Drum & Monkey, Clevedon

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Blackthorn _ left this review about Drum & Monkey

A traditional country pub on the main road between Yatton and Clevedon, it looks as though it may have had something of a paint job externally in recent years and looks quite smart and welcoming. It never had much in the way of a garden, and the small patio area to the right has largely been obliterated by a conservatory extension to the restaurant. There are a few picnic benches out the front, but being just off the road, it’s not that great a spot.

Internally it has retained it’s traditional ambience, and consists of a main central bar, smaller room to the left and a good sized and more contemporary restaurant to the right. The main bar area has wood strip on the floor, some very thin, decorative beams on the ceiling and wood cladding on the rear wall around the bar counter which gives it something of a rustic feel. On the front wall was pale green paintwork that was peeling away in places, hinting that a bit of TLC may be required. A large stone fireplace with a few copper pans hung above it was off to the left and that looked as though it would contain a real fire in the colder weather, whilst a dual aspect chimney breast to the right housed a wood burning stove and separated the bar area from the restaurant. A few jars of homemade preserves were for sale on a shelf next to the bar counter. A smaller room off to the left felt a little cosier in some ways, although the TV on the wall and a fruit machine in the corner detracted from this somewhat.

The menu offered a decent enough selection of pub grub dishes such as fish & chips, ham egg & chips, sausage & mash and so on, and these were mostly priced at around the £9/£10 mark. A small specials board added a couple more options, and I went for the chicken and vegetable pie from here which arrived alarmingly quickly but was nonetheless a decent sized portion with a crispy puff pastry topping and tender pieces of chicken in a tasty sauce. The vegetables were perhaps a bit overdone though, besides the ones in the pie there was also a further pile next to it. Across the table a red pepper mac and cheese was a little more disappointing being a rather small portion and quite bland tasting.

Beers on tap were Butcombe, Bass and Doom Bar whilst the ciders were Thatcher’s Gold and Stan’s (Thatcher’s) Traditional. All in all this is a decent enough pub for a pint, but I’d be unlikely to pop back just for the food.

On 13^th October 2017 - rating: 7
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