trunkguy's Qype profile

Although Debenhams have a modern store and it's relatively clean and tidy this is where my praise of this shop has to end.

I was first annoyed when purchasing my clothes today when the till assistant folded my new white tee shirt on top of a pile of newspapers on the counter.  She then proceeded to leave it on the counter and pile more clothes on top of this.  This left some print on my new shirt.

As if this wasn't bad enough I returned home (we were visiting Bury St Edmunds for the day) to find that I had been doubled charged for one item.

I have tried to complain to Debenhams on the phone but all I get asked to do is return to the Bury store - something that isn't feasible as we do not live there.  To drive back, pay for fuel and parking would cost as much as the duplicate item.

Debenhams were very unhelpful on the phone, I spoke the the Bury store and they didn't even apologise.  The lady I spoke to knew less than nothing about any of my enquiries and I am not happy with this level of customer service.

I don't think I shall be shopping in Debenhams again - especially not the Bury St Edmunds branch.

After a look around the shops we decided to pop into Bumpkin as it looked inviting and friendly. It wasn't until we sat down we realised how expensive the restaurant was.

I like the ethos of local food that's in season but don't understand why it has to be expensive? Our waiter was quite surrly which was a shame.

We ordered Sunday lunch which on arrival was £17.95 each. When it came to our table it was £16.95. We don't understand why the change and they tried to charge us £17.95 at the end of the meal.

The roast was beautifully cooked and we were offered choices of how the meat would come out. It didn't look like a huge portion but it was actually just about right. The meat and veg were very tasty as was the gravy. I don't understand why other people were served with Yorkshire Puddings and we were not though.

There was no explanation for this. I though I'd have a soft drink as it was a warm day. This was a mistake. £5 for a lemonade. Half a cider was £2.

As I said the bill was incorrect and to add insult to injury they slapped on £5 service charge. I got the bill changed but didn't expect the sorrowful explanation from the waiter that "he gets not cut and it wouldn't matter to him if we were charged more cause he sees no benefit". He may have been trying to explain that he doesn't set the prices but it doesn't explain how the price changed mid meal.

The meal was nice but not worth the price.

The restaurant was airy although the music was too loud and the staff weren't as attentive or friendly as they could be.

Nice experience. Nice not to have to go home and cook a roast dinner but I don't feel like I've had a £50 meal (total cost for two drinks (1 soft) and 2 roast dinners).

I have just started to run and after a couple weeks am feeling the importance of getting proper trainers.

I called Runners World and the guy who answered was very friendly and gave me some advice over the phone.

This gave me the confidence to pop by the store and get a proper Gait Analysis test.  This is a short test where you run on a treadmill and have your run recorded.  The video is then played back in slow motion ad an analysis is made recommending how you can correct your run and what type of shoes you should be wearing.

I didn't believe there could be so many options and the manager was really patient and friendly as I tried on countless pairs of shoes.  Just as I felt I had the right pair he would produce another and another.  He took all my feedback and was very quick to react and find me the shoes that would help me run better and improve the roll in my right foot.

As he said a pair of running shoes should feel like you are wearing slippers and my new Asics 2170's certainly do.

With stores and staff like this in the running community it gives me encouragement that people care and are on hand to help.

He also gave me some great advice, asked me how I had begun training and gave me some tips to use on my new journey into running.

Great store, great selection and excellent informative staff.

We found ourselves in Southwold one sunny Sunday and whilst we were enjoying our seaside stroll we decided a spot of lunch was in order.

There are many places to eat in Southwold But the Crown caught our eye.

We had the Sunday menu which was a set menu and set price. The interior of the Crown is definelty shabby chique although I am not sure this is was they are intending. To be blunt it’s a little grubby inside but it is an old building.

The food we ordered was tasty but my beef roast was a little too pink for me. There was not much meat though as I was given a single slice. The rest of the veg etc was cooked brilliantly and the Yorkshire pudding was tasty and crisp. I must admit that I wasn’t pleased that the “horseradish cream” wasn’t an option and was plonked on the top of my meal. Not being a fan of horseradish this didn’t please me as I couldn’t avoid it. I know I could have sent it back but I feel once a meal is delivered it’s too late.

The staff were fairly attentive and the ambience of the place was nice but I think it’s a little pricey for what it is and the meal could have been better given the price.

We visited about 3 weeks ago and I am afraid to say I only remember the main course which indicates the starter/sweet failed to leave an impression.

Not the best place to dine in Southwold but I guess not the worst either.

We visited Cambridge to do some shopping and decided a leisurely lunch was in order to start the day off.

We've walked down Kings Parade many times and I have never seen this place before. It caught our eye and we stepped in for a table.

Apart from the waiter who greeted us who seemed to want only those who had booked to enter, we were treated to good service. The Chop House was busy but not packed.

The menu is varied and obviously created for meat lovers with dishes such as chops (duh!), roast dinners and suet puddings.

We had three courses and everything we ate was lovely. I had Carrot and Coriander Soup followed by Half a Roast Chicken with traditional Roast (I couldn't eat any more). My other half had Ham Hock, Lamb Suet Pudding with Horseradish Mash and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

First off I have to say that the food is brilliant - it is so well cooked, wonderfully presented and you can tell only the best ingredients are used as every course is packed with flavour.

Secondly portions are rather large. Probably not a problem for the table of American Academics across from us but we struggled. The portions are generous but not grotesque.

Depending on where you sit you could be at ground level or in the basement in the old kitchens or the cellar. We were seated at the back in the old cellar and it was very cool and intimate - especially on such a particularly hot and busy day in Cambridge.

The service was excellent - nothing was too much trouble for our waitress. She was polite and very helpful throughout - something that earned her a good tip.

If you find yourself hungry in central Cambridge I can highly recommend the Cambridge Chop House... now we need to check out the other restaurants that are part of the "Cambridge Food Company".

We just moved to the area and whilst on a drive to Cambridge saw this place and thought we'd give it a go.

It has traditional opening hours and even though is part of a brewery chain, still feels locally run and independent.

The draw for us with the Sunday Carvery which didn't disappoint. We booked as we were not sure how busy they got and was glad we did. They weren't packed but were busy enough. I think larger groups should book in advance.

The standard menu has a good variety and those who ordered from it enjoyed what they had.

The roast was a selection of Beef or Turkey and both were cooked very well. There was the usual selection of vegetables on offer which meant you could fill your plate and fill up quite quickly!

We managed to wolf down our roast dinner very quickly and managed room for traditional desserts such as Lemon Meringue and Spotted Dick.

The service was very friendly and the cost was very good too for the standard of food available.

My only criticism is that the food was not pipping hot. I know that's difficult with carvery as everything sits around under heat lamps but maybe they could make the food just a shade hotter.

It's a minor criticism though as we had a lovely lunch.

A nice pub with a friendly atmosphere. Nice to visit if you're in the area.

I find it interesting that this places exists as an alternative to supermarkets and to stand up to local produce and business, especially when there is an independent butcher right across the road!

Its got a good selection of food, some of which you won't find anywhere else but it's very expensive.

I have to admit we did enjoy our homemade scones and eccles cakes but at £1.05 each they really are taking the Mick.

I guess it's one of those things where if people are daft enough to pay such prices they will continue to charge them.

I wouldn't do a weekly shop here but if I was after something different or special for a dinner party or a treat then I would go back.

It's the kind of place you take your parents to browse around when they visit!

Where do I start?

Well we booked on a half price deal so it seemed like we were in for a good deal and a good time.

The venue is decorated in a gaudy dark silver and black fashion - the kind of design you see in B&Q ad's and in show homes. It was a gloriously sunny day in London and yet there was no natural light allowed to penetrated the harsh decor.

The music was also VERY loud. And very dated. All the tracks played were from the 80's and a few early 90's.

I am not sure if this is the ideal place to eat and if you came to drink you'd run the risk of not being able to hear anyone - even the bar staff wore ear plugs.

Now I must say the male waiters were very easy on the eye and the women seemed leggy (if you like that kind of thing) - sadly though looks cannot compensate for the lack of intelligence. It took several attempts for the waitress to take our orders and she had to come back several times to check things even though she'd written them down.

The general standard of the food was nice but it's very expensive. Even paying half price it felt like we were being ripped off. We ordered a starter platter and I doubt it would have fed one let alone a small group - we finished it so quickly the waiter hadn't got back to the kitchen before the plate was clean.

Ordering drinks were a mission - the cocktails took ages for the bar staff to prepare (their cocktail menu isn't very big so you'd think the staff would know what they're doing) and when it came to wine we were flabbergasted! We tried to order three different bottles only to find out they didn't have any of them. We ended drinking a mediocre Sauvignon Blanc - purely because this was all they had!

The payment system was different (to be honest bloody annoying). Instead of paying a bill they insisted you paid money up front when reserving the table, paid a tab and continued as such. We put some money on the account when we booked but when we handed our card over to keep a tab we didn't realise the waitress automatically deducted £50 from our account - this she tried to continue through the evening whenever we went over our total balance! This was very odd and made the evening frustrating as someone had to constantly pay and we had to keep all our receipts so we could work out what the total amount was.

If you want a loud hip bar where you can be ignored by dim staff and be watched while you pee (yes the man in the bathroom handing our towels was so close you couldn't help but feel you were being watched whilst peeing), then this is the place for you.

If you want somewhere central in town where you can catch up with friends and enjoy a nice meal and a good bottle of wine - avoid avoid avoid!