White Bull, The

BushBaby (18 February 2008)

We booked for Valentine's Day about a month in advance, and were really looking forward to it, but what a disappointment - my husband said he couldn't remember visiting anywhere less welcoming.

On arrival, without so much as a 'Good Evening', the woman behind the bar instructed us to wait. Eventually, someone emerged from the restaurant area and took us straight to our table, without an opportunity for an aperitif. Our table was placed under the loudspeaker, so we asked for the music to be turned down. It was, but it was still too loud, so we asked for another table. The change of table was refused, but the music was turned down again, so throughout the evening there was an irritating hum from the speaker.

We were presented with a fixed price menu (which we should have been told about when we booked), but no wine list. With barely time to catch breath between, our starters were followed by our main courses. We asked for a rest before ordering our puddings, but were only allowed 5 minutes. I then requested decaffeinated coffee, but was told that it was not available – I was so surprised by this, I double-checked with the proprietor and was told that decaff was, of course, available. Throughout the meal, we were constantly interrupted and asked if everything was alright for us.

Our departure was pretty much the same as our arrival. There was no good night. The food, except the bread, was very good and presented well. Portions were generous. But the food alone was not good enough to make us want to return.