Grazing Goat

What a wonderful venue! The staff is very welcoming, the food authentic and homemade and there's always a great buzz at The Grazing Goat!
No matter if it's a quick lunch or Sunday Rost, The Grazing Goat rocks and we are very glad such an amazing place opened in our neighbourhood!

This reads as if the reviewer went along absolutely determined to dislike the place and managed to achieve his goal with the minimum of effort.

First, it's not right to say that the Grazing Goat was a 'neighbourhood boozer' that was bought up and pimped out. The pub on that site shut in December 2008 so it's hardly a case of an overweening company destroying a local pub.

If by 'posh pub' the reviewer means a pub with good service and good food, then he's bang on, but it's difficult to avoid reading a sneer into those words. It's similarly hard to figure out what he means by 'themed Englishness' - the pictures on the walls are prints of the local area and reproductions of old maps. It's hardly groaning at the seams with stuffed game birds and random bric-a-brac.

The criticism of the menu is really just wilfully inaccurate. Picking out "fish and chips; burgers; steaks; Sunday roasts; apple and blackberry crumble" and alleging "a homage to the pub food of the Beefeater era" is deliberate misrepresentation. The menu is shortish, with a focus on meat from named sources cooked simply and well. I seriously doubt that you'd find steak tartare, oysters or smoked haddock and caramelised onion tart alongside the prawn cocktail on the Beefeater starters menu. As far as main courses are concerned, going to a pub serving British food and complaining that the main courses on offer largely involve chunks of excellent grilled meat is rather like going to a French restaurant and whinging about all the garlic and butter.

The Grazing Goat was busy when we went there on a Sunday night and gave us exemplary food, wine and service. Sending along someone to review the place who plainly doesn't like British food has resulted in a skewed and grumpy piece that does Time Out no favours at all. I recommend it wholeheartedly.