The Harts Boatyard, Surbiton

There were two real ales on in here – Doom Bar and Tribute (£1.80 a half). I saw the lunch menu lying around when I was in at around 6.00 PM. It was a little on the gastro side, but the pub staple of the “slow cooked British beef and Black Sheep ale pie, with borage honey roast carrots, kale and cabbage mashed potatoes” cost £13.95. A fish finger sandwich was £8.95. In fact when the rest of my relatives arrived we ate in the restaurant upstairs, and the menu seemed little different to the lunch menu. The kids’ meals were around £7, and included things like sausage and mash. Mrs R had the said steak and ale pie, etc, and said the quality was very good. I had the burger and chips, (around £11 - £12 as I recall and that was also good. Also, this is one of the places that take Gourmet Society cards, which got our group a 25% discount on food and drinks in the restaurant. When you enter this place it has the feel of a hotel lounge – smartly dressed barmen who call you “sir”, bucket armchairs surrounding pine wood coloured tables. Going past the bar counter on the right you descend a couple of levels with end one enjoying river views. There’s also a terrace outside with more spectacular river views. The restaurant upstairs also has the same views, and is a great place to eat if you’re lucky enough to get a table near the window. It’s obvious that dining is this place’s main business. Although the bar area, as well as the outside seating was doing a brisk trade at 6.00 PM on a warm April evening, I’m sure the real profits will be generated by the restaurant. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty good place to enjoy a late afternoon pint watching the sun go down on the other side of the river. I don’t usually like these modern looking places, but I thought this one was much better than most, and deserves a revisit at some time.