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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 |
