The West End Comes To Surrey (The Inn @ West End (Surrey))

Member Name: louiseypees

Product:	The Inn @ West End (Surrey)
Date:	09/12/08 (321 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Capable of turning out a great meal

Disadvantages: Too busy, too packed, food suffering because of its popularity

I almost feel bad about writing this review, as I'm going to go against the grain a little and not shower this place with glowing praise. But I'm writing this from my personal experiences, and I'm afraid they haven't all been great here.

The Inn at West End sits in the small village of West End, which is just outside Woking. Sitting on the main road, The Inn proudly displays a banner on the outside of the pub telling of its latest foodie accolade. I think at the moment they're celebrating being "Food Pub Of The Year 2008 - South" or something similar. Whatever the banner proclaims, it certainly looks pretty impressive.

On entering the pub, there is a bar area to the front of you and to the right - this is usually full of locals having a light-hearted debate about something or other. There is a fire in this section too, which is often lit on cold nights. Through the back of the bar area lies the conservatory and the garden, both of which are used for dining. The main dining room, however is to the left of the front door, where there are around 10 tables, fairly tightly packed in. The decor is what I'd call a modern twist on a traditional English pub - paintings on the walls and a somewhat cramped table arrangement, but with a fresher colour scheme than a lot of pubs.

Well that's all very well, but the important thing about a celebrated Gastro Pub is, of course, the food! The menu is very British - they specialise in game and fish dishes, but with menu space also being given to some other British favourites such as Kedgeree or lamb, beef and pork. Prices are categorically not cheap, with a weekend set menu costing £32.50 for three courses, and the a la carte main courses priced intimidatingly at the best part of £20 each. At these prices, and with my bank balance, The Inn places itself firmly into the "special occasion restaurant" category rather than, well, Gastro Pub.

Having had my little moan about the prices, I must admit that the menu does look great. Traditional British food is something that's surprisingly hard to come by, but here they create a dream menu, full of delicious comfort food and hearty British meals. It's very difficult to only order one course with a menu like this - I've never managed, despite the prices.

On top of this fabulous menu, The Inn has one of the best wine lists I've ever seen. The owner is a wine merchant, specialising in Portuguese wines, and he will happily recommend the ideal wine to go with anything on his menu. The list is vast, and comes in a book. When I've come here just for some wine and a natter, it really is the perfect upmarket pub experience - a great atmosphere from the busy restaurant and happy locals in the bar, a fire and an amazing bottle of wine (even the house red is better than anything I've ever picked out myself!), it rarely gets much better.

So what's the drawback for me? Well, and I hate to say this, but the food often isn't good enough! The first time I came here, I'll admit I had one of the best meals of my life - each course was just spectacular. There were three of us, and thanks to a lot of tasting over the table, I can confirm that all of our meals were excellent. We'd arrived off the street and managed to pick a quiet time, getting a table within 10 minutes, and I think the food reflected the amount to time the chef was able to take over each course. This, however, was over a year ago now, and I haven't had a great meal in The Inn since. Getting a table at the weekend now requires a booking at least a week in advance, and it is always heaving. Unfortunately I've really noticed this in the quality of my meals the last two times I've been. Once I opted for a duck breast dish, which came out incredibly tough, with a half-hearted sauce (but admittedly with fantastic vegetables!). Another time I had a lamb dish, which was very tasty, but not nearly up to the standard I'd expect for nearly £20 - the portion of lamb was meagre and the presentation just looked rushed. We've also had some very ordinary starters and deserts, with the mixed fish platter (no better than one I could've thrown together myself, in terms of taste or presentation) and the too-cold cheese board being prime examples.

It's clear that The Inn at West End is able to produce some absolutely stunning food - I've had some myself, and it obviously impresses the critics no end. But I can't help but think that in a lot of ways this place is a victim of its own success. There are too many tables in the small dining area at the front of the pub, making you feel really packed in during your meal. The ingredients used in the kitchen are of great quality, but often they are not prepared well, and meals are rushed - presumably because of all those people crammed into the dining room! The great service and dedicated attention from the waitresses and the owner that we were treated to on our first visit have now all but disappeared - service is also now rushed, and many of the waiting staff aren't nearly familiar enough with the menu or the wine list to help you make the perfect choices.

I may go back to The Inn at some point, but after being disappointed on two special occasions now, I can't see it being too soon, and it definitely won't be when I think it might be busy.

Summary: A victim of its own success?