The John Gilbert > Reviews > My first and last visit to The John Gilbert

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Terrible
Standard of Menu	Terrible
Atmosphere	Average
Standard of Service	Good

Advantages:	Friendly staff
Disadvantages:	The 'food'

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

My girlfriend and I went to the John Gilbert to enjoy a nice sunday lunch. The building looked nice enough, just a typical chain pub and the staff were very friendly.

Afrter ordering a drink we decided to go for the carvery. Unfortunately for us, what passed for food was without doubt the worst meal I have ever had the displeasure of eating. I had a slice of gammon, which was fatty and full of water, and a slice of bone-dry turkey. The veg all tasted the same- the caulliflower 'cheese' was like wall-paper paste slop, the brocolli was yellow and had clearly been boiled for so long it leacked any nutritional value, and the carrots were were over-cooked and had no taste to them yet were really hard- I'm quite impressed that that is possible!!
To be fair the roast potatoes were quite nice but any pleasure derived from this soon evaporated when faced with the solid brown boiled potatoes and the inedible stuffing. The pièce de résistance came in the form of the most staggeringly awful Yorkshire pudding I have ever seen, quite literally mushy pile of batter. The gentleman serving the carvery summed the Yorkshire pudding up perfectly when he put it on my plate and muttered to himself "I don't know what the hell that is". The mear fact that someone could have the audacity to allow those attempted Yorkshire puddings to make it out of the kitchen summed up (in my opinion) the attitude The John Gilbert's owners must have towards their food and customers- as long as they make money they don't care how awful the food is.

My girlfriend and I left the pub feeling violated that we had paid nearly £9 each for the worst meal we have ever had, and I for one will NEVER set foot inside that place again whilst the food is served with such blatant contempt for its customers.