The Monkey House, Lymington

After spending some time walking around Lymington town centre with the family I decided to pop into the Monkey House on the way back to our accommodation in Mount Pleasant. This pub is food led so was very busy during our Sunday afternoon visit. The car park to the left of the pub is designed to fit in as many cars as possible so it was a bit of a squeeze getting in and out. As we approached the pub I noted that accommodation and Wi-Fi are available and there is live music every Sunday from 20:00. The front entrance leads to the bar area where there is a high table to the left and more conventional seating along the front windows to the right. This is not a pub that shows live sports so the plasma screen was switched off whilst Chelsea played Man United. I noted the presence of a piano that supports a jar containing free dog treats for our canine friends. To the left of the bar a short corridor leads to a seating area that houses a larger plasma screen and more seating that was full of diners. To the right of the bar is an area with more seating and a large coal fireplace in the far wall. The bar area here supports a coffee making machine and is laden with cakes and puddings. Diners were shoehorned into every flat space and when someone on the phone was told that the pub was fully booked they asked if they could sit in the garden. They were informed that it was quite cold and they do not usually serve food in the garden, but they were adamant so the staff accommodated their request. The aforementioned beer garden is paved with café style seating and a smoking hut that contains a table, a sofa and some bucket seats. Available from the bar was a standard keg selection alongside Amstel. The three hand pumps were drawing Flack Manor Brewery’s Double Drop and Wolfie T alongside Dancing Cows Brewery’s Pony. The very popular Sunday roasts were priced at £12.50 for beef or pork. During our visit we found the service to be extremely friendly and the food looked very good so we decided to revisit for dinner later in the week. We met the extroverted owner who was equally as friendly and we all enjoyed our food that was priced fairly. I will make a point of revisiting if I find myself in this nice part of the country again.

3 July 2011 Check before you go, from the Southampton Daily Echo http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9118986.Pub_blaze_rescue_drama/ "A MAN was arrested on suspicion of arson after an occupant and his dog were rescued from a burning Hampshire pub. Five people were inside the Tollhouse pub in Southampton Road, Lymington, when it went up in flames in the early hours of Friday"