DoctorYes's Qype profile

Living not far away I, too, knew this place of old and sadly witnessed its steady decline over the years. By the turn of the year I had resigned myself to seeing it going ‘dark’, like so many country pubs. Its rapid revival has been thrilling, however, and has brought something quite new to the village: a quality hotel, a clean pub with true atmosphere and a breath of sophistication. I have eaten there several times, and am sufficiently confident to have booked it (and all the bedrooms) for a large dinner next summer.

Wellaged’s comments seem undeservedly sour. He/she had one experience so good that they returned in force. On the basis of a couple of trivial grumbles, however, they feel obliged to trash the place publicly, which hardly seems balanced or fair. The ‘dry chips’ are infinitely preferable to slab-like coshes full of grease, but perhaps that is Wellaged’s preference. The Queens is marketing itself as a French-style bistro, and those delicate ‘frites’ are just what you would be served in any French or Belgian bistro. In my view, they complement the food perfectly.

Okay, so they got one order slightly wrong, but that was one out of how many? I bet the daughter had no complaints about the steak itself, for the meat is excellent. There are few places which have the confidence in their butcher to serve steak tartare nowadays, and damned fine it is, too. I simply cannot understand the final bitter comment about the cheese platter. Of course it was cold; it’s called portion control and, personally, I would prefer my cheese to be slightly cold instead of sweating onto the plate.

The quality of the place, and the reputation it has swiftly gained around here, is evident in the level of bookings. Even I (with that hyooge forward booking to support me) have been reluctantly turned away because it was fully booked. And I really don’t mind, because I am delighted by the instant success the new owners have achieved, by their welcome and the confidence they exude, their future plans, the transparently happy staff, the decent beers, the quality of the wine-list, the imaginative food, the inspired chef and the sheer vibrancy of the place.

Finally, the piano is played in short bursts only, and if you don’t want it just ask Nick to play John Cage’s hauntingly beautiful piece called 4’33". It will surely break your heart.