Service at The Herne

[Keef]

Agree about fresh food, but surely if you're that busy, you cook a lot of it. I don't mean keep things heated all day, but they must have a pretty speedy turnaround...

I'm happy waiting 20-30 minutes, but longer than that and I start getting a bit impatient.

[standswithfist]

i personally have always had great service at the herne. the food is always spot on and to agree with david_carnell - I would rather wait for good food than be served plastic food in 10mins. It is busy at the weekends but I don't know whats happened to patience. doesn't seem to exist anymore. Or manners by the looks of things.

I popped into the herne last night for a few drinks and i'm happy to report the toilets were clean - as they have always been when i've been there - the staff were friendly as were the clientele.

I for one will continue to visit to eat, drink and be generally merry.

[pk]

i've eaten the palmerston a load of times and will go back, but i've only eaten in the herne once a few months ago and it put me off (which is a shame as i went expecting to like it)

as with many of the less happy punters above, we went on saturday lunchtime and waited a good while to be served an inaccurate order (with protests that they'd got it right and we'd got it wrong, until the order was checked) and despite all the talk of fresh food above the bearnaise tasted (and i believe did) come from a jar

may be i'll try it again, cos i do like the place for a drink

[Siduhe]

It's also good to see there are some happy punters out there too - this thread will probably tip me into giving the Herne another try (not at a weekend, mind) - so maybe worth it from the Herne's perspective after all.

I've also got nothing against waiting a fair amount of time for freshly cooked food. But 35 mins between courses was pushing it (for me personally) and when the wrong food came I out, I would say I was a bit disappointed, not to mention hungry, rather than impatient. As I said above, it was the approach of one particular individual that spoiled it for me, although I acknowledge it probably isn't very fair to judge a whole establishment on that.

[DaveR]

The number of genuine moans on here about long waits for food make it unlikely that its simply a case of unrealistic expectations. Anywhere purporting to serve decent food needs a professional kitchen operation which can knock out 80 meals without losing the plot. A couple of people have mentioned the Palmerston, and they are a good example - pretty much always full yet the kitchen delivers.

[Marmora Man]

You obviously do not have high culinery standards Mamora Man

Yesterday the Herne delivered three perfectly cooked Sea Bass dishes to our table. Two fillets per plate, skin golden and crisp, flesh moist yet firm. To spoil Sea Bass is very easy to get it spot on is requires a very good chef.

My culinary standards are my business - but yesterday's fish was up there with some of the best restaurants I've eaten in and at ?11.00 a plate was excellent value.

[tiger ranks]

Chris i thank you for replying to the post about your pub but it seems like people seemed to experience the same problem as me

i now visit the white horse pub when i fancy food now there sunday roast i all freshly cooked and you queue up to place your order and you can have a look at the roast that you want which has come out of the oven srtaight onto the hot plate this only operate's between 1 & 4 pm and its allways a sell out and you get service with a smile the manager even thanks you for coming

chris you should pop down there and take a leaf out of his book!!!

[SteveT]

Sound advice for Chris and his pub, and very delicately handled by tiger ranks, who is seemingly just a pussycat.

[Mogs]

Myself and a few Scrabble like friends were thinking about popping in at about 4pm on Sunday for a game of scrabble and then the Quiz which I believe has moved from the MAG.

Can you confirm if 4pm on a Sunday would be good time to come in?

[bawdy-nan]

I like the Herne. Don't go there much but have had a lovely time when I do. Might be that I've mostly gone earlyish on a sauturday lunchtime.

I've found the menu imaginative and mostlye delicious. Sometimes the service has been a little slow but not so I'd get steam coming out of my ears.

It does seem that slow service has been a problem and the manager's excuse makes sense but doesn't really address the problem. I can see how and why things might get a bit out of hand but you can usually solve bad feeling by letting people know how long they might have to wait and surprising them with a small bit of something delicious to keep them going - could be as simple as some lovely bread and a decent olive oil - or some other small lovleliness

[TJ]

I eat at the Herne pretty much every week - often more.

On a few occasions, some food has been unavailable, but 99% of the time the service, quality, speed is excellent. I also have not had a single complaint from any of the many people i have taken there.

I would love to meet MW74 there for a spot of dinner, see if they know arse from elbow and all that.

Chris - keep up the good work.

[MadWorld74]

TJ Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I eat at the Herne pretty much every week - often

> more.

> On a few occasions, some food has been

> unavailable, but 99% of the time the service,

> quality, speed is excellent. I also have not had a

> single complaint from any of the many people i

> have taken there.

> I would love to meet MW74 there for a spot of

> dinner, see if they know arse from elbow and all

> that.

>

> Chris - keep up the good work.

Steady on TJ, no need to get personal. What I consider good dining may not be someone else's idea.

All I said was that the place needs a thorough clean and for some TLC to be spent on the furniture.

No need for you to go off onto one about elbows and arses.

Thanks.

[MadWorld74]

Dear Chris

We often see you in the pub working like a trojan, and for that we salute you!

So please don't be upset by the comments I have made. We like to pop down on a sunday night, and can see the place has had an absolute battering from the chaos during the day.

All I would like to ask is that the tables are cleaned an little more thoroughly in the bar area, the toilets also. If the toilets are grubby it doesn't bode well for the kitchen cleanliness (that's in my experience at having worked in the catering/restaurant industry on and off for 10 years)

And lastly the place seems a bit thin on the ground with furniture indoors. It has some horrid function and banqueting chairs in the saloon bar area which really do the place no justice. It's a great space and has so much potential.

Many thanks

MW

[Gubodge]

I have been to the Herne several times, sometimes booking sometimes not (but turning up as the doors open at midday when I haven't) and love the garden and think the food is great; and have never had any problems with the loos. But, every time I have been I have had a long wait for that food, unreasonably long on a couple of occasions. For a place that specifically targets families, they really should be aware that young children don't tend to have the same flexibility about mealtimes that adults have. I haven't returned since a visit a couple of months ago, when the interminable delay necessitated buying crisps to console starving kids (who of course then didn't eat most of their meal when it finally turned up.) This would have been enough alone to put me off, but what was even more offputting was the stench of the filthy sofa in the conservatory. I will keep an ear out and see whether people think the service gets any quicker, but I won't be returning until I hear that the sofa is on a skip.

It a shame, I'd like to give more custom to my local but last time I went out for a meal we went to the Palmerston, which was perfect. Perhaps a bit of staff shadowing could be arranged so the Herne can see how it should be done?

[MadWorld74]

I have to agree, the difference between The Palmerston and The Herne is mind blowing. You wouldn't expect such a huge difference if you went to The Bishop and the The Florence in Herne Hill.

[Cassius]

The Florence is very nice - went there a couple of weekends back and it was only when I saw the menu that I realised that they were the same chain (doh!).

[MadWorld74]

If you read the menu at The Palmerston and then the menu at The Herne, would you know that they were linked, same owners?

No...didn't think so.

[Redalways]

We have been to the Herne many times and have never had a problem. The food is great and to be honest we have never had cause to complain about the service.

It is one of the few pubs/eating places where you can take a well behaved dog, which we do. We take our schnauzer.

By the way - if anyone wants really excellent local italian food try Le Querce in Brockley rise - i know it is outside of ED but it really is worth the short extra trek.

[supergolden88]

The last time I went to the Herne (some 3/4 months ago)the service was so shockingly bad (I do hope that waitress has been fired she was completely hopeless) and the food so overcooked/reheated/just plain tasteless that I have not been there since. I used go there fairly often and loved it but no more. Very disappointing.

[iggy_pop]

one thing i'd comment on is the over-rated focus on it being child friendly:

the climbing frame was broken for months last year - a gap in the side ropes on the bridge was pretty dangerous for toddlers.

there's always a load of debris around the bins..

last week our kids had taken their shoes off and we were warned about broken glass.

the moguls in the garden just mean toddlers go in/out of view constantly..

finally, the front doors generally open so small children can/will run straight through and onto the street.

basically, i spend so much effort keeping an eye on the kids not encountering any of the above hazards, that its not until my 12th pint of stella that i can switch off and relax.

i was joking about that last bit..

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

Iggy,

I think it would be impossible to create a safe pub environment for a toddler, you've just got to be vigilant.

[Asset]

oh, I don't know, a few years ago in the Dog's previous carnation I used to spend several hours of an afternoon happily oblivious to my offspring while they ran riot in the back garden.

(ducks and waits for barrage of abuse hahahahaha)

[Gubodge]

I wouldn't let my child run barefoot in any pub garden. There's no way you can guarantee there being no broken glass about.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

oh, I don't know, a few years ago in the Dog's previous carnation I used to spend several hours of an afternoon happily oblivious to my offspring while they ran riot in the back garden.

We're talking about toddlers though, when they hit 3 they can pretty much fend for themselves for an afternoon.

[MadWorld74]

a three year old can fend for themselves for the afternoon?..jeees, glad you're not a childminder. Jesus wept, or are you? No wait! you probably work for Haringey social services.