Pub Spy - disappointed by The Bear Inn, Bisley

AFTER hearing nothing but good reviews about the pub, I decided to book a big table with a group of friends.

The Inn itself is a beautiful old building at the heart of the village. Its low ceilings, wooden beams and stone walls give you a sense of its long history as Bisley’s oldest pub, dating back to 1766.

Having once been owned by Stroud Brewery, the bar is well stocked with a range of traditional and local ales.

After ordering drinks (a pint of Tribute for myself) we settled at a big table in one of the cosy rooms where there was a quiet but warm atmosphere.

The menu was broad but there was only one dish without meat or fish in 18 mains, presenting a problem to one of my vegetarian friends.

I excitedly ordered half a rack of baby back pork ribs, covered in a homemade southern inspired barbecue sauce, served with griddled corn, side salad, coleslaw and chunky chips – which set me back a reasonable £13.

When the meal finally arrived an hour later, my excitement died.

Instead of the appetising meal I had pictured, my ribs were covered in barbecue-tasting watery gravy and there was no corn, coleslaw or side salad – with some over-cooked green beans instead.

The meat itself was well cooked and the chunky chips were nicely salted, but overall the meal was a huge disappointment.

Five of my friends' meals were also mixed up. Others who ordered the ribs got carrots and even broccoli – without any apology or explanation from the waiter.

One of my friend’s pies had been left out and was stone cold when it arrived, while another ordered a squab pie and was served a chicken pie, both with the wrong side dishes.

The first three plates took 45 minutes to arrive, with the rest coming out slowly in 15-minute gaps until the last plate, which had been forgotten, arrived almost two hours after ordering.

All in all, half of our meals were completely wrong and included things we didn’t order. As we were preparing to leave an apology finally came from the waiter, who did his best to manage the situation diplomatically.

The Bisley Inn is a beautiful old pub with a good atmosphere, but all this was eclipsed by the ridiculous waiting times and muddled food.

Clearly the Bisley Inn is doing something right as customers recently voted it one of the finalists in the SNJ's Pub of the Year competition.

So I'll give the place the benefit of the doubt and assume we went on a rare bad night.

SCORES

• Atmosphere: 6/10
• Decor: 8/10
• Staff: 5/10
• Drink: 6/10
• Food: 2/10
• Prices: 8/10
• Overall: 4/10