I really like places that are quirky (well, generally as there are exceptions) and we went here on both evenings. This is more of a cafe bar than a pub, but it absolutely meets the requirements of the latter and it’s very well reviewed online.
They have cake, real ale and a range of beers in bottles.
Just for reference, here’s their breakfast menu.
And the lunch menu.
The real ale board and they were featuring a selection of beers from the Drop the Anchor brewery who are located in Hinton, which is a short distance away from Christchurch. I think it’s really positive that they’re supporting a local brewery and I noticed it too late, but they were offering flights as well (as in beer flights, they weren’t flying to Hinton).
My beer on the first evening was the Tucktonia from Drop the Anchor, which was a hoppy, tropical and quite floral little number. Ross had bottled lager.
My beer on the second evening was the Citralicious from Drop the Anchor, an ale with a citrusy edge, not entirely well rounded but a bit more rustic. Ross had bottled lager.
This is the sort of quiet and peaceful environment that I like, with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. On the first evening one of the members of another group was telling me about the real ales he had tried and he noted that they were all hoppy. That was not an inaccurate statement, but he had clearly enjoyed his experience.
A design concept such as this is marvellous and it’s a great opportunity for the staff to pop anything old…. Although I’m sure that they’re carefully curated everything.
I really liked this venue, it was something a little different and the service was friendly and the surroundings intriguing. There was a wide range of real ales, they’ve made a proper effort here to do interesting things and I hope that’s rewarded with the number of customers for them as they deserve it.