BITE user comments - projectedmayhem
Comments by projectedmayhem
Left here for 22 ( see review) - total mistake - lovely surroundings friendly staff and fellow ale consumers - good selection of very well kept ales - and a helping of tapas to boot - again reasonably priced - don't make our mistake - stay here!
13 Sep 2012 10:24
Number 22 Alehouse and Canteen, Darlington
Recent weekend visit proved to be rather disappointing - ale was ok - not the best i've had in darlington - punters in there frankly unbearable and atmosphere really quite offputting - seemed that the place was run by a cadre of civil servant regulars - only amusing thing was the rather inept member of bar staff trying to get the drinks order right!
Shame really - on paper this could and should be a cracking place - in reality I've had better - if you lived in a real ale desert you could be forgiven for thinking this place is the puppies privates. In this area it's just a dogs dinner.
13 Sep 2012 10:22
Quite simply a fantastic pub. Spent a splendid saturday in here recently. The locals are friendly and chatty as was the head honcho. The kitchen is indeed run by Sid Little and the food is good quality and frankly excellent value. But now the best bit - the ale - a fantastic selection of 12 ales ( with a camra discount too!!!) - all in splendid order along with some cracking ciders - some of which were new to me. This is probably the finest pub in the blackppol area - get a tram from blackpool and a short walk will lead you here - frankly if you are a real ale fan you will do that walk over hot coals and broken glass- give it a go - it will really be your loss if you dont!
13 Sep 2012 10:09
Well well well - as posted below new management in and a cracking job they are making of it to! Always at least 3 ales on from the Marstons stable ( a bit of a change) and Thatchers Gold on tap rather than tastless Strongbow nonsense. All in all above average little boozer thats well worth a visit.
16 Aug 2012 12:50
Spoons are all controversial in my view but love em or hate em we have to accept thst they are in fixture in most towns ans cities. I can only report on my own experiences how and they are frankly terrible. The place is never clean, ever. Not even if you are having an early doors coffee. The real ale on all of my visits has been poor. I have sent more back than I have drunk. The wait to get served , a feature of all Spoons in my view, is interminable and the barstaff not the best. I have had at least one experience of someone else being served before me despite having just walked in and I had been there for 10 mins. I enquired as to why to be told by the young lady behind the bar it was because she "was at college with him"!!!!!
On my last visit three of the beers were unavailable - despite pump clips being on display, the Batemans ( one of my fave brews) was rancid. I complained to be told there was no more.I opted for a real cider from Westons which was lovely. It is the only saving grace of this establishment that they sell these nice proper ciders.
It is beyond belief that my local CAMRA region voted this CAMRA pub of the year.
Spoons have their place for some but this one I can't recommend. If you want a meal try the George and Dragon at Hudswell or if you want an ale try the Blaize, Castle or Holly Hill.
17 Apr 2011 16:35
Due to the terrible beer, unedible food and rude staff this pub - as of 2 weeks ago is closed. Will wait and see whether it goes the same way as the Richmond Hotel and remains so for years remaining a blight on Richmond's market place. The Brewery (same one owns both - Marstons I believe) should be embarrased.
17 Apr 2011 16:21
Top place - nice food, cracking real ale with a rotating selection that includes NO Black Sheep which is refreshing - if you are lucky enough to catch Landlord on then it is sublime. Coverpoint's comments about the clientele are unfair. Never seen any problems there and enjoy visiting though admittedly it is the younger end of the market. One point I have to make is that the inkeepers ale keeping skills have converted several locals from tastless keg to the ale - worth 9 out of 10 just for that!!!
17 Apr 2011 11:37
Totally refurbished and totally changed. A very nice pub, good food, excellent real ale ( 3 pumps now!!!!) - even She Who Must Be Obeyed likes it. Friendly bar staff help it along a great deal as does the ale ( have I mentioned this). Deffo 9 out of 10 - lose one point for succumbing to the Black Sheep/Theakstons duopoly that pervades this part of North Yorkshire - or am I being too picky?
17 Apr 2011 11:30
Back to projectedmayhem's profile
The Quaker Coffee House, Darlington
A hidden gem thats well worth finding - a mate of mine waxes lyrical about this gaff so I thought I'd go - I hoped I would be given the opportunity to prove him wrong and deflate his man ego ( sadly he was right about the travesty that is bar 22 up the road) - I could not. A cracking pub- a good selection of very well kept ales - I think there were 10 but when i left i wasnt really able to keep count. Very popular with music and beer fans and a very eclectic group of locals. Not one to take a lass to on first date beacause:-
A) You do have to at least try and behave and not sup ale and wax lyrical about it's all healing properties which is impossible here
B) There was a rather attractive goth lass who would turn the head of pope german rastenberger himself
C) Your date might make you take her there again thereby depriving you of the real ale bolthole you will need in the future when you have 2 screaming kids and she want to go to sharm el sheikh on holiday( by the way if you are already experiencing this issue you should be in 22 with the rest of darlo's pretentious w!!!ers)
All in all best place in darlo and perhaps for a radius of 30 miles. Just go!
13 Sep 2012 10:33