Brewers Fayre Gordano Gate, Bristol

Official site of Gordano Gate - www.brewersfayre.co.uk

Official site of Gordano Gate - www.brewersfayre.co.uk

Official site of Gordano Gate - www.brewersfayre.co.uk

A Brewers Fayre pub and restaurant with a Premier Inn hotel attached. You know what to expect – light wood stylings, nothing to scare the horses, smells of ping and fling food, suitable for granny and grandad etc. At least here there are one of or two discreet areas you can take your drink to and the front area with the brick fireplace mentioned below was my settle of choice. Just a spluttering Doom Bar on at the bar which failed to clear so back I went. To be fair to the lass behind the bar she checked it, took it off, put on a new barrel and properly pulled it through via water before presenting me with a fresh one (NBSS 3). A telly was quietly showing the Olympics where I could see other humans also perform feats of extreme prowess and endurance. Except they wore lycra, whilst I opted for jeans and a t-shirt.

A fairly nondescript looking pub attached to a Premier Inn hotel and located opposite a supermarket, it’s not really the most inspiring location and things certainly didn’t get any better once I got inside. First impressions weren’t great with an orderly queue at the small bar counter whilst the solitary barmaid was taking a multitude of food orders. Despite the bar counter being quite long, much of it was given over to hot plates for food or tubes of cheap breakfast cereals for hotel guests, with only the corner on the end being devoted to actual service and drinks. Décor wise it’s rather bland and corporate as you might expect, with little in the way of any distinguishing features, although I suppose they have made a bit of an effort in some ways. An archway constructed from brick was just past the bar counter, with part of it painted white and part unpainted. There were a few other sections of exposed brick walling elsewhere in the pub, although of course the modern variety never has quite as much charm and visual appeal as the old. Flooring was a mixture of the usual generic patterned carpet, cream tiling around the bar and some wood strip in the entrance area. Much of the pub seemed to be given over to dining, although a section to the front was perhaps more intended for drinkers, although there were still menus on the tables. Here there was a brick fireplace with a large wood panelled mantlepiece and surround as well as further wood panelling in the corner which was presumably intended to create an elegant, homely feel. A plasma screen showing one of the soaps was next to the fireplace, although at least the volume was off so this was not too intrusive. A second vertically mounted TV screen in the opposite corner was running a continual loop of adverts for the pub. Elsewhere was pale green wood panelling on the lower part of the walls, with light cream plasterwork above. A couple of armchairs were in the corner and various generic prints, such as drawings of wine bottles, were on the walls. The rest of the pub was broadly similar in terms of décor, although the wood panelling had been painted yellow rather than left natural. A large conservatory style room was at the rear, and next to this an extensive children’s play area with a ball pit and so on. Clearly they are very much trying to attract the kid’s market with also a couple of fairground style grab machines, and not only a lowered urinal in the gents but even a lowered wash basin. The solitary beer on offer was Doom Bar, with a second pump for Butcombe Original appearing to have run out. The solitary cider was Thatcher’s Gold, with a second pub for Strongbow having masking tape over it, so presumably that’s being taken out. Hardly surprising, I can’t imagine they’d have sold much when they’ve also got Gold on the bar. Alternatively, a sign proclaimed that they were “Proud to serve Costa coffee” if that’s more your thing. To be honest, unless you’ve got a bunch of kids in tow and want some cheap food, I really can’t think of any reason to visit here.