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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
Noura, Kingston Upon Thames
Norbiton
Postal town: Kingston Upon Thames
KT1 3RT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Willow
The whole place is signed as a "Naturally Enriched Living Centre", with the alternative medicine centre still there (although I obviously I gave it a wide berth); the blackboard outside advertising their new healthy menu; and even the beer was gluten free. The internal layout seems to have changed a bit since Maldenman's visit. You now enter the bar/restaurant via a tiny courtyard on the right into the conservatory area, which no longer seems to be used as the restaurant, but looks to be the main drinking area. There's a large TV on the back wall, which appears to be an outdoor variety so I guess the ceiling blinds are retracted when the weather allows it. This room has an enormous tall bench (a 20-seater!) with tall stools running down the centre of the room, a few more much smaller tall tables/tall stools on the right, with some normal tables and chairs on the left.
A door at the back on the left takes you into a larger room which now appears to be the main restaurant area. I didn't study a menu. The servery is in this room and the array of fonts seems much the same as those encountered by Maldenman, with several still simply labelled "The Willow". I guess they must be there as a rather pointless decorative feature. Obviously there was a large water container on the bar counter.
There's still no real ale, and as far as I could see the keg offerings were all gluten free, with several from Vagabond, St Peter's, and Monty breweries. I had a half of Monty Dark Secret (£2.10 a half - and a new one on me), which was a reasonable stout, if a little too cold of course. Rather than being ignored as the previous reviewer was, after I had taken my half into the bar area and sat down, the barman brought me a little dish of nuts which I thought was a nice touch.
On 30th January 2017
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Willow
The building has now been subdivided and the pub space is now shared rather unusually with a health centre. Fully overhauled and modernised, the bar area is kind of T-shaped with the bar on one corner of the T. Beyond, a bright and airy conservatory style space with ceiling blinds in this hot spell seems to serve as a dining room. The modern fit out includes lots of coloured leather style stools at shelves as well as dining booths that reminded me of Wimpy bars in my childhood. The main bar ceiling has murals replicating a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
The place is significantly improved on any former guises I can remember but unfortunately there are no signs of any real ale. Various keg fonts, some offer gluten free beers from St Peters, there are some more unusual lagers and numerous pumps are branded simply "The Willow". Not sure but I took this to mean currently not offering anything, awaiting a tenant but I may be off the mark. No real ale is a big downer for me but I am pleased to see the place reopened as a pub and a tidy presentable one at that. The barmaid managed to ignore me totally throughout so it was a good job I wasn't after anything. There is little else left nearby now. No beer drunk, no rating.
On 6th September 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Willow Tree
The majority of this establishment is given over to a Korean restaurant, with “Willow Tree” now being replaced by “Charcoal & Salt” on the front of the building. But the Willow Tree pubsign is still there. There is, however, a small separate room on the left that serves as a bar, which is carpeted and contains a few tables and chairs. There’s no real ale; just the usual sort of lagers (Beck’s Vier being among them). Clearly it’s not the real pub that it once was, but at least it’s still trading.
On 6th September 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]