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The Poacher and Partridge

British·
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SquareMeal Review of The Poacher and Partridge

Don’t be put off by the unprepossessing exterior, this newly refurbished boozer is worth seeking out. Behind the etched glass door it’s more a trendy bar/restaurant than a country pub, with the bar boasting acres of wood floor, chunky low tables & trendy striped chairs, while the mushroom & cream restaurant is crisp, clean & understated. The wide-ranging menu has a something-for-everyone appeal with Caesar salads, risottos, burgers & fishcakes in among more ambitious offerings. Particularly impressive are the chunky, tasty rabbit terrine with onion marmalade, slow roast pork belly with sweet potato & pickled ginger mash, & a first-class herb & peppercorn crusted lamb rump. Similarly, well-judged puddings include an impressive smooth textured, subtle white chocolate creme brulee. The wine list has plenty of interest & is easy to negotiate, while service is attentive & reasonably slick. All in all, this is great addition to an area not noted for decent places to eat.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
British
Food Hygiene Rating

The Poacher and Partridge is featured in

Location

Hartlake Road Tudeley, Unknown, Kent, TN11 0PH

01732 358934 01732 358934

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Sun 12N-2.30pm 6-9.30pm

Reviews

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5 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

30 December 2021  
Food & Drink 3
Service 5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 3
Small ducks?

Firstly let me start by praising our waitress, Lucy, you are lucky to have had her for the last 6 years. Now, whilst my food was delicious, I was rather unimpressed with the duck ends I received for my main course, I know there were two separate dishes containing duck and can only conclude the middle part of the breast was used in these, when challenged the chef informed me that this was from 3 small duck breasts and from working as a chef for the past 16 years, I am amazed such tiny ducks existed, either that or I was being fobbed off. I would definitely come again, as it was very tasty, but I feel a whole breast might be more appropriate for £20.

Anon

03 June 2021  
Food & Drink 1.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 1
Let down

As a regular visitor to the Poacher and Partridge, the pub is our go to restaurant as we always receive good service and great food. Upon our visit yesterday we were extremely disappointed with many things.
Firstly, it took 40 minutes to receive our drinks order and place our food order. The food was slow to turn up and when the main courses did turn up they were wrong and some colder then expected. We then wanted to place a pudding and coffee order however were left to wait another 40 minutes before calling it a day.
Also, when visiting the ladies toilets, there was a large amount of mosquitoes in there . On the way to the toilet it was understandable why our cocktails were being served in the wrong glasses due to the sheer amount of dirty glasses stacking up on the bar.
I tried to speaking to the manager regarding all of our issues (that not only us had faced and complained about) and she told me originally it was because of Covid and head office were making them have the same amount of bookings as normal but with fewer staff, however later moved on to say it was due to staff illness. She didn’t really seem overly bothered by my concerns which was disappointing as this restaurant is one of our favourites.
I am highly disappointed by the service received for our normally favoured restaurant.

Anon

24 September 2020  
David FitzGerald

I lunched at The Vineyard with a friend on22nd September and was most disappointed by the bream which was dry and over cooked. I then launched at The Poacher and Partridge today(24th September) and ordered duck. It looked dry when it arrived and was so tough  it was inedible. Your staff kindly let me have fish cakes instead. These were deep fried and mostly consisted of potato. For a "gastro pub" this is not one would expect. I will NOT  be recommending Elite Pubs to my friends.

john W

25 March 2012  
Food & Drink 2
Service 4
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2
The Poacher has always been a stalwart of ours, my wife and I have eaten there several times over the years but after last night that won't be the case again. When we arrived my wife commented on how bright the dining room was (and how intimate it wasn't because of it), the menu seemed a bit lacklustre but there was one fresh fish option available. After the first course we sat there for an age waiting for our main course, getting apologies but no explanation. When it finally arrived the fish was raw and had to go back and be re-cooked. Finally the cooked fish arrived with the rest of the ‘kept warm’ meal including a bowl of mixed veg which had about seven different vegetables held together by their dullness and lack of taste. The service was excellent however and the fish was taken off of the bill. I assume the chef is temporary and I'll be keeping an eye out for further reviews to see if the situation improves…

Michele S

02 October 2009  
Food & Drink 2
Service 2.5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 1.5
We visited The Poacher last evening to enjoy the Jazz/Blues music in the bar after dinner. The decor is delightful – heavy blonde, oak tables and chairs on a black slate floor with attractive molten glass pictures and mirrors to increase the visual space. Good, big wine glasses and large starched napkins. “Mine Host” is a cheerful, gregarious man with lots of friendly repartee with the customers. The ambiance is convivial and the dinning room was well populated for a Thursday evening. However, the same positive statements cannot be said of the food. I ordered a sirloin steak and it was the worst steak that I have ever been served. It was 1cm thick and cooked so long that there was no moisture left in it at all. It was advertised as “char-grilled” and it most certainly wasn't. The chef had cut it into three pieces and piled them across each other to make it look bigger, including one piece that was all grissle. I informed the senior waitress of my opinion and she checked with the chef and the answer came back that they had “a new butcher” – as if that was any excuse for a chef sending such low quality food from his kitchen. Perhaps if the prices had been on the low side I would not feel so agrieved, however, the steak was £17.75 with an extra £1.50 for a very poor pepper sauce. The mixed salad was plentiful and chopped into proper bite size pieces. My husband's gammon steak at £10.50 was acceptable but nothing special, and his icecream was flavoursome but lacked any trimmings, wafer or special presentation – he was also not given a fork to assist in the eating of the slippery stuff. Altogether not an expereince that we want to repeat.
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