SE22_164

I know that given someone lost their life yesterday, worrying about whether I can get a bus up Barry Road is a bit daft, but.... does anyone know if the number 12 is running to The Plough yet? As they say down our way.... uhthannyouverymuch

I had forgotten about the wedges of brown bread that came with the pate; wholly inappropriate. Should've been something toasted, or at least a bread that didn't break up into coarse breadcrumbs when I tried to spread the pate on it. (On a side note - the accompanying spicy apple chutney was nice). Contentious as this may be to some, I also didn't like the staff member with the double CBRs through her nose. I've nothing against people having piercing, but I don't think it goes in food serving environment! I too went to the Plough after it was "refurbished" and was really disappointed. I had the black pudding starter, which was slathered in a coarse grain mustard sauce. I then had the burger, which didn't have a mililitre of moisture in it, together with what were badly cooked oven chips - as dry as the burger. Out of character for me, I complained at the time and was told that their head office policy that the meat in the burger had to be cooked to a certain internal temperature, which I think defeats the whole object of asking the customer how they want the thing cooked. (My response was, for the record, medium). It is hard to see how places like Dulwich Wood House and The Plough can survive in this day and age when we expect more for our money. They really have to up the ante.

A memorial board with the names of the members of the St. Peter's congregagation who lost their lives in WWI was moved from the builing to St. Clement's Church on Friern/Barry Road.

I had the misfortune to eat at the Dulwich Wood House last night. Whilst the refurbishment of the building has produced a really nice internal space, tastefully decorated and furnished, I am sad to say that my dining experience there was marred by truly shocking service and sub-standard food. One of our party had asked for a beer before dinner and the accompanying glass was dirty. When he asked for a replacement glass, the one he was given was still hot and wet, having just been retrieved from the glasswasher. The waitress looked completely nonplussed when asked to bring another, so it was explained that he didn't want to put cold beer into a warm glass. When she returned with the third glass of the experience, it was dirty like the first! By this time, he couldn't face going through it again and ended up wiping the glass himself before pouring the beer. Of the meals we ordered, having asked for mussels as a starter, a main course sized pot was brought, for which we were charged the princely sum of ?10.95. I had pate, which was ok and my friend ordered the special starter of salmon and dill mousse, which he said was indedible. For the main course, one of the party ordered the burger, which came in a microwave defrosted bun, which was cold and wet (not just soggy) in the middle. The steak and ale pie I ordered arrived in an individual portion soup bowl with a tepid pastry lid on the top. I say on the top, because the lid only came up to half way up on the inside of the bowl. One ordered fish and chips (claggy batter) and the other ordered belly of pork, which she said wasn't nice either. As the still half full plates were being cleared away, I pointed out the wet burger bun, only to be told "if you'd have said something earlier I could have done something about it", which I am sure is not what she meant literally, but still, it came across badly. Whilst you have to try something to know what it's like, I felt robbed at the end of the night and certainly wouldn't go there again to eat. Curious to know if anyone had a similar experience or whether we were just unlucky last night.