Captain Howey Hotel, New Romney

A substantial building, originally a branch-line terminus hotel, but now opposite the main base of the later narrow-gauge railway after whose eccentric founder it is now named. Features a slightly split-level arrangement of three main seating / dining spaces, with the bar at the higher level on the right-hand side (with a pool table signposted downstairs in the cellar). A couple of Romney Brewery ales can be found on the semi-disguised handpumps: Marsh Mellow (£4.35) and Best Bitter.

Official site of Captain Howey Hotel - thecaptainhowey.com

Official site of Captain Howey Hotel - thecaptainhowey.com

I asked the barmaid here what bitters they had on and she said “all of them”. I couldn’t spot a handpump so I looked at the keg fonts and saw Doom Bar and Courage Best clips on a couple of them. A third one had Bombardier, but hidden behind some fluffy animal for some reason. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that handpumps were concealed behind the three shiny fonts. I recall them being all the rage a few years ago, but didn’t realise any pubs still used them. I went for a half of the Bombardier (£1.80 a half), but it came up so undrinkable that it can’t have just gone off. The replacement (Doom Bar) wasn’t particularly good even by Doom Bar standards. This struck me as a restaurant with a bar as a sideshow. The largest area, on the right, was occupied by all tables laid for diners. I didn’t see as menu, and nobody was in there eating at around 7.45 on a Friday. The bar area had a public bar feel to it, despite the fact that it was furnished with sofas apart from a solitary normal table and four chairs, mainly because the handful of punters seemed happy to swear in front of the barmaid. The downmarket ambience was reinforced by the games and fruit machines, the large TV but which was muted so we could listen to the rap music being played. A sign pointed to a pool table downstairs, but I didn’t explore down there. I was glad I only ordered a half.

A lively local town pub next to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Station which forms the hub of the small community here, a small section of New Romney. The pub is part of a hotel, the bar is next to the restaurant, it's large and has plenty of comfortable seating. The staff were friendly and the locals pleasant. It's a bit lacking in atmosphere, partly due to the modern decor and anachronistic carpet. The gaming machines and bland choice of background music don't help. There were 2 ales on - I had Bombardier which was OK but not brilliant. OK to drop in for a quick pint, but doesn't fit neatly with a crawl.