best, for a start.

This was the worst pub of the trip, but still not actually awful, but compared to the others, a bit of a disappointment.

Brownhills, Revisits, Walsall, Walsall Wood

Revisit: The Shire Oak

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Previous Post Here

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My last post about The Shire Oak was almost a decade ago, just after the refurb, and I visited maybe once or twice after that, but it’s been some time since I visited.

We drove up, as it’s too far for us to walk these days. We’d no plans for tea and with one thing and another, hadn’t been out in the evening for some time, and we’d not eaten here this millennium (!)

Now the refurb is 10 years old, it’s looking a bit dated: very red, and reminiscent of a slightly tired Highlands pub with the tartan-ish carpet.

However, things were actually pretty good. Alcohol-free lager on draught, pleasant young chap serving, and decent, reasonably-priced food. Would have preferred the 90s dance music to be quieter or absent, but it wasn’t too bad.

Tyneside

Pitcher & Piano Newcastle

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne:

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Well, it’s nothing unexpected, is it? Upmarket from a ‘spoons, one of the national chains – a standard Marston’s chain pub right on the waterfront opposite the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (where we’d been), just a short walk over the Millenium Bridge.

However, it delivered what we needed, quite well. We needed a sit, a drink, and some lunch. The place was quiet, the food wasn’t at all bad, and the staff were pleasant. I’d probably find it a bit lively on a Friday night, but on a Wednesday lunchtime it was a decent fit for us.

Tyneside

Tavern & Galley

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Whitley Bay:

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CAMRA / Whatpub

Part of a chain I hadn’t heard of before- Sir John Fitzgerald, who operate in the North East.

This didn’t hit the spot with us: there wasn’t much outdoor seating, and the one bench was being used as a workbench by the gardeners. Inside was pleasant enough- clean and tidy- but very generic modern food pub. The food was mixed: my fish finger sandwich was very good, the prawn mayonnaise sandwich my other half had was a bit drippy.

The music was at a sane volume, but was that eye-wateringly bland shite that someone in marketing must think creates a classy, relaxed “vibe” but actually makes you want to kill someone.

Staff were pleasant, and if you ignored the blandness, it wasn’t a bad place, but I wouldn’t rush back.

Streetly, Walsall

Farmer John’s

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Streetly, Walsall:

I’ve probably already upset the Streetly lot, who will be insistent they’re in Sutton Coldfield.

Tough.

I still think of Farmer John’s as a new pub, despite it being there since at least the early 90s, maybe the late 80s. It was one of those modern Banks’s pubs of the time, but unlike others, this seems to thrive.

Standard feedbag stuff, but the food was well cooked, the staff were pleasant, parking was easy, and it wasn’t full of kids, so it was quite pleasant.

Lancashire

Tite and Locke

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Lancaster, specifically Lancaster Station:

We were catching a train, and had a spare half hour. No alcohol, as it was still AM.

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From the link above:

William Tite was the architect of Lancaster station; Joseph Locke the engineer for the building of the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway.

A new venture on the platform from Lancaster Brewery. Very pleasant barman, nice atmosphere, good beer selection. We’d hoped to drop in later for a proper drink but our connection was tighter.

Connected to The Sun Hotel & Bar and The Duke of Edinburgh.

Lancashire

The Hurley Flyer

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Morecambe:

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Next to the football stadium, so probably well known to Mikee Evans and Jane Stuart, we were at the stadium as it was the hub of a historic bus event, and dropped in for a pint, without high expectations.

Actually, it wasn’t bad. yes, it’s a standard Marstons feedbag pub, yes, there were kids about, but it’s a big site with lots of space in and out (sadly, the outside is astroturf), so it wasn’t an unpleasant place to sit for a while and ruminate on Tyson Fury’s house, almost next door.

Aldridge, Walsall

The White House

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Aldridge:

Whatpub Link
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When I were but a lad, this was the place to go for underage drinking, and it had a video jukebox, the essential think back in the mid-late 80s. Nowadays, it’s a pretty standard Sizzling Pub feedbag, which is why we dropped in, looking for lunch. I was driving 🙁

We ordered drinks and sat down, before it dawned upon us just how cold it was. The heating was shafted, so we drank up and left. Shame really, it looked OK, if unexceptional, the staff were pleasant.