Ramblers Rest

Ramblers Rest is a countryside pub located in Coulsdon, Surrey.
I've heard good things about the place, how the food and drink is good and well worth the money.

I looked into it and was impressed how they approached their food and themselves.

http://www.theramblersrest.co.uk/menus/




 






I made a school boy error of not booking beforehand so therefore I couldn't get a table inside the restaurant. But one of the front of house staff politely located a table for me in the other part of the pub.

 

So after all that commotion, this is what I ordered.
 

• The artisan rustic breads with marinated olives and a balsamic olive oil dressing.
• Seared pigeon breast, sweet potato rosti, buttered British greens & red wine jus.
  Spiced lamb koftas, tzatziki & sweet chilli jam.
• King prawn, crab & chorizo linguine, tomato, garlic & chilli
• Lamb rump, asparagus, chorizo, dauphinoise potato, peas, baby onions & jus.

 You're probably now thinking that this place sounds like its worth a visit, but it quickly escalated into what I would say was a very disappointing evening and here's why.

 

Whilst I was ordering at the bar I was approached by another couple and she explained to me that she and her husband were having dinner together and they wanted my table by the fireplace. However they chose to ignore the fact that I was there in the first place and sat down anyways . I
 was very annoyed, not only by their rudeness, but the fact the staff did not take any action even though a few members noticed as well.
Any other time if I was just having drinks I wouldn't have minded but I was here for both. Luckily about five minutes later there was a spare table.

 

After waiting for some time my starters finally came. The artisan breads were served at a lovely warm temperature and the olives were juicy and plump.


The pigeon was very disappointing for a number of reasons.
The jus around the plate looked like it dried out due to the fact it was probably under the lights for a while. Not only that It lacked flavour and the breast was very dry. The sweet potato rosti was the best thing about the whole dish.



The koftas were nicely seasoned and the meat was moist with the tzatziki and chilli jam went well with it.



 

The mains weren't much better.







 

 The king prawns from the linguine dish lacked flavour and I thought having four on a plate was a bit stingy considering I ordered it as a main. Not only that the chorizo looked pale and lacked any sort of punch. The crab didn't sit too well with me either as it went to mush.




 


The lamb was just about medium, any longer and it would have been well done. The peas lost that vibrant green colour to them and the dauphinoise contained no seasoning, no flavour and no colour.



 



 

 

The cheese board after the meal really summed up the evening and the food in particular. It wasn't to room temperature. Enough said really.



 



 

 

 

The whole dining experience was bitterly disappointing especially after hearing rave reviews about the place. 
Maybe the kitchen had a bad night and it could have been a one off but it would have to take some serious convincing for me to go back.