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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
Hand & Flower, Richmond
Ham
Postal town: Richmond
TW10 5LA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Hand & Flower
ORIGINAL REVIEW September 2017
A good looking exterior ,but these days this is much more a Korean restaurant than pub.On entering you notice that all the furniture is in rich ,dark mahogany,and the decorations have an asian theme.The small bar has four handpumps,but all unclipped leaving a very boring selection of 4 mainstream keg beers from the multinationals.There is a single oval table in a mid pub section,while there is a formal dining room to the rear,and an overflow dining area in a darkened space to the side.
There is an extensive beer garden ,with it's own serving shack again keg only.There are ponds ,a childrens play area but strangely a lot of CCTV cameras to one side.Children must be seated and dining after 7pm in order to remain on the premises.
I had a look at the menu ,which seemed authentic but a little pricey.The internal seating arrangement doesn't lend itself to someone who just wants a beer,it feels more of a pre meal gathering area,and despite a friendly welcome ,I can see little reason to return to simply drink standard keg crap.
UPDATE
After a long closure now reopened with much the same interior but with some freshning up,this is now a proper pub.There are various sections with the main bar in the room overlooking the Green and cricket pitch with dining type tables.There is a more formal dining room in a conservatory ,while to the side and tucked away is a back room.The garden has been opened out and has new garden furniture and no coy carp.
There were two handpumps working on my trip offering a real cider and Twickenham Naked Ladies (NBSS 3.5).The food menu offers quite typical pub grub with mains around £15 and decent cooking in evidence,with a selection of smaller dishes/sides making a cheaper option.The interior is dog friendly and there is a weekly quiz.
The one negative was very sloppy service at the bar with a food order not placed on their system and a dirty glass offered with water ,with no apology on it's return.There was a slapdash attitude, maybe something which gets ironed out in time but could be a cause for concern.At least the pub has reopened.
On 17th March 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Hand & Flower
Only had time for a flying visit on a hot mid-week afternoon,and as such did not have time to investigate thoroughly,from the outside it looks like it could be a real boozer but upon entering you find it is much more aimed at food, there is still a small drinking bar area and the snug-like areas remain as per the reviews below but seemed to set out for casual food eating as well as the slightly more formal dining area to the rear.There is a large paved beer garden to the side and rear of the pub complete with pond full of various Goldfish and Koi Carp. The pub is child friendly with time restrictions that I failed to note. I didn't spot a second bank of handpumps as reported below but there were four pumps in the front drinking bar, unfortunately two were unclipped ,one had Sharps Cornish Coaster reversed leaving the final one (that I was aware of dispensing the commonplace Doombar,not favorite of mine nowadays, it was however in good condition but I would have been happier with the Coaster had it been on.As it turned out not really my kind of pub, especially with the lack of beer choice,maybe it improves at the weekend. Unlikely to return.
On 29th July 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Hand & Flower
This pub has an inviting and attractive exterior, certainly at this time of year with the floral displays in full bloom. Inside there are several interconnected areas, the front and side rooms being where the drinkers congregate. Some bare boarded flooring, other areas have parquet, the Cricket Bar, to the front, has yellow/cream walls, black beamed ceiling, red wainscotting, leaded windows and leather benches and stools at conventional tables. Cricket team photos, sketches and the aforementioned autographed Aussie and NZ bats form the decor, I did like the drawings of cricketers from my era, I recognised John Snow, Clive Lloyd (the Boss), Dennis Lillee and I reckon Viv Richards but not as good a drawing as the rest. A dartboard in here would require the furniture to be shifted around if it was to be used. The side room has a few barrel tables and a couple of fine drawings of Old London Bridge when it had houses built on it.
To the rear is the more formal dining area, I was accosted by some waiter while I browsed around asking if he could help me, but an abrupt "No thank you" in my best leave me alone style soon had him on his way. Just off the dining room is a small snug-like area which has a most peculiar assortment of period style armchairs.
Beer wise the bar has two sets of three handpumps as well as the usual keg offerings, the Cricket Bar had Pride, Young's Ordinary and a fine Twickenham Naked Ladies (£3.20) whereas around the corner the Pride and Young's were repeated with the addition of Sambrook's Wandle. Worth a look around then before choosing but reading previous reviews these seem to be regular beers.
The pub does advertise itself as a food venue with the title "Public House and Kitchen" but is certainly not exclusively foody or even what I'd call a gastro pub. Yes there is a restaurant but in a dedicated separate space, plus very reasonably priced snacks are available, eg onion bhajis, veggie spring rolls, pitta bread and houmus and "doorstep" sandwiches are just £3. Monday to Friday there are also several lunch specials for a fiver, not bad at all.
The rear garden is pleasant, partly paved, part grassy with a fenced pond containing large goldfish shaded by a mature weeping willow tree.
Newspapers available, TV in the bar showing tennis from Queens, quiz night on Thursdays.
I liked it here, I'd certainly drop by again and I'm possibly as unsure as JB was in his earlier review as to why this place was previously off my radar.
On 13th June 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Hand & Flower
Spurred into action by John Bonser’s comments, I paid a long overdue visit to the Hand & Flower on Thursday lunchtime. I really don’t need to add much to John’s comprehensive review. The ale selection is still the same – London Pride, Young’s Bitter, Twickenham Naked Ladies and Sambrook’s Wandle. The first three were on pumps in the main Cricket Bar, but the Wandle was available on another bar counter around to the left, near to the restaurant area. The young men manning the Cricket Bar were friendly, enthusiastic and helpful.
There was a daily specials menu available, with all items at £5, including such staples as chilli con carne, and steak sandwich and chips. I had the steak sandwich, which came on ciabatta bread, with a decent portion of good chips, plus a bit of salad. It was good quality and well worth the £5 I paid. The pub was doing a good trade on Thursday, no doubt aided by the lovely weather that could be enjoyed in the large pub garden at the back of this pub. I’ve no doubt that I’ll visit again sometime.
On 5th June 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Hand & Flower
Surprised that neither Maldenman nor Rex have done this one yet !
Situated on the south east corner of Ham Common is The Hand and Flower, a pub that’s much larger inside than it looks at first glance from the outside.
A rather offputting green painted exterior, which immediately makes one think it could be a Paddy’s pub, belies a reasonably attractive, welcoming and spacious interior with different areas and a premises that brands itself as a “Public House and Kitchen”.
On entering into a slightly unusual lobby area, we see a sign directing us to either the dedicated bar area on the right or to the restaurant behind. We’re informed that The Hand and Flower is the “home of great food, fine wine, real ales and fantastic atmosphere” ( in that order ). On the wall, a framed potted history of the pub tells us that the inn was established upon the site of a former farm labourer’s cottage. It later operated as a beer house before being reclassified as an inn sometime between 1851 and 1861, when it acquired its current name. In part, the building still resembles a cottage, although it is not immediately clear to the untrained eye which is the oldest part and which are later additions. Do note the unusual gothic style windows that face the garden.
At one end of this lobby is The Cricket Bar, which is the main area of the pub catering for drinkers. It’s a bare boarded small bar with half height burgundy painted wood panelling. Not surprisingly, there’s some cricketing memorabilia, including small framed autographed bats of the famous Australia and New Zealand Test Teams of 1948 and 1949 respectively. There’s also some framed drawings – Dennis Lillee, Viv Richards etc.
The name “Cricket Bar” reflects the fact that, next door, is the headquarters of Ham and Petersham Cricket Club, founded in 1815 and who, on my recent Saturday afternoon visit, were playing a match over the road on Ham Common. At the break between innings, the players trooped off over to the pub for a rather appetising looking spread of cakes and sandwiches in the pub garden, laid on by the friendly pub management.
Through the lobby is another smarter area which leads through to a well appointed 60 seater restaurant / dining area.
The pub garden at the rear is surprisingly large with different areas, including a covered sheltered area which can be heated up in winter. A separate fenced off area is called “ The Sanctuary” , although I didn’t see any sign telling me who it was providing a sanctuary for, and from whom. There’s a paved seating area outside at the front.
The pub was advertising its forthcoming second anniversary on 4 June 2011, in recognition of the fact that, in 2009, it reverted back to its original name, following a spell as The Legless Frog.
Beers on were Twickenham Naked Ladies, Youngs Ordinary, London Pride and Sambrooks Wandle. The Twickenham beer was in superb form and, at £ 3.20p, perhaps cheaper than might be expected from an establishment with something of an upmarket feel to it. I formed the view that these beers were probably the regular offerings.
At the risk of being accused of getting on my soapbox, this is a classic example of how establishments with separate dedicated distinct areas for food and drink work so much better than the large open plan places that the big pub chains try to foist on us.
It’s on the 65 Bus Route between Richmond and Kingston. If you decide to get off and pop in, I doubt you’ll be disappointed
On 18th May 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]