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Review Update -
May 2008
Under
new management, the Fernwood Inn has in many ways resolved some of
their earlier operational and culinary issues.
The best news: they’re open for business at all
the times one might expect a pub to be open – lunch and dinner,
everyday.
The menu design has improved greatly and looks
much more like a pub menu, and less like misdirected gastropub menu.
A sensible length that includes everything you’d be looking for on a
pub menu..
We visited twice over a one week period and had
two contrasting service experiences. The first time we sat on the
relatively busy patio and the service was friendly, but
totally inattentive. We waited too long and ultimately our drinks
arrived - not terrible, but not great. I am however happy to report
that they have addressed the short pour pints issue I previously
complained about.
Our chicken wings arrived considerably more
promptly than our drinks, and while I hate the $1 add on for blue
cheese dip, they were tasty and neatly presented. It’s pretty common
practice to serve blue cheese dip with wings. If I’m going to asked
to pay an add on, I’d expect the dip to be something superior to
what I usually get included in the price. For example, maybe some
visible pieces of blue cheese in the dip. Not a crime, but annoying.
When we went to settle our bill at the bar, the
server directed us to the bartender, who then turned his back on us
while he adjusted something on the back bar. Upon completing his
task, he nonchalantly processed our bill.
On our second visit, the service improved
considerably. Seated inside at dinner time, the server was quick
with our drinks and refills and was respectful of the allergies of
one our guests. The chicken wings were again tasty, the dip was the
same. We had the Montreal Style Meat Stack – an open faced sandwich.
The meat, sauerkraut, rye bread and cheese quality was good, it
tasted fresh and the portion was spot on. Having come recommended by
a friend, we tried the prawn, chorizo and polenta appetizer. It
sounded good and the presentation was great, but I thought it could
have used some work in execution. It needed a bit of sauce to cut
the salt from the sausage and the fat used for frying the polenta.
It was topped with tomato wedges, which seems like a sensible choice
to me, but they were a very under-ripe and bland tomatos – can’t do
much about that off-season, I understand. That said, I would have
processed the tomato into a sauce or relish or the like, to augment
their flavour and give the dish some acidity to balance off the fat
and salt. I did like the watercress and goat cheese garnish - good
call.
Despite the service issue noted, they have a
great patio for people watching and I’m sure I’ll find myself there
over the summer. Not to mention, I’m sure the patio service will
improve as the weather warms and servers feel more like going
outside in the nice weather.
value of food 78/100
quality of food 80/100
wine and beverage 77/100
service 76/100
ambiance 78/100
average 78/100
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January 2007
We've visited the Fernwood Inn three times since it opened, we've
tried to visit six times. While the Fernwood Inn has a number of things
going for it, their big problem is the hours of operations. Currently
they open at 5 pm Monday to Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday. I've heard
rumours it's staffing problems in the kitchen, or maybe Fernwood doesn't
have much of a lunch clientele, but it boggles my mind why they don't
open the bar earlier. On three occasions we've arrived in the afternoon
and haven't been alone as we stood outside, pulling on the door and
scratching our heads.
The renovation has been successful and the ambiance has improved
dramatically from its predecessor, the George and Dragon. The washrooms
in particular, are lovely. The service is acceptable, but not overly
attentive. Last night, when I needed an extra chair, I was directed to
the back of the restaurant, where I could go get my own and carry it
back, over the head's of other patrons.
The bar service needs some work. Not a lot of interesting beer on tap
and the wine list, is pretty uninventive. Their house wine is Sonoma
Ranch - which you can learn more about on bus shelter advertising around
town. Most notably, they're sloppy with the draught pours, which
arrive 1/2" short, give or take.
The food is a little better, there are some odd selections on the
menu - like the appetizer of sautéed vegetables with olive oil, but more
or less my guests have been satisfied with their food. On one visit, my
sister-in-law Krista had the Mac and Cheese and Meatloaf ($13.25). It
was fun and well seasoned, albeit lacking vegetables. Patty enjoyed his
burger ($11.95 - $7.95 on special). Not homemade, but tasty, and we all
liked that it comes with fries and salad, not one or the other. My
brother Hew commended the corned beef sandwich ($10.95) for it's ample
portion of meat and good assembly, which is high praise from Victoria's
unofficial sandwich critic. Our friend Shoob had the seafood cannelloni
($14.25). He was concerned about the portion and was indeed a little
disappointed. The cannelloni portion was fine, but it lack an
accompanying salad or other veg and the garlic bread sucked - sandwich
bread with the crusts cut off.
I had the duck entree ($16.95) for the second time. The first time I
had I asked for it medium rare and it was, I was happy. The second, I
asked for medium rare and was assured this was the only way it served.
It arrived medium well and I'm pretty sure it had been microwaved from a
lower level of doneness. It seems funny to microwave it when it was
probably cooked properly to begin with, but I guess someone panicked
about serving it underdone. It had been sliced before microwaving, I
could tell by the way the fat on the individual slices, curled in
unevenly, compared with the meat. The accompanying mashed potatoes and
veg were decent, but oddly there was a slice of cold cucumber wrapped
around the hot potatoes.
The only vegetarian entree option was a vegetarian cannelloni. Pretty
lame in my opinion - no effort to address this clientele at all. In this
neighbourhood I'd expect a little more attention to these dietary
details.
I have confidence they should be able to address the food and service
issues with better staff and more training, although some of that
training might come in the form of an angry pint drinker freaking out
about the short pours. The hours drive me crazy - pub drinking is
something people do in the afternoon, nevermind the fact that from a
business perspective they're turning away customers. Hopefully, by
summer, they'll get this major issue resolved.
value of food 74/100
quality of food 71/100
wine and beverage 57/100
service 67/100
ambiance 76/100
average 69/100
reviewed January 11, 2007 |
