Rock & Fountain Inn

WORST CHRISTMAS DINNER EVER.

1 29/12/2012 by glanmor

We had eaten once before at the Rock and Fountain and it was fine so we had no qualms about booking our Christmas dinner there. When we arrived the place looked very festive and the staff had dressed up as Mother Christmas. The tables looked lovely with quite good quality crackers and the gingerbread man at each place setting was a nice touch.I had melon for starters and was surprised when it arrived in one big wedge which I found difficult to manage. However it was sweet and juicy.The rest of our party had pate which was very strong and had an unpleasant texture. After one or two mouthfuls they left it.When the main course arrived no one said anything.....it looked so unappetising. Both the beef and the turkey was PROCESSED meat ! I tried my turkey hoping that it would taste better than it looked....it didn't. My husband said his beef was awful too. We all wrapped our meat up to take home for the dogs. The "new" potatoes were hard and tasteless. The parsnips were indescribable. I am not being facetious when I say that I do not know if they were supposed to be roast or boiled as they were almost completely raw, tough and fibrous. We were given plenty of swede, carrots and sprouts but everything was tasteless even the gravy. In defense of the chef, I defy anyone to make a tasty dinner with ghastly PROCESSED meat. My husband had Christmas pudding with cream and he said it was okay. My son-in-law was given a huge portion of black forest gateau which he enjoyed. My daughter and I had ordered the raspberry roulade with white chocolate which sounded lovely. How wrong can you be ? The concoction that was put in front of us was an undercooked meringue with a swirl of some pink stuff running through it. When I put a spoonful in my mouth the underdone eggwhite was like slime! DISGUSTING !We had instant coffee which was okay. We each had a mince pie and a satsuma which we took home with us as we didn't want to stay longer than necessary. This is the first time in my life that I have been hungry after a Christmas dinner. We went home and made sandwiches. This travesty of a meal cost nearly £200 for four of us.PROCESSED MEAT FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER ! UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!

very dissapointing christmas dinner

1 29/12/2012 by amandasim

we were a party of five,arrived at rock and fountain christmas day, lovely decorations and pleasant staff, alls well until the food arrived, my father had pate, it was awful, my mum had melon which was tasty and so was the prawn cocktail. Then the main meal arrived, as soon as the plates were put in front of us our hearts sank, we could see the turkey and beef was pressed meat, the parsnips were very undercooked as well as the new potatoes and the yorkshire puddings were ineddible, needless to say the plates went back almost untouched (apart from the meat we took home for the dogs). not wanting to spoil the day anymore than it already was i waited until i got home to complain. speaking to the proprietor she insisted the meat was fresh. NO WAY!!! basically she didnt want to now. needless to say we will never go there again!!!!

Dissapointed

2 10/06/2012 by Suejones80

I used to eat at the rock and fountain regularly a few years ago and have only recently been back. All I can say is that it is not what it used to be. Firstly, while the food is still of a good quality and generous portions certain things do seem to be a little over priced on the menu. Secondly, and more importantly, the service we received was dreadful and unacceptable. The waitress who took our order was fairly polite but seemed clueless and lacked very basic hygiene!! After serving our food she did not come back to check on our table until she brought us the bill and cleared our plates without offering if we would like any desserts. The barmaid was very polite but a little to chatty with some customers in another room while I waited for service at the bar. When she finally got round to serving me I asked her for some ketchup for the children but it never arrived. All in all this place has gone downhill drastically and seems to be suffering from poor management, it is no longer the busy, well run establishment it used to be and what a shame that it. While you don?t mind paying good money for a nice meal out, it is not all about good food, and with the service I have received here I certainly will not be returning.

Dissapointed

2 05/06/2012 by Suejones80

I used to eat at the rock and fountain regularly a few years ago and have only recently been back. All I can say is that it is not what it used to be. Firstly, while the food is still of a good quality and generous portions certain things do seem to be a little over priced on the menu. Secondly, and more importantly, the service we received was dreadful and unacceptable. The waitress who took our order was fairly polite but seemed clueless and lacked very basic hygiene!! After serving our food she did not come back to check on our table until she brought us the bill and cleared our plates without offering if we would like any desserts. The barmaid was very polite but a little to chatty with some customers in another room while I waited for service at the bar. When she finally got round to serving me I asked her for some ketchup for the children but it never arrived. All in all this place has gone downhill drastically and seems to be suffering from poor management, it is no longer the busy, well run establishment it used to be and what a shame that it. While you don?t mind paying good money for a nice meal out, it is not all about good food, and with the service I have received here I certainly will not be returning.

Great food great service

5 18/11/2011 by Julz0123

A group of us booked a table here for a friends birthday. They provided a free courtesy minibus which you dont find anywhere else which meant we could all have a drink. The owner along with the staff were welcoming and very helpful as if nothing was too much trouble. The food was great quality and all prepared freshly with homemade chips. I had the mixed grill which was delicious and great value for money . My husband who is usually a very fussy eater had a beautiful lamb shank and thoroughly enjoyed it. The drinks were reasonably priced along with the food....all in all a very pleasant experiance and we will definatley be going back.

Not impressed

2 04/09/2011 by Simon1966

Food was good service well what can I say not 100% yet,I had to keep asking for stuff too many times which should of been on the table already and their word of the day which is said far too many times is sorry, also had mice running along the floor and hiding bineath the side of the water feature so overall not very impressed at all waitresses not very professional no bar man had to wait ages for drinks

Very Dissapointing

1 26/06/2011 by SAM_21

I live quite local to the rock and fountain but had never been to the restaurant so decided to try it for sunday lunch. I had heard a few good reviews so was looking forward to a nice meal there. We got to the restaurant for sunday lunch and was waiting by the bar for a while before a member of staff accnoledged us but then told us she would be there in a minute! We waited and finally got served our drinks and told to sit at any table. We then waited another 10 minutes before a waitress come over and took our order even though we had not recieved menus. We both ordered a beef dinner. Our food took a further 15 minutes to arrive and when it did I was disgusted to find that the beef was cold and obviously had been supplied by a butcher ready cooked and sliced. It was like sandwich meat, thin and bland. The veg was severely over cooked and roast potato (only one) had obviously been re-heated as it was not even crispy. The side of cauliflower cheese I ordered was tangy and tasted sour so I did not eat it. Over all a very poor quality meal and I would find it difficult to describe it as a "roast" dinner as everything was clearly re-heated.The service of the staff there was very poor as the waitress seemed a bit clueless and looked at us as if we had 2 heads when we asked her a question. The table was not even checked during our meal and there were no staff in sight to complain about our food. The meal was only £8.50 each but that is about average for a sunday lunch in the area and although it seems a cheap meal there is no excuse for poor basic hospitality and standard of food.The ambiance was tense and awkward as there was no music playing, the place was silent and the front door was wide open so the only thing you could hear was cars zooming past on the busy main road.Overall, a terrible experience and would not recommend to anyone. I deffinately will not be returning.

Dissapointing

2 13/08/2010 by BoJangles56

Was really looking forward to lunch here; good reviews etc but it's still stuck in the 80's.Food was well cooked but bland and the sauces wew all gloopy, chips looked good but quite greasy.There was no 'local produce' and it seems everything was microwaved up.Cutlery was clean but poor quality.It might have been the place to eat years ago but it has not made an effort to meet modern expectations.We won't visit again

5 16/12/2009 by peterhain

i live quite close to the rock and fountain and find it a great place to eat and drink, everybody is friendly and nothing is too much trouble. pop in and see for yourself

5 16/12/2009 by mariewilliams

when visiting the rock and fountain i was welcomed with a warm reception the food was delicious and i was surprised how big the portions were. i would recommend it to friends and i am planning on visiting again, many thanks to Pauline and John

5 16/12/2009 by BIGGAV

Excellent service and the food was great, Was made to feel like one of the family with the landlady taking personal interest in my family and our visit to the area. would make a point of revisiting when in the area again

Not a bad place

3 24/08/2008 by pinkynat1984

Although the food here is lovely they do seem to be trying too hard. With the lovely countryside settings it would be better if they served food that is a little more fitting. Even though it is off the beaten track a little and miles from the town centre the Rock and Fountain combat this by offering a mini bus service for parties of over 6. Very good service indeed as it means that all in the party can drink. Although they advertise themselves as a pub/restaurant I cannot imagine visiting for just a drink as you would feel very out of place - there is not a section just for those with a drink and as it is quite a small place you would feel awkward with someone at the table next to you tucking in.