Having spent a lovely weekend in Kent recently, the Sunday found us in a rather remote place called Underriver, outside a pretty pub called The White Rock Inn which looked like an ideal place for a spot of well earned lunch.
And what a find! The food was fabulous (the menu had anything from sausage and chips in a basket to lobster thermidor or fresh line caught fish!!!), the beer was first class (they even had a locally brewed bitter called 'White Rock'), the staff very friendly and the service excellent. Even the garden area where we sat was pretty, quiet and big. We had a truly nice time and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, a real treat.
My only reservation was that I had absolutely no idea where in Kent I was! So, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I 'Google Earthed' it to get a better idea only to be confronted with the comments on this website, which I read with both interest and intrigue!
Our experience was that of a lovely pub/restaurant, in a glorious setting, with friendly staff, great fresh food and good beer a rare treat this day and age! Yes, the pub was busy but not 'over-crowded' (should the weather suit al fresco dining, there was room for a small army in the back garden), and nice to see (in this day and age) that the pub warranted a number of very friendly service staff (we even met the infamous 'Frank'. A character? definitely, arrogant and complacent? no although what might have helped is having the presence of mind to have a look at what draught beers the pub had for sale prior to ordering, otherwise I might have asked for a pint of Becks and got .. a pint of Becks!!!) rather than the usual 1 or 2 miserable looking specimens serving food which seems to be the norm these days. The food was served promptly, was obviously fresh rather than the product of a microwave (no wonder that the length of time to receive a main meal is the same whether you order a starter or not, why shouldn't it be the chef still has to cook it!), and whilst not particularly cheap, it wasn't that expensive either.
If it wasn't for other pressing matters I would have happily stayed there all afternoon (that and the fact that my increasing consumption of the White Rock bitter was not going unnoticed by the other half) but alas, another time.
If your idea of a good pub is admiring the frozen food delivery vans parked outside waiting to unload, a pint of John Smiths and a gaggle of flashing fruit machines (or indeed if you require enough space to feed your ambush of tigers prior to swinging them by their whiskers), then perhaps The White Rock is not the place for you, however if it is superb food, good beer, a lovely location and great service you're after, give it a try, I promise you wont be disappointed.
Personally, I cant wait to go back. I only wish they took Amex. read more