The Fentiman Arms

They might have redone the interiorssss .... but no new lick of paint .... As a local for 10 years the food is not if at all, "seasonal" what i'm sure of is that it's all from Bookers wholesale frozen foodl section. (insert cry face here) The service and staff are not interested, the garden is nice if you want to have a smoke, The bar is slow if you are lucky, very lucky even as a local. Just avoid get a take away instead, i am so tired of saying to my friends how nice it is only to end up with Egg on my face and being that guy that recommends a... that "hole"

Went about looking for a restaurant on Saturday, 26th July. Granted, it was late (after 9:30pm), but with squaremeal.co.uk recommendations, I knew I would find something great in the area. I walked in to the Fentiman Arms at 10:00pm, very busy at that time, and waited a couple of minutes before a gentleman appeared at the bar to prepare a beer. When I asked if it was still possible to have something to eat, without skipping a beat, he said the kitchen was closed. He said this at 10:04pm. I do not know at which time the kitchen closes, but the joint stays open until midnight. Rules are rules, I understand, but it would have been so much more appreciated if he had said, “The kitchen is actually closed but let me check with the chef if there is still something we can do for you.” But he didn't. If he had and still came back with bad news, I might have considered coming back there one day. We left and found a very welcome reception at the Brunswick House Cafe (after checking on squaremeal, of course) and had a great meal.

Due to a computer failure, I lost the link to the TellTheChef website and was unable to confirm the meal selection I had made some weeks ago. The lack of a menu on the day meant that I couldn't recall what I'd ordered. A reminder email on the morning or the day before would have helped enormously. I wasn't the only one who had forgotten what they'd told the kitchen. As it was I got the quail instead of the seafood and the turkey instead of the steak. The quail I found overdone and awkwardly presented between unoriginal grape and chestnut pieces dotted around in the coulis. The turkey, being a stuffing filled roll, was better suited to a kids dinner plate and was almost completely lacking in texture. It also came topped with pork, which I do not eat, but they looked dry and cliched. The vegetables were served in dishes far too heavy to pass comfortably around the table, and there was only one dish of each to go between 24 people, meaning that the food was cold by the time everyone was eating. The service was chaotic and slow, no doubt the size of the kitchen is an issue in this venue, but a serving hatch would have helped. The red cabbage had a peculiar and unpleasant taste and the sprouts were very overcooked. The parsnips, potatoes and carrot were good, being in a light honey glaze. The cranberry sauce again suffered from being only one dish between three tables and was served well after people had begun eating. In fact some people had finished eating before they got sauce. The wine glass at my place hadn't been cleaned properly and had sharp bits of glass sticking out of the badly made rim, cutting my lip. I think these were very cheap glasses. The wine itself had been tempered, I think, in the kitchen or at least somewhere much warmer than the room in which it was served. It actually seemed like it had been heated, and would have been better served at a few degrees below ambient. I didn't stay for a coffee course, if one was included. I liked the quirky decor, but frankly after the disappointing food I wasn't wanting to hang around. The presence of an overwhelming number of Rentokill boxes in the bar area was less than reassuring. One or two in discrete places, one expects, but they were everywhere. This meal was quite a let down and I couldn't recommend The Fentiman Arms to anyone on the basis of this experience.

As a local I was delighted when the Fentiman Arms was relaunched a few years back. It's a lovely pub, with a fabulous beer garden, delightful staff and a good range of beers & wines. But the food is shockingly poor – last visit saw overcooked burger, burnt bun (cheese ordered but forgotten), chips flaccid. Food has never been a strength but every few months I go back to check. I so want to love the Fentiman but with the Canton Arms less than 10 minutes walk away serving really top class reasonably priced grub, I just can't. Until they get the kitchen sorted, will go for drinks only.

I had my doubts about the prices when I sat down for a pub lunch, but once the food arrived it was totally worth it. Scrummy roast, and really friendly waiter, who answered all my pernickety questions without showing any signs of impatience! Something wrong with the wine we ordered but they replaced it without a murmer and the manager dealt with it personally. Super, leisurely afternoon in a great atmosphere.

Decent gastro pub. Friendly service and nice bright setting. Outside tables in the garden in summer are a plus. I've eaten here twice and the food was of a good standard. Conveniently close for Oval House theatre which was my reason for dining here. I wouldn't say it's worth commuting to Oval for otherwise.