If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The Moby Dick is located in a prime spot on the docks in Surrey Quays. On a warm sunny day, the patio or the benches in front are the perfect place to set up camp for the afternoon, look out across the water and sink a few pints.

However, I’m also pleased to say that there’s more to tempt you back than just the location; if you’re also after a good meal at a reasonable price than this pub will be right up your street.

There’s a range of traditional pub fare on offer – everything from sandwiches to scampi & chips to…pizza?! They also have a regularly changing specials menu, just to keep things interesting. Although the food won’t blow you away, it’s generally good and freshly cooked and most main meals are around the £6 / £7 mark.

The portions are sizeable, and it’s unlikely you’ll need one of the starters or sweets available on the menu – I’ve eaten at The Moby Dick on a number of occasions and I’m yet to try one. I can however recommend the lasagne and the homemade pies, both of which come with side salad and a choice of chips or jacket potato. The latter are huge and can also be ordered as a meal in their own right, with a choice of filling.

Inside, The Moby Dick has a relaxed, cosy feel – with the décor and sofas giving it a part pub, part front room sort of a feel. As for the staff, for the most part they’re friendly and attentive.

If you liked the sound of my recommendation at the start of this review, then there’s a reasonable if a little predictable choice of beers on offer, and wines start from about £10 a bottle (there’s also a selection available to take-away from £6.50 a bottle).

With a somewhat limited choice of cheap eats in and around Surrey Quays (apart from the numerous stinking kebab shops on the high street), this is one of my favourites in the area. And I should point out that they also host a pretty good quiz night on a Tuesday evening…

7/10

The Blacksmith’s Arms offers customers the best of both worlds: a good, traditional ‘boozer’ at the front, and a Thai restaurant serving tasty and authentic dishes at the back.

On arrival, we were greeted by the friendly waitress and although it was busy – both in the pub and in the restaurant, which is split over two rooms – we were shown to a table straight away.

For starters, we ordered chicken satay and spring rolls; £3.95 each but good size portions and tasty.

For mains, there was a large selection of dishes to choose from, with more unusual options including a range of Thai salads sitting alongside old favourites such as pad thai and red and green curry. All main dishes are rated Mild, Spicy or Hot, come with rice and are priced between £7.50 and £8, depending on which meat you chose (chicken, beef, prawn or duck).

I ordered the red curry with chicken, which was fresh and tasty with quite a kick (even after asking for it a bit milder! It was down on the menu as ‘Spicy’). My fellow diner ordered another curry dish (the name of which escapes me) which was also quite spicy but again well received.

To cool down, there’s a good selection of ales and lagers to choose from, including Singha Thai beer in bottles. There’s also a comprehensive wine list, offering wines which have been specifically chosen to complement the food and start at £14 a bottle.

With a couple of beers, our bill came to under £30 and we were both too full for dessert (although there were a number on offer, displayed on the chalk board).

My only criticism of the Blacksmith’s Arms was the service, which was a little slow, but the restaurant boasts a pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. And with the pub at the front, you’ll never be stuck on where to go for an after-dinner drink…

8/10

Before last night, I hadn’t been into a Slug and Lettuce for at least a year. I know this because, according to the friendly barman, it was over a year ago that the chain tried to make its pubs more like wine bars, and the last one I visited certainly wasn’t as ‘upmarket’.

To be honest, I didn’t look at the wine list but there was a reasonable selection of beers available, including Peroni on tap. However, it was a bite to eat we were really after.

We both ordered the same - gammon, egg and chips for around £8. Although we each got a decent sized piece of gammon, mine was slightly overcooked, and one of my eggs sitting on top was missing a yolk; to quote (I believe) Chef Ramsay, “What gives you the right to f*ck with another man’s yolk?!” The accompanying barbeque sauce was also a little artificial - similar to the sort you get in fast food outlets - and the ketchup most certainly wasn’t Heinz, although the bottle tried to suggest otherwise. Having said that, the chips weren’t bad and the salad garnish helped to improve things ‘aesthetically’, if nothing else.

After ordering, we noticed an offer on ‘sharing platters’ available during the week. I’d like to have seen these more obviously promoted, especially as we were looking for a ‘cheap eat’.

Although I was never a huge fan, from what I can remember, I think I preferred the chain how it used to be. And with a move ‘upmarket’, inevitably customer expectations increase. I’m not sure The Slug and Lettuce, Borough lived up to mine.

4.5/10