Having heard about the new bar in Prince’s Gardens, Live! decided it was time to head off and sample the college’s latest offering. A brisk walk across Exhibition Road, through Prince’s Gardens to Linstead, and the two undercover Live! reporters are impressed - well actually, very impressed as they enter the new facility.
Whilst the area might be smaller than the old bar space in Southside, it appears the college have really made the most of it. It is bright, clean, and functional, although a little plain – except for the large areas of guilds red paint on the wall (did they know we were coming?). However we were glad to find out that some of the old Southside décor will be going up soon – glad to hear college does believe in its heritage.
Score: 8/10.
So what is on offer? Well this is where we got a shock – there are in fact two menus. Serving all day, everyday of the week has got to be a popular choice. The prices – fair too – you can’t argue with a freshly cooked steak, with all the trimmings for around £5, including table service! Whilst it may take 5-10 minutes to turn up, the menu does reassure customers that this is because each order is freshly cooked in the kitchen. The pain au chocolat and bacon and egg sandwich, were well received by the Live! reporters. It is probably also worth mentioning that they have opted for a No Smoking policy at all times, something nowhere else on campus has.
Score: 9/10
Finally the beer – whilst we were too early for them to serve us (licensing laws – damn) – we had a very nice coffee and tea, and checked out the prices on real ales which we can report are very very competitive (need we say more). No criticism of anything there either.
Score: 9/10
Finally and most importantly – what were the toilets like? Clean, functional and achieving a 7/10 in the shit squad ratings. our expert says it lost points because it has pipes that are not hidden behind walls.
So would we go back? Both of us said yes – mainly because we want to have a nice steak and a pint of real ale in a smoke free atmosphere, but also because we can also have a coffee in a nice environment, if we don't feel like alcohol. We also liked the atmosphere, value and service.
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