Oulton Broad - Convenience Store

[Tobster]

The Commodore is not as good as as it was under Moss and Co, food was ok last week, but the cost of the drinks are unbelievably expensive (medium wine £8.95) and causing the locals to vote with their feet.

[YnysMon]

Coo, you can get a whole bottle cheaper than that in Roy’s. 

Explains why I’ve stopped drinking wine in pubs. 

[Meantime]

36 minutes ago, Tobster said:

The Commodore is not as good as as it was under Moss and Co, food was ok last week, but the cost of the drinks are unbelievably expensive (medium wine £8.95) and causing the locals to vote with their feet.

Was about to say that the food is average at best, but the beer selection is ok, although I hadn't really looked at the price. It is noticeably quieter though since they decided not to renew the lease for Moss and Co and take the pub back in house. I thought maybe just the locals supporting a local business and giving the national chain the cold shoulder, but maybe it is more than that. Certainly my food a couple of weeks ago was average chain pub food.

My tip for a decent pint and excellent food is The Ivy House Country Hotel. It is hotel / restaurant or upper gastro style pub food at the price you would expect for those kind of places, however the food is really good, the menu has a good choice and I should whisper this, but Mon thru Thursday and including Friday lunchtime they are doing 25% off the food which makes it excellent value for money as well.

It is a pleasant walk through Nicholas Everitt Park and past Tingdene marina and about 200 yards and turn back inland to reach the hotel, or follow The Angles Way from Oulton Broad South rail station for about half a mile.

Oulton Broad has become my second home when in Norfolk and not on the boat and just for a pint you cannot beat the outlook from The Wherry Hotel although the bar service can leave you feeling weary, alternatively The Commodore garden is a great place to watch the sunset, but I would definitely eat at The Ivy House.

A good second for food is The Copper House Smokehouse if you like smoked / BBQ style food.

I've yet to try it but The Flying Dutchmen caught my eye on Facebook recently and the menu didn't look bad, but the exterior of the pub has always put me off and I've never bothered to venture up that way. One to be tried sometime soon.

[YnysMon]

I would love to eat at the Ivy House. Unfortunately, I doubt that they allow dogs in. Not that kind of place. I don’t think The Copper Smokehouse do either, but I’m crossing my fingers that they still do takeaway. 

[petersjoy]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

I would love to eat at the Ivy House. Unfortunately, I doubt that they allow dogs in. Not that kind of place. I don’t think The Copper Smokehouse do either, but I’m crossing my fingers that they still do takeaway. 

The smokehouse say they are dog friendly, i always like a drink in the Broadview opposite the Yacht station their lunch time snacks are very good too.

[Spray]

When in Oulton Broad we often pop into The Broadview for a drink and lunchtime snack. Very good value in our opinion.

Having said that we had a lovely roast in The Wherry on Sunday after intending to try The Commodore and walked into a virtually empty pub , looked at the menu and decided we could have a roast and a pudding at The Wherry for the price of one course there !

Edited July 5, 2022 by Spray
missed out 2 words

[YnysMon]

I don’t think I’ve heard of The Broadview before. Is that new too? 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Think it's the wine bar,the Indian restaurant used to be upstairs. 

[Spray]

It is indeed the wine bar. A new restaurant has just opened upstairs where the Indian used to be, can't remember the name though!

[Meantime]

7 hours ago, Spray said:

It is indeed the wine bar. A new restaurant has just opened upstairs where the Indian used to be, can't remember the name though!

The restaurant is Shish Anatolia a Turkish restaurant. Seems to be popular although haven't tried it yet. I'm guessing it's the same people who own the restaurant further down Bridge road. I haven't checked but if it is the same people I would imagine the other restaurant may have closed, so effectively a relocation closer to the main night time hub of Oulton Broad. 

The Copper Smokehouse has a doggy den in the garden dining area, so they must be dog friendly, although whether that is only for outside dining I don't know.

[Tobster]

10 hours ago, YnysMon said:

I don’t think I’ve heard of The Broadview before. Is that new too? 

Broadview has been open for about 15 years maybe a little longer.

 

[petersjoy]

5 minutes ago, Tobster said:

Broadview has been open for about 15 years maybe a little longer.

 

They are dog friendly too in the outside seating areas.

[YnysMon]

2 hours ago, Meantime said:

The restaurant is Shish Anatolia a Turkish restaurant.

One of our syndicate member families went there a few months ago. They reported it was good and exceptionally friendly for families with young children. I hadn't realised that they had relocated to a spot closer to the Yacht Station though. 

I'm not sure why I've walked past Broadview so many times without noticing it. 

[PaulN]

17 hours ago, Tobster said:

The Commodore is not as good as as it was under Moss and Co, food was ok last week, but the cost of the drinks are unbelievably expensive (medium wine £8.95) and causing the locals to vote with their feet.

We went to the Commodore but walked out again as set out like a canteen, not a pub and no atmosphere.

Also surprised at the difference in the price of wine compared to the New Inn at Horning, which is the same pub chain.

A bottle of Pino Grigio at the New Inn £ 13.95

https://www.spccs1.co.uk/MenuPdf/1CLS_FEB22_DM_CORE_W1_C2_148.pdf 

The same brand of Pino Grigio at The Commodore £22.95

https://www.spccs1.co.uk/MenuPdf/1CPD_MAR22_DM_W12_C4_464.pdf 

That's some differnce!

 

[YnysMon]

1 hour ago, PaulN said:

Also surprised at the difference in the price of wine compared to the New Inn at Horning, which is the same pub chain.

The are obviously trying to charge the max that they think the clientele in each location will cough up. Sounds like they've got it wrong in The Commodore, as it seems people are voting with their feet!

[Chelsea14Ian]

Is the menu the same as the New Inn ?

[Meantime]

8 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Is the menu the same as the New Inn ?

Pretty much the same, but the prices are different. Both the New Inn and The Commodore are a part of the Classic Inns brand of Stonegate pubs, which means the menus will be broadly similar to each other. Having said that Stonegate are no different to the likes of Greene King where even though the menu is the same between a lot of their pubs, the prices will reflect local factors such as the running costs and what they think the market will take. No different to many chains. A Big Mac in Heathrow airport is going to cost you more than a Big Mac at your local retail park.

Horning has three pubs and a small village population outside of the tourist season so probably needs to be more keenly priced to survive all year round, whereas Oulton Broad has quite a large catchment area. I also suspect they are trying to trade off the good name and goodwill created by the previous tenant Moss and Co, who did provide a good standard of food far in excess of the offering currently being provided by Stonegate. 

[PaulN]

6 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Is the menu the same as the New Inn ?

Generally yes it is, 8oz Rump Steak for example £3 more expensive at the Commodore. Everything seems more expensive there.

New Inn:

https://www.spccs1.co.uk/MenuPdf/1CLS_FEB22_FM_PB5_5.pdf 

Commodore:

https://www.spccs1.co.uk/MenuPdf/1CLS_MAR22_SEASM_PB10_672.pdf 

 

[CambridgeCabby]

Another must do for us is the cafe at the yacht station , their cakes are excellent