The Royal Oak (JD Wetherspoon), Dorchester

Clearly an old building from the outside,but the internal refurb has been quite brutal and there is not a lot of character inside.The best part is at the front where there are two rooms feeling disctete,but beyond that there are ranks of dining tables stretching back to the rear ,while a lower level to the left is also completely corporate.The bar is at the rear and has a few high tables opposite ,while there is a small rear courtyard for a tab or exterior drinking. There are two ranks of five handpumps offering on my trip Ruddles Best (doubled up),GK Abbott,Doom Bar,Otter Bitter and Dark,Great Newsome Holderness Dark,Moorhouses White Mist,Lees Kaleiderscope and an international brewers Defender brewed at Everards.Both ales I tried had the line chiller turned up too high and made the beer too cold and somewhat tasteless. There are better places for real ale not far away.

A former coaching inn which has expanded into a neighbouring Georgian building, operated by JDW since 2001. The décor is all basic JDW, including the mute gaming machines and mute tvs showing live sports. There is free WiFi available. There is an outside drinking area in the former stable yard and a larger garden area at the back. Staff appeared bored and unwilling to engage, although service was efficient enough. There were large numbers of customers with beards and lumps of metal stuck in their faces, which made the place feel like a battle scene from a LOTR film. Nine ales and one cider on draft, I had DBC's Jurassic Coast, which was OK but spoilt by being served much too cold. There are better pubs in Dorchester, but I'd include it in a crawl for its beer choice only.

So-so 'spoons - friendly and efficient staff, normal decent range of beers and the food was palatable. A bit of a rabbit warren inside and some of the furnishings distinctly down-market. Could, perhaps, do with a lick of paint or at least a bloody good clean.

This is a wetherspoons pub and eatery in two Georgian style buildings; that on the left being in cream render with part ashlar facade and has bay windows, the other building is more plain, in mainly undressed brick. There is a patio. The interior is a nestling of areas on different floors; indeed the serving bar is up the stairs and to the left - it is easier to negotiate the Hampton Court maze than find the bogs if there were no signs. Yes, it is a Spoons, so the decor is cream, wood panel, white, green, red, blue - shall i go on? OK, there was plum as well. The bar is nicely wood panelled. There are arty pictures on the walls and of course it is laid out for food, the food being fine - as we pick things that are hard to foul up. There was no music and the usual silent TVs were evident. The service was fine, the clientele the usual spoons mix. Beer; tap stuff, along with the usual Ruddles and Abbots on handpull. Guests beers on handpull included Pewsey Saxon Archer, Dorset Piddle's Jimmy Riddle, Ringwood Old Thumper, Okells Premium Celtic Ale, Bank & Taylor SOD and Cottage's Tornado - i tried a few halfs and they were up and down in quality - the Cottage was good though. It's a Spoons, you know what you will get that is why most people go - God shudder to think people may try something new. Saying that, i have been to worse Spoons.