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Oxenham Arms,
South Zeal, between Whiddon Down and Okehampton 27th
March Tel 01837 840244
First of all I'm going to get the grievance out of the way.
I did know that the pub was undergoing a make-over. I had spoken
to
I think, one of the new owners, a friendly lady voice on the phone who told
me that the pub had recently changed hands and that the bedrooms,
which I knew to be very dated were getting a much needed revamp. She told
me that the front room - turn right just inside, was now
a restaurant, and so I persuaded 2 pals to join us in giving it the once
over. I phoned to book a table, specifying time, giving phone number
and we were greatly looking forward to the visit. When we arrived we
nipped into the wonderful bar on the left and let the bar know that we
had arrived...... blank faces. 'Ok that's fine, where would you like
to eat in the bar or....' is not a good start. Then ...
we decided if they didn't mind, we would like to eat in the restaurant.
'Fine' We found our own way across. No one around. Empty room and
Oh dear I do know that the old bar was a time warp sensation from the
early 50's but what they have done to the room now, I absolutely HATE
the heavy aubergine colour on the walls. The up to the minute in
contemporary furnishing, comfortable seating and seductive lighting I can
just about take, but why do this to a good old fashioned English pub ?
This is a lovely OLD building in a traditional Dartmoor village
and I don't approve of covering up the granite walls with trendy emulsion
to force it out of it's true character. What a crying shame.
Now, to the food. Stupidly I did not make a note of everything to the
letter, and it's a few weeks ago now, but the starters all got the thumbs
up,
the chaps both enjoyed steak pie and we ladies opted for lamb shanks.
The meat dropped off the bone but had no flavour other than the lamb
itself. Just a touch of rosemary or onions would have made all the
difference. The plateful of vegetables was impressive - see pic. Nothing
overdone, and we cleared the plate like greedy seagulls. Sam
especially enjoyed the creamy mashed potatoes.
The real treat of the meal came with the puddings. They were
absolutely yummy, yummy, yummy and well worth the trip out on a cold wet
evening.
I have to mention the staff again, because it was a total mixture of
service throughout the evening. No one offered to take our coats, we
weren't too sure if they knew we were in the restaurant when we moved from
the bar to it. (Had the bar staff told the waitress that we had shifted or
not we wondered as we sat for 10 minutes without menus) The puddings
were served but we had no cutlery. The young waitress disappeared,
we thought to get some, but no, when she arrived again, we had to ask for
spoons. At one stage there were over 16 glasses most of them empty on our
overcrowded table. BUT and it's a big but, the girls there were all very, very
sweet and friendly and the older lady shown right in this bar picture was
a model waitress. She took time to explain the dishes, she went out of her
way to oblige and she gave the visit the all important welcoming touch.
The girl on the left with the long hair was equally charming. We had
had a private bet between ourselves, that if we could possibly get the
champagne at a reduced price; and it didn't matter by how much the
reduction was, then it would auger well for the business deal that we were
celebrating. At first, she would not drop the price, but when it was
explained to her how much was riding on the decision, she came back and
announced that she could reduce the bottle by one pound !!!! Yeah -
brilliant.
I quite understand that I set out to visit the pub to review the food, and
that I might be at discord with the opinion of the locals, who frequent
this pub far more often that I do. So far the bar has not been revamped.
It is cramped, quaint, full of interest and just what I feel a country pub
should be. This is one of the few remaining villages that the
visitor from afar can walk into and experience the wealth of character and
history it
holds. South Zeal is a fantastic place where the Dartmoor Folk
Festival is held each year. It's a place to see step dancing, and English
Morris dancers. The people who serve in the Post Office know the names of
everyone in the area. It's Women's Institute and cream teas.
What it doesn't deserve is aubergine walls in one of the best pub
buildings in England !
The bill came to £93.66 for four of us, including the house champers -
which by the way was excellent. |