Review: Where NOT to have a pub dinner....

Fantastic was my initial reaction when my friend Karen gave me her reservation for a meal for two at The Park View, a lovely pub just at the top corner of Preston Park (Brighton).

Justin and i had not been out on a 'date' for ages! So we looked online at their 'New & Improved' menu, online i had read that they are trying out the all new menu with improved service. Waiter service for the restaurant style experience, however my friend Karen had given me a voucher to get two main meals up to the value of £15 each for free, this was all part of their 'trail', but on this voucher it said to hand your voucher in when you order your food at the bar. Conflicting information already?

So the meal evening came and we dressed up and off we went. Arriving on time we didn't know where to go to say we had arrived, so we waited at the bar....and waited....It was Wednesday which is their quiz night, so it was busier than usual. However they hadn't seemed to have allowed for this and had only one member of staff serving at the bar. And what a joy she was, her face just said 'I wish i was at home in bed'.

At 8.10pm i managed to grab a waitress who was on her way to serve downstairs, i asked her where we supposed to be and she replied 'I don't know, i could check if you like?' Erm... Well yes please!

She came back and said 'Apparently your table's downstairs' and proceeded to walk off, so i followed her and said 'So are we to follow you then?' She nodded and carried on walking downstairs.

We got downstairs and she stood in front of our table and said 'There it is' and walked off again!

So we sat down and helped ourselves to the menus, we then waited again for about 15mins this time until we saw her again. I asked her if we are to order from her or the bar, she replied 'The bar' and wandered off.

Being 24wks pregnant and rather hungry i wasn't going to hang around any longer. I took the menu up stairs for another long wait at the bar! A couple of lovely ladies where stood there waiting and jokingly said to me 'You'dve had your baby by the time you get served!'

They weren't far off. Finally it was my time and happy came to me 'What do you want?' was her first sentence to me, i said I'd like to order some food and she looked blankly at me so i proceeded to tell her what we'd like and our table number. She walked off without saying anything or even asking how Justin would like his steak cooked! She came back and said 'Tell me again, I've forgotten'. After pressing a few more buttons on the computer she came over and asked if i wanted to start a tab or pay now, so i handed her the voucher to which she sighed and said 'Ohhh! You've got one of THEM!' Like i had three heads or something. She took the voucher to a guy at the side of the bar who looked like the duty manager in a shirt and tie, she asked him if what we had ordered was included. He threw his hands up in the air and shrugged whilst replying to her 'I don't know do i? Why don't you read the thing!' Lovely... Meanwhile the bar is filling up with thirsty/hungry customer who are getting more and more impatient.

She came over again and said 'I need £3 from you', i asked why and she said the chips i ordered where not included, I'm guessing this was just on her say so. I had to go back downstairs and get the £3, when i returned the bar was even busier. After a few minutes Happy spotted me through the crowed and called out to me, arm outstretched 'Can i have that £3'. I moved forwarded and handed it to her, she walked off and started serving someone else. So said 'Thankyou, I'll go and wait downstairs for me food then!?!'

The other customers seem to look rather shocked at how she ignored me once she got her £3. Another woman came to the bar and said 'Thankyou for my food, bye' This lady was also ignored!

So back downstairs Justin was waiting, he thought i had run away or gone to cook it myself!

Dinner took about 25mins to arrive, and a few minutes beforehand the waitress returned with some cutlery. When the food arrived the waitress asked who had the steak and if we wanted any sauce. I was shocked at how tiny Justin's steak was, it was £14.95 and no bigger than 4'' by 2'', Just enough for a small cat to eat! At £8.95 my meal was a Chicken Breast, Chicory and Citrus dressing salad. This consisted of smokey re-formed bits of chicken (yuck!), a few bits of satsuma, Apple, chicory and rocket leaves. Very odd, i thought salad had lettuce in it not fruit!?! The chips that i paid £3 for arrived a few minutes later and it was the smallest portion i had ever seen, referring to cats again, the bowl they were served in would've suited the steak or some milk for the cat in question!

Oh and also the music was so loud Justin and i had to pretty much shout at each other to be heard, or repeat everything. So annoying as i hate having to repeat myself!

That was it, knowone came to see how the food was, if we wanted anything else etc...

I don't think Justin and i had eaten so quickly due to hunger and to get out of somewhere quick enough!

So overall it was a bad experience of slowness, rudeness, unhelpfullness and over-priced food. The only good thing i can say about it is thank goodness we had a free meal that day!

Needless to say we WON'T be returning there again, which is sad to say as we used to go there for the odd drink and Lydia had her first birthday party there. Its seriously gone down hill, rather than up as it was boasting about! 

The Fonz, says it all!