4 /5 REG: 2nd visit:
Another delightful meal at the Talbot. This time I shared the buratta and bread with my dining companion before both of us chose the Beef roast dinner for main.
Each of these was delicious and served well. I was, however, disappointed to find that the toilet situation had not improved since my earlier visit (see notes below). There was still a notable lack of any hand drying amenities in the upstairs bathrooms and they appeared slightly untidy.
This may seem a minor issue and Ill admit it would not stop me from returning to the Talbot. However I feel it is relatively simple to get right with minimal effort on the part of staff and management. They have clearly put so much into other aspects of the pub that it seems confusing to me that they would allow this situation to continue.
As such, I am moving my rating to 4 stars on a temporary basis. I will return to the Talbot and check the toilets at some point soon. If they improve this pub will reclaim the star I have docked.
Initial review:
Lovely roast, atmosphere, and service but the toilets need some attention.
I visited the Talbot for a booking at 5:15 on a Sunday in mid September. Understanding that this is late in the day for an early season roast helped to temper any potential disappointment I may have felt at learning that food options were limited at this time. There was no Pork, Chicken, or Lamb available although I was assured by the evidently passionate host that they were due a delivery of Chicken the same afternoon and this was an unforseen circumstance.
I ordered the beef - This was tender and delicious. The carrots, roast potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings which arrived with this were also top class. Good range of pints available - I had 2 Guinness with my meal but other options also available.
The pub and its staff are warm and welcoming, there are a range of seating areas each with their own different feel and atmosphere. Following my roast I moved from the upstairs dining room to the outdoor terrace for another couple of drinks.
The upstairs dining room had the clamour and feel one would expect from a busy late Sunday afternoon roast dinner service in zone 2. The partially covered outside terrace was lit warmly and had ecclectic decor contrasting with the country pub style interior on the ground floor.
The only note I would make on the Talbot is that the toilets did not match how they should be managed in a pub which was otherwise very high quality all around. Every toilet I went into had overflowing bins and the upstairs toilets lacked hand-drying facilities as there were no hand towels left and no hand dryers.
They had also mopped the stairs during a busy Sunday roast service - these were already quite steep and potentially dangerous for those who may struggle with stairs. There could well have been a vaild reason for this but it seemed a bit confusing to me without explanation.
