Royal Oak, Havant

The Royal Oak pub in Langstone, near Havant, is located in a row of three terraced cottages that date from the sixteenth century. It has been a pub for more than three hundred years, and some of the original beams and fireplaces still remain. It is situated at the north-eastern end of Langstone Harbour, with Hayling Island just to the south. There is a fine view looking towards Thorney Island and Chichester Harbour, with Langstone Mill just a few yards away. You can see swans, ducks and perhaps white egrets by the shore and on the mill pond nearby. It is a beautiful spot.

We arrived at about 6.45pm one Sunday evening in May, having walked from Havant railway station along the Hayling Billy trail – the old railway line that once ran from Havant to Hayling Island. The weather was warm but rather windy, so having had plenty of fresh air we decided to sit inside rather than at the picnic tables in the garden. There was a choice of several tables, but by the time we left the place was almost full.

It is rather dark inside the Royal Oak, but that adds to the atmosphere. In some places there is open brickwork which I prefered to the rather dull beige paint in other areas. The ceiling has dark wooden panels alongside the older beams, and the tables and chairs are similarly in dark wood. The chairs and long seats by the walls do have padded cushions, so they are comfortable. There were two of us but we were able to have a table for four – thankfully, as my son had his tripod and camera bag with him as usual.

Menus are provided on the table alongside a wine list, pepper and salt mills, a pot of oil, cutlery and serviettes. We didn't order starters, but they range from seasonal soup of the day with thick-cut bread and Somerset butter (£2.95) through tempura battered king prawns (£4.65) to oven-baked garlic and herb sharing bread topped with red chard and olives (£5.05).

Main dishes are divided into five sections, starting with steaks. You can choose from sirloin, rump or rib-eye with or without toppings, and prices range from £10.95 to £13.95; they are all served with chips and various other accompaniments. The Classics section includes British beef and Ruddles ale pie with chips or mash, vegetables and gravy (£8.15), hand-battered cod and chips with tartare sauce and petits pois or mushy peas (£7.45) or Kadai chicken curry with lemon and parsley basmati wild rice and poppadoms (£9.25). There are three kinds of Gourmet Burger priced between £6.95 and £9.25. The Chef's Selection has slow-cooked New Zealand lamb shank with pea mash and minted gravy (£9.95) as well as a classic paella of chicken, chorizo and seafood (£9.45). There are three main course salads, for example Loch Fyne smoked Scottish salmon and king prawn (£8.45). More mains were listed on the specials board, but the Sunday roast had been crossed off and we weren't tempted by any of the others.

The only vegetarian main dishes are peppered mushroom suet pudding (£9.45), Wensleydale grape, Tiptree honey and mint salad (£6.95), Red Leicester and spinach burger (£6.95) or butternut squash, spinach, lentil and spicy coconut curry (£7.95).

Side orders include carrots in chive butter (£2.29), dressed side salad (£2.09) and garlic ciabatta(£2.09). There is a notice at the bar where you order the food saying that if you are not asked if you would like any sides, the pub will offer you some free of charge. My son was asked when he ordered our food, so we didn't get any. That was probably just as well, as I don't think we could have eaten any more!

My son had a few weeks earlier enjoyed the fish and chips at the Royal Oak and decided to try something different. After considering the Tandoori chicken breast salad (£8.25), he eventually chose the paella. I was tempted by the traditional beef lasagne (£6.95) but decided to go for something more original. From the Chef's Selection I picked the farm-assured 'smothered' chicken breast with grilled bacon, goat's cheese and tomato Provencal sauce, topped with watercress and served with chips and a salad garnish (£8.65). We each ordered a fruit juice, and our bill came to £22.

It was around fifteen to twenty minutes before a waitress brought our food. We were asked if we wanted any sauces, so I asked for some tomato ketchup to go with my chips. My chicken came in an oval dish on a large plate, next to the chips and salad. The salad consisted of a few rather tired looking lettuce leaves and one very small cherry tomato, cut in half. It made me feel glad that I hadn't ordered a main course salad. The chicken was topped with a generous amount of watercress which I moved on top of the salad so that I could see what was underneath. There were two good-sized pieces of chicken which were very tender; one was topped with bacon, the other with goat's cheese. The Provencal sauce was very rich. My only criticism of the cooked food is that it had just started to burn around the edges of the dish, and one end of the bacon was rather burned. I actually quite like my food like this, but I'm sure there are people who would not have been happy with it. The chips were good and chunky – too many for me to finish, but I expect a lot of people would be able to polish them all off. My son was quite satisfied with his paella, and we both felt full by the time we had finished eating.

We considered going for a walk along the shore and coming back for dessert, but in the end neither of us felt we wanted any more to eat. The Puddings, as the menu calls them, range from Cornish clotted cream ice-cream with chocolate sauce (£3.75) through sticky dark chocolate and walnut brownie (£4.45) to a trio of classic hot puddings served with custard or double cream (£5.25) which you could perhaps share. There is also a cheese platter (£3.95), and lemon meringue pie featured on the specials board that day. Beside the bar was a small board showing various types of coffee that are available, but it was too late in the day for me to sample one.

I found the ladies' toilets to be very clean, pleasantly decorated and well appointed. While drying your hands you could even look out of the window at the view across the harbour if you wanted to!

While we were eating the waitress came over to ask if everything was all right. She came to remove our plates not long after we had finished, asking again if the food had been satisfactory and whether we wanted to order any desserts. At one point the owner/manager was clearing the next table but one from ours and chatting very amicably with a couple seated at the neighbouring table; I got the feeling they were regular customers.

The strong points of the Royal Oak are its location and atmosphere. I have no complaints about the service. The food was good, but I can imagine that if this pub was situated in the middle of Portsmouth, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit it. As it is, it is the perfect place to combine with a walk that includes a wooded path, a field with horses, and a picturesque shoreline. The Royal Oak offers curry and a pint on Wednesday evenings for £6.95 which would attract me if I lived nearer. There were quite a few children on the evening we were there, and the garden in particular would be an ideal place for families in fine weather. If you like the sound of the location, I would definitely recommend a visit.

The Royal Oak

19 Langstone High Street

Havant

Hampshire

PO9 1RY

Tel. 023 9248 3125

www.royaloak-havant.com

No longer the India Arms, but the Italian Bar

I wasn't filled with enthusiasm at the prospect of visiting Southsea's latest Italian restaurant, simply because it had taken the place of the Tiffin Room at the India Arms, considered by many to be the best local Indian restaurant. It seemed fair to give it a chance, however, so I met my son on Great Southsea Street early one Friday evening and we wandered down to give the Italian Bar and Grill a closer look.

This establishment is actually part pub and part restaurant. The menu is displayed in the pub window and at first did not encourage me. Alongside pasta, pizza and salads there was a section for burgers – not my kind of food and not what I had been expecting. We decided nevertheless that the prices looked reasonable and that we would probably find an appealing salad or pasta dish, so in we went.

The door leads into the bar area and I was surprised to see two bright red leather sofas that were a huge contrast to the old feel of the India Arms. A waitress led us through to the restaurant area on the left; as it was completely empty and just one table for six was reserved, she let us choose where we wanted to sit. We decided on a table for four by a window in one corner. It was a bit of a squeeze to get in and I felt that either the chairs were low or the table a little high, but I am only just over five feet tall. The tables looked quite striking with black tablecloths, a white runner down the middle and red napkins, although they reminded me more of the Egyptian flag than the Italian one. The chairs were stylish cane ones with high backs and wooden frames. I was not, however, so impressed by the general décor of the room, a particularly large and high-ceilinged one. It is painted in brown and beige, and the walls are as yet bare apart from one large canvas depicting a shopping centre. So much more could be done with the large expanses of wall.

A waitress brought us menus and asked if we would like to order drinks. We both asked for fruit juice, but only orange and cranberry were on offer. I picked the cranberry and felt when it came that it was rather a small glass, but later I noticed on the bill that it was only 60p. My son decided on Appletiser, which was £1.50.

The waitress told us that the day's special was a chicken, mushroom and salami calzone. There is a good choice of starters around the four-pound mark, but we decided to go straight for a main course. My son had been considering a salad, but then we both thought we liked the sound of chicken pesto with either penne pasta or spaghetti (£7.95). Purely out of interest, I ran my glance through the selection of grills; I am not much of a red meat eater and didn't think I would find anything I liked. I was wrong, as I found one of my favourites: fillet of salmon served with a green salad, cherry tomatoes and a choice of French fries, cajun fries or jacket potato(£8.95). In the end we both decided on the salmon with French fries.

It was around fifteen to twenty minutes before our food was served, during which time the restaurant slowly began to get busy. The music had seemed quite loud when we first arrived but I had the impression that it was turned down somewhat as the place began to fill up. The party of six arrived at the table next to ours, but there was a decent space between our two tables and theirs was at right angles to ours, so it was perfectly possible to have a private conversation.

A waiter served our main course on rectangular plain white plates. He asked if we wanted any sauces but we declined. My son had at the time of ordering chosen a chilli and oil dressing for his salmon, but I was quite happy with a twist of lemon on mine. I can't say that it was the best salmon fillet I have ever had, but then neither was it the most expensive. The fries were very slender and crisp; the serving was too large for me, but my son had no trouble finishing his. I did enjoy the tomatoes and the green salad. The salad consisted mainly of lettuce plus slices of green pepper and onion, a little watercress, and a herb dressing. I dislike cucumber, so its absence was an advantage for me. We felt that it was perfectly good food for the price.

The waiter was prompt in clearing our plates away and indicated the dessert menu, strategically placed to one side of the table. All desserts are a reasonable £3.95 and include tiramisu, chocolate brownie, cheesecake and pecan pie. My son ordered pecan pie with neither the whipped cream nor the ice cream that could accompany it. I liked the idea of the fresh fruit in the berry sundae, and decided that I would have it without whipped cream, just with vanilla ice cream.

My son's pie was served on a small, square black plate whereas my sundae came in a tall glass for which the waiter rushed back with a long spoon. Had I fooled myself into thinking that this was a healthy option? It was made with alternate layers of blackberries and strawberries, ice cream and fresh blueberry sauce. I thought I would try to leave some of the ice cream, but as I tried to dig to the bottom of the glass to find the pieces of fruit, I found the ice cream melting and mixing in with it. It was gorgeous. My son was just telling me that he was enjoying his pecan pie as he tried to cut into the pastry crust and the larger remaining piece of pie shot onto the table! Perhaps the pastry was a little hard, but he still enjoyed the pie.

We didn't want coffee so we just asked for the bill. This took a little while to come, but when it did the waitress apologised that they were a little short staffed. It didn't matter to us as we weren't in a hurry. The total came to £27.90 – no reduction of course for ordering desserts without cream! My son paid by debit card for which there was an extra 50p charge, and we left a tip in cash.

I went to the ladies before leaving and noticed on the way that there is still a snooker table, just as there had been at the India Arms. The sofas in the inner areas are black, which I preferred to the garish red ones. I also saw that it is still possible to eat in the bar area, as we had done once when the Tiffin Room was full of nuns and priests. The toilets were perfectly clean and satisfactory, and I was pleased that there is still a full-length mirror in the ladies.

Service was efficient, polite and friendly if not overly professional. The menu is extensive, although I would have expected to see at least one risotto on an Italian menu. There is, however, enough variety to suit a range of tastes, including chicken dishes with a New York flavour and at least one Mexican dish.

If the weather is good you can sit in the garden area. It has apparently been refurbished, but I did not get chance to have a look at it. Roast is added to the menu on Sunday with a discounted price for children. Special student offers are displayed on the wall outside, between the two restaurant windows.

Whilst not being on a par with Rosie's Vineyard or Abarbistro (both little more than a stone's throw away), the Italian Bar and Grill offers good value and a refreshing change from the Italian chain restaurants of Portsmouth's nearby Gunwharf Quays. Although a little out of the way, it is actually only a few minutes' walk from Palmerston Road shopping precinct, Southsea common and the sea front. Nothing can replace our beloved Tiffin Room, but the Italian Bar is worth a visit, especially for a group of people with varying tastes who don't want to spend a fortune.

The Italian Bar and Grill

30-32 Great Southsea Street

Southsea

Hampshire

PO5 3BY

Tel. 023 9275 3058

London Pub Grub

In the autumn of 2008, I was tempted up to London for the day by the double attraction of Francis Bacon at Tate Britain and Mark Rothko at Tate Modern. Huge servings of culture that required a break in between for sustenance, to cleanse the palette if you will pardon the pun.

Doggett's is my favourite eating place when visiting Tate Modern: the restaurant at the gallery itself is on the pricey side, and with special exhibition tickets now at £12.50 and train fares ever on the rise, the food budget can be but a modest one. Doggett's is only a few minutes' walk from the Tate, by Blackfriars Bridge, and the fresh air was welcome after a stuffy (but very worthwhile) hour spent in Tate Britain. On this particular Saturday we arrived at Doggett's at around 5.30pm, and my impression on entering was one of crowds and noise. We ploughed through to the back of the ground floor and found that there was in fact a choice of two tables where the three of us could sit. We picked the one near the kitchen door, for no particular reason. It was a good-sized table that could easily seat four people, reasonably clean but not completely spotless.

I soon spied a drinks menu over on a shelf by a fruit machine, but the food menu took a little more tracking down. Pies are something of a speciality at Doggett's, and these were listed on a large board that I could easily see from where I was sitting. There certainly was something to suit every taste, ranging from steak and ale to woodland mushroom, or from shepherd's to fish pie. My son decided to try out the game pie, whilst his partner and I both hovered between sausage and mash and fish, chips and mushy peas. In the end we both went for fish and chips: the regular size we ordered was £6.95, but there was also the option of a large serving at £9.95. Ales and soft drinks are available in good variety, and I picked an apple juice that was specified as being made from good old British Coxes. In all we paid just under £30 for three main meals, two bottles of apple juice and a pint of Guinness. This seems quite amazing for central London.

We were desperate for our drinks and were glad of a little time to enjoy them, but we must have waited around three quarters of an hour for our food to arrive. We sat chatting and people-watching. All kinds of people seem to frequent Doggett's, some with young children just dashing in for a meal, others there for a good few rounds of drinks. Almost as soon as a table was vacated, another group or couple would instinctively know and seat themselves there.

When the food did eventually come, we were glad we had stuck to the regular-sized fish and chips – I dread to think how large the super-size portion would be. The fish was served on top of the chips, which were of the chunky variety, and to the side were the mushy peas and a generous serving of rather runny tartare sauce. Bottled of tomato ketchup and vinegar, as well as other condiments, had been provided on the table. My son's game pie was an individual one served with mash, carrots, green beans and cabbage. We were all perfectly happy with the quality of the food; I could have done with slightly less tartare sauce and fewer chips if anything, but that is not really a complaint as I have a fairly small appetite. My son left a little of his cabbage, and it was very noticeable that as soon as he put his knife and fork down a waiter whipped the plate from under his nose. Soon after that his partner had an empty plate and the waiter pounced on it at once, asking 'Finished?' as he grabbed it, to which the answer was, 'Yes, just about!' I expected the same thing to happen when I gave up on my chips and put down my knife and fork, but a couple of minutes passed before a waitress came and took my plate. Perhaps the waiter had been allowing time for me to eat all the chips, as he soon put his head expectantly round the kitchen door and looked most dismayed to find that someone had beaten him to it. I began to wonder if they were paid commission for each plate they returned to the kitchen.

We were all too full by then to even think about ordering a pudding and were itching to go and see the Rothko exhibition at Tate Modern, so off we went. If you are hankering after a dessert, however, these are again very reasonably priced at £3.65 and include such delights as chocolate fudge cake, banana caramel sundae and apple and rhubarb crumble. Ice-cream is a mere £2.65.

If you can't put up with the background music and football on TV, for fine weather there is a heated terrace as well as a number of outside tables at the front of the pub, overlooking the Thames. This would have been delightful, but it was just a little too chilly as the sun was going down on an October day.

Food is served at Doggett's until 10.30pm every day, starting with cooked breakfast (until noon) for £4.95, with which you can choose a free hot drink. There is a Sunday roast for £7.95; the most expensive meal I could see on the menu was a rib-eye steak for £9.95. Vegetarians are quite well catered for with risotto, pasta and savoury tarts. The full menu can be viewed at the website. Whether you are visiting Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, the British Film Institute or the Royal Festival Hall and not wanting to spend a fortune on a meal out, Doggett's is just a few minutes' walk away.

Doggett's Coat and Badge

Blackfriars Bridge

London

SE1 9UD

Tel. 020 7633 9081

www.doggettscoatandbadge.co.uk