Ellie
Google
First visit to TOG for a friend’s birthday roast.
We had booked a table in advance, and two of us arrived a little early. We were promptly shown to our table, and our initial drinks order was taken efficiently, which was a good start. The rest of the party arrived about 5–10 minutes later, and after another 10 minutes or so, I had to approach the bar to ask whether we should place our drinks and food orders there or if someone would come to the table — at this point, the venue was not particularly busy. A staff member then came over to take our orders.
Among the drinks, a mojito was ordered, but while the other (soft) drinks arrived promptly, there was no sign of the cocktail. When my friend asked about it, she was told it was on the way. A few minutes later, another waitress came over to apologise that they were out of Bacardi and the mojito couldn’t be made, so an alternative drink was ordered.
From the time we placed the food order, it took approximately 40–45 minutes for the meals to arrive. Unfortunately, one order was mixed up — my friend had ordered the brisket roast, but instead, the brisket starter arrived alongside the mains. There had been no indication of confusion when the order was initially taken. When we inquired how long it would take for the correct brisket roast to come out (given the long wait already), the waitress said she would need to check with the kitchen as they had other large tables to serve. At that point, my friend decided not to reorder, and the brisket starter was removed from the bill.
The roast chicken, which several others ordered, looked pale and lacked the appearance of a traditional roast. Overall, I would describe the roast dishes as quite simple, lacking in flavor, and underwhelming — especially given the £22 price point. That said, one member of the party had the fish and chips, which was well received and enjoyed.
Once the food was served, no one checked in to ask if everything was satisfactory, and only when the plates were being cleared did my friend express her dissatisfaction with the largely untouched roast. When the bill arrived, we felt it was unfair to pay £22 for a dish where only two potatoes were eaten, so we asked for a discount, and they offered to remove 50% from that item. We also requested the discretionary service charge be removed, but the waitress questioned why — as someone who worked in hospitality for over a decade, I found this surprising, as discretionary service charges are optional and, in this case, we had already expressed our disappointment with both the food and service.
The waitress’s explanation that they were busy with other large tables (parties of 5 and 7) did not seem like a sufficient justification, as a venue should staff appropriately or limit bookings if the team on shift (both FOH and BOH) cannot manage the volume.
On a positive note, the interior of the pub is cosy and the waitresses were friendly — no one was rude — but overall, the experience was disappointing, with several service and food issues that overshadowed the occasion.
