Reviews of Blacksmiths Arms, Newton Aycliffe
Review by Sean Barnett on 30th July, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 29/07/11
small group of 4 - went as it has "real ales": only two on and both were pale and "bitter", no Black Sheep or Old P etc. At least they allowed a taste first, so went with John Smiths instead.
No comfy seating, just dining seats.
Staff pleasant and welcoming.
1: large T bone - very good
2: Game pie - average quality, only served with peas and chips and rather expensive
3: Duck - too chewy
4: Itallian lasgane - too cheesy and far from authentic. Staff even said some people ask for it with less cheese!!
3 diffeerent staff came to ask if everything was okay.
Only two puddings, but - a hair in the fruit put us off (which was refunded)
But I'm afraid I won't be going back. Total cost £73.
Review by Cris on 1st March, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 1st march 2011
I came here for food with my family as a birthday meal out. On arrival all seemed promising, not busy and a pleasant restaurant besides the fact all the curtains where drawn. We where asked if we had booked on arrival ( we hadn't, which i wouldn't have thought was a problem being a week night and only two tables of guests when we went in) the waitress had to ask the manager if it was OK if to came in. My first thought here was "OK, maybe we should have booked a table. The restaurant must be filling up soon" ( Not what happened the place was dead all night). After being allowed to have a table in this "empty restaurant" we ordered our food. My Dad had been eyeing up the duck breast which sounded amazing. The waitress soon came back and told us the duck would take 30 minutes to cook and would we be prepared to wait for it. "No" we where hungry so my dad settled for the chicken breast instead. OK now I'm a chef myself and i doesn't take 30 Min's to cook a duck breast or a chicken breast! (If they had none or couldn't be ... as a birthday meal out. On arrival all seemed promising, not busy and a pleasant restaurant besides the fact all the curtains where drawn. We where asked if we had booked on arrival ( we hadn't, which i wouldn't have thought was a problem being a week night and only two tables of guests when we went in) the waitress had to ask the manager if it was OK if to came in. My first thought here was "OK, maybe we should have booked a table. The restaurant must be filling up soon" ( Not what happened the place was dead all night). After being allowed to have a table in this "empty restaurant" we ordered our food. My Dad had been eyeing up the duck breast which sounded amazing. The waitress soon came back and told us the duck would take 30 minutes to cook and would we be prepared to wait for it. "No" we where hungry so my dad settled for the chicken breast instead. OK now I'm a chef myself and i doesn't take 30 Min's to cook a duck breast or a chicken breast! (If they had none or couldn't be bothered to cook it i would rather they told me that) Are order was taken at 7:20pm we received are food at 8:10pm 50 minutes later!!!!! I'd understand if the place was packed to its teeth with customers, but four tables in the who restaurant!!! COMPLETLY DISGUSTING service Now 50 Min's to cook a meal, I'm expecting gold on a plate no one should wait this long with out being warned prior to being seated. 4 out of 5 dishes where overloaded with super small cheap and tasteless prawns(Product bulking). I ordered a sizzler dish, It arrived lukewarm and not sizzling, in 5 minutes i was eating a cold plate filled with cheap prawns. Customer Service We were asked how are meal was at the end, i said it was not hot and was essentially tasteless, She sniggered and said "I'll let the chef know" then proceeded to snigger with her friend in the corner ( No apology). DISGUSTING CUSTOMER SERVICE On leaving i consulted the manager who seemed more interested in getting our money than apologising for the poor experience. He commented " Were a family run business and we weren't expecting to be busy" BUSY 4 tables is far from busy with two waitresses and three people in the kitchen only one of which wearing the correct clothing for food preparation. I'm giving a zero star rating and wouldn't advise anyone to experience this culinary disgrace
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