Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Great Northern Railway Tavern Hornsey High St - it's been refurbed.. And is ACE go visit!
I went for a pint at the GNRT last night - mainly cos it was the nearest pub to Hornsey rail station - and it was the most wonderful pub!!!
I've been intrigued for a while due to lovely building and long, rail-related name but wasn't expecting much as it has had a reputation for being an 'old man pub' (no direct offence to old men intended).
It was just stunning and the most wicked pub. There was a fire burning (who'd have thought that would be a welcome sight in MAY, but hey-ho), games, they've got a garden on the go which will be furnished for use when we get a summertime, good choice of lager and none of the nasty crap Fosters/carslberg etc, and a simple menu that looks worth a go though I'll have to eat there another time. They do free gigs, there's wi-fi and the staff were friendly.
When I aske dthe barman explained that the building was refurbed a year ago but that they've only bee running it for the last 2 months. So maybe this is common knowledge but I wanted to make sure becuase the good people of Harringay should be supporting this venture.
Needless to say the building has been beautifually restored, has a glass ceiling to rival the Salisbury, lickable wooden floors and just the right amount of furniture in there to seat lots of people but not overcrowd.
As this weekend is set to be a wash-out, why not go check it out it deserves your custom!
They're on Twitter.
Tags for Forum Posts: choir, great northern railway tavern, pubs
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Sorry?
I thought most of what's been said has been really positive, hasn't it?
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Permalink Reply by AxP on
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I think it's turned a corner!
I think the negatives in earlier posts stand out for being so... pernickity. I wasn't following the thread in real time so just read back over the lot.But yes also lots of positives and support good to see. This post was directed at the moaners.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Pernickity ?
There's nothing pernickity about commenting that it was annoying to be turned out of a rehearsal space at very short notice.
There's nothing pernickity about saying you prefer a pub to be a pub.
People have varying opinions and I'm sure Tony finds the negative comments valuable feedback.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Had a bowl of chips Friday night, about a dozen chips in all for 3 quid. Won't be doing that again! But the range of beers were very good. Garden is looking much better. Wasn't particularly busy that night.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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You'll be ridiculed for that Matt, how dare you have a negative opinion! If I am allowed, was the range of beers of a hand pull or lager variety? Sorry to talk about the ale, with it being a pub and all!
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Well there seemed to be more choice on both ale & lager which as I say was much more impressive, but I was drinking the latter that night. Alison, lucky you on the f&c; they had run out of haddock when I asked.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Pray Therese, please at least give a hint as to the name of this greedy "Green Lanes Establishment".
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It's not an uncommon practice, John. In high street type establishments, I think it's more accurate to assume that waiters don't get the tips you leave than otherwise. I think most get none of the tips, some get to keep cash tips only. Others keep cash tips and credit card tips are divvied amonts the staff via a tronc system (a pooling system whereby you get a proportion of tips in line with tronc points awarded. Some tronc systems are fair and transparent; others are a tool for the worst sort of management patronage practices or a vehicle for bullying). In others all tips are shared by tronc. If you're concerned about where your tip money goes, you can always ask a waiter discreetly.
I'm just off for dim sum in China Town, where staff in general don't get to keep tips, but some get tips via tronc.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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We had dinner there on Friday night and were really impressed with the fish and chips. There was a private party going on in the garden and back room so a bit of an odd atmosphere, but I would certainly go back.
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Permalink Reply by 299qbxom8rh76 on
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Some interesting comments......... And I'd like to address some of them.
We do not ask for tips and we do not mention the words 'service charge' or print it on the bill. If customers want to tip us then it is up to them. I share 100% of anything we get between the staff fairly according to how many hours they do, as it should be. Greedy companies that take a share in the tips should be have Tar'd and Feathered in my opinion.
Chips.... Blimey, where to start. Ok we have now switched to Marris Pipers as the old potatoes we were using were a little hit and miss. The amount of potato we use for a bowl of chips is the same as anywhere else, but they are huge chunky hand cut chips. If we cut them into fries then it would look like a much larger portion. I do agree that it looks like a stingy amount, but it actually isn't! Saying things like 'the chips were a wee bit soggy' is disheartening.... If you had come to me on the night and said something I'd of taken them off the bill and there would of been no need to post negatives on here. We are a pub, not a restaurant. The chef refuses to cook McDonalds style fries, and I back him.
The fish often sells out because of limited fridge space but are addressing this issue.
The Kitchen has always been this places 'Achilles Heel' as it was probably put together for about £6. An equipment failure in there this morning saw a lot of people annoyed at slow service. Matt is an awesome Chef, but he has to work with some poorly maintained equipment. once we can afford to change things, we will.
Remember, we aren't a big pub company, we have limited resources. I have great staff and a beautiful venue..... we are trying to build this place up slowly but very surely so that it stands the test of time. Don't expect miracles to start.... You can't take one of the worst performing pubs in the UK and turn it around overnight, it will take time. 99% of people still leave here very happy.
I'm just a bloke called Tony, not Harry Potter.
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Did feed back to the lady looking after food orders on the night but, yes could have done so to you Tony. Looking fwd to tucking into haddock & chips in future.
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Permalink Reply by Noots on
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Lord. On the subject of 'soggy chips'!
This was my actual post:
"We ate again whilst we were in - all top scran although the chips were a wee bit soggy this time round (sorry to be critical! May tie in with reference to 'excellent fish in the fish and chips' comment above?) - previously they were great, so maybe just some duff potatoes. We've tried six-seven of the dishes between us now and all have been very good."
Sorry that you were disheartened by this comment - personally, I'd have been encouraged by the "All top scran", "previously they were great" and "We've tried six-seven of the dishes between us now and all have been very good" comments. Also, I've clearly acknowledged that it was probably just a blip with some duff spuds - which is just bad luck rather than the sign of any failings on behalf of the kitchen. I'm not sure this constitutes some sort of unfair online mauling.
Between us, we've now tried ten-eleven dishes on the menu and all have been very good/excellent and offer good value for money. We've all be really impressed with the quality of the food...other than one batch of chips, which didn't warrant sending back on account of the excellence of the accompanying fish and the fact that I wasn't actually upset about the chips, putting it down to one of those things. You're extremely lucky to have your chef, who's clearly very skilled and committed to producing some excellent food. I think you have to travel a few miles for comparable/better pub food or better value for money.
Keep up the good work - looking forward to the arrival of the additional beer pumps.
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