The Redwing Bar, Exmouth

This is a typical rural food-led pub in a pretty little village on the Exeter-Exmouth train line, making it easy to jump off for a quick visit before moving on again. A side entrance to the right of the building, takes you into a small carpeted space with high tables and stools either side of the entrance, under windows with fancy vases and lamps in their sills and walls decorated with cool modern art prints. A staircase here takes you up to the first floor seating area, although I didn’t get around to exploring it myself. Beyond is the bar area - a bare boarded space with the bar down the rear wall and tables and chairs under sizable front windows. The room has quite a plain colour scheme, broken by a few interesting bits of art including what looked like an eye test chart. The bar has a wood panel counter front with leather padded panels and a dull timber clad bar back with a couple of large plain mirrors, one more of which can be found at the far end of the bar on a partitioning pillar that screens the bar from the left-hand dining room. This is quite a nicely appointed space with lots more tables and chairs, a view through to the kitchen and more of the same offbeat pub decor. The very friendly bar staff took orders from customers that were sitting at tables near the bar, without leaving the servery themselves, which struck me as good service. A load of inoffensive lounge jazz tunes burbled away in the background and adverts suggested that Six Nations matches would also be shown. The pub has made recent editions of the Good Beer Guide and they had three ales on handpull when I visited - Branscombe Branoc, Sharps Doom Bar and St Austell Proper Job. I took a pint of the former, which was a decent enough drop, certainly kept well enough to merit the pub’s listing, although the vast majority of punters were here for their lunch, making for a slightly stilted atmosphere, despite the large turnout. I enjoyed my brief stop off in this attractive village but would suggest that the walk to and from the station was more memorable than the pub itself, which is a bit of a typical rural dining pub, of limited interest to those just wanting a pint. The smart interior with its quirky artwork and comfortable seating was a plus point, as was the good service and well kept beer, but this one didn’t really do enough to convince me that it’s an essential stop-off point.

Much-modernised pub on way out of village, aiming firmly at upmarket eating, with posh lounge chairs alongside bar and restaurant areas off. There were a couple of nice local ales available though which seemed to be in very good condition.

Official site of the Redwing Bar with menu and wine list - www.redwingbar-dining.co.uk

Official site of the Redwing Bar with menu and wine list - www.redwingbar-dining.co.uk