The Sun Inn, Colchester

A fine looking coaching inn located in an attractive village which brings in many daytime visitors.On entering the front door ,the island bar is directly infront while to the right there is a charming side lounge with wood panneling and traditional furniture.The main bar area contains more authentic wooden furniture and a bare boarded floor but there is a minimalist layout which creates a gastro pub feel.There are seperate section as you walk around the island bar and a more formal restaurant area in a lower section at the rear.Outside is a large terrace and past the kitchen and carpark there is a sizeable garden,looking a little unloved now that winter approaches.The bar areas are warmed by large open fires and free newspapers are provided .There are four handpumps with Adnams Broadside and Crouch Vale Brewers Gold as regular ales,together with two rotating guests from micros.So far ,so good. The main draw is the food .There is a short lunchtime menu featuring a lot of fish as you would expect this close to the coast.A game option is usually available but I feel the food offering is a triumph of style over substance ,with the light bite options at £9.50 neither memorable nor good value.The bread was baked on the premises but then frozen and not correctly reheated giving an interesting ice crunch.My Brewers Gold was not particularly crisp,ale seems to take second place to a very extensive wine list with food matching notes bordering on the pretentious. Common to many pubs in tourist hot spots,with a transient client base ,standards can slip and there is little incentive to strive for excellence. With listings in The Good Beer Guide,Good Pub Guide and Good Food Guide it feels like heresy to ask if the emperor has no clothes ?