The Stable, Poole

This corner bar and restaurant, the latest in a small chain, manages to pull off quite well the odd combination of pizza restaurant and cider house. It's a bit trendy, but the pizzas (and indeed pies) are a cut above most other pizzas. The bar is a refurbished corner building over 2 stories with views over the Harbour. It is also a suntrap at lunchtime due to the curved windows. The floors, furniture and walls are all made from reclaimed timber, there are a couple of barrels being used as tables and the bars are open and airy. The staff were less than welcoming, though, and it felt as though they resented serving us. Two ales and a cider on draft – I had a pint of the cider, Maverick's Orchard Pig which was full of flavour, in excellent condition and most enjoyable. Dogs are welcomed and there are nibbles set aside for them. Staff attitude aside, it's less superficial than most of the other bars here, and it's worth coming here to eat or drink, but I suspect it will get extremely busy in the Summer months.

Looks like a place that has been recently modernized with a fairly stripped out interior, distressed wood fittings, candles et al, although there’s some quarter-length wood panelling. Quite food-oriented and I made a special trip here to try the pies mentioned below (£9 - perhaps a tad pricey but tasted very good). Also pizzas on offer. Three ale pumps with two ales on; Stable Drop (rebadge?) Pale Ale (flat and murky, taken back and exchanged but not taken off) and St Austell Proper Job (good), plus Orchard Pig Cider. Note that there are also 12 boxed ciders behind the bar, a pretty good selection as well so a good destination for the appleheads. I’d give it another go for food but would stick to cider next time.

Official site of The Stable - stablepizza.com

Official site of The Stable - stablepizza.com

This used to be my pub of choice on Poole Quay during my A-levels, as they were fairly lax about checking our ID. Back then, the pub was known as the Slurping Toad - one of several ridiculous names the pub adopted in recent times, including Inn on the Quay, Water's Edge, Spotted Cow and Hector's House. The ground floor bar was a fairly spacious room with the servery along the back wall and lots of bare boards and wood panelling. A pool table was tucked into the right rear corner, near the toilets, which had chalkboards fitted above the urinals - a cunning anti graffiti ploy and the source of plenty of amusing banter. Upstairs was a second bar, set up more for diners, but a good place to escape the crowds in the evenings. Good views of the Quay could be enjoyed from here until they built that ugly artwork opposite. I remember a couple of ales being available in those days, but only Ringwood Best was on when I last popped my head in during the Spotted Cow years. Sadly, the place is now being turned into a pizza restaurant, although I wouldn't be surprised to find it returning as a pub in the future, probably with another preposterous new name.