West Dorset
The Elm Tree Inn

The Elm Tree Inn

Shop Lane, DT3 4HU, West Dorset, United Kingdom

Meat • Steak • Cheese • Salads


"This spot is a lovely spot for lunch and it was fully booked on the day we arrived. Drinks arrived promptly and the service was fairly brisk, very friendly This is also a dog friendly pub with several tables bringing their well behaved mutt along. Whilst service was friendly there was no later 'follow up ' to check if everything was ok once the food had arrived and we got stuck in. Really disappointed to find that the tempura cod starter had run out. The lamb and mint coquettes were a little bizarre they tasted of duck not lamb so we did wonder if there had been a swap with the lamb running out and the duck leg being substituted? The sirloin roast beef (in the Sunday Lunch was very well cooked, pink, soft and very succulent. Excellent. The Yorkshire puddings were enormously risen, very dark brown to the point of being overdone but sadly virtually tasteless. The roast potatoes seem to have the taste and consistency of being reheated which was another disappointment. Top marks for the cooking of the carrots which were sweet, tender and full of flavour; the same for the french beans and sugar snap peas excellent care of these quick cooking veg. The rib eye steak whilst cooked beautifully cooked was pretty tough and unyielding and I kept looking longingly at the roast sirloin. I can only guess the cow that supplied the rib eye was stressed out and full of adrenaline at slaughter? A nice portion of tasty broccoli cheese but disappointingly cooked (reheated? chips. The 'hand pulled ' ? ale was cloudy and defo needs some TLC all in all pleasant lunch but nothing to write home about. Thank you to the chef for giving so much care to cooking the veg and the roast sirloin (but not for the pre prepared chips, roast potatoes and yorkshire puddings"

Rajpoot

Rajpoot

Half Moon Street, West Dorset, United Kingdom, DT9 3LN

Fish • Asian • Indian • Vegetarian


"I have been to this restaurant many times and always had a pleasant experience but last night my family were treated appalling by rude arrogant staff. We had not booked and arrived at about seven pm I thin I was recognised as I’d been many times before with my son, it was not full but we were asked to sit in front of the bar where takeaways were picked up and suggested the side room. Service was slow but we eventually got drinks and then eventually were asked if we wanted popadoms, we did and the waiter shot off before we found order mains and disappeared they eventually arrived and were good but we had been unable to order our main course. After a long wait after the popadoms we got to order and then the waiting really started we were totally ignored and saw no one for at least an hour when trying after a long wait to go to the bar to get more water and more drinks I was ignored. I appreciate the waiter was on the phone but afterwards disappeared. Meanwhile loads of takeaways were picked up and kept being brought out of the kitchen. Why take our business if too busy to actually serve us. I did after an hour ask if the food was coming as we had a 12 year old with us we’re getting tired and the wait ridiculous. I wax told ‘coming soon ‘ no apology no pleasantness, on the contrary the waiter seemed to go out of his way all night to be rude to us. Not once did anyone in all the time we sat there just come and apologise or ask if we were ok or needed more drinks etc most of us drinking water so just a jug refill when the food eventually came it was dumped down without a word not even to say what was what. The vindaloo was not authentically hot as I had asked it to be. My son has had it many times before there and the staff know and as I asked he does enjoy it properly spiced instead of made mild. We just wanted to eat and pay. The only time the waiter spoke to us was to tell me sister that she should leave either 15perceny tip or 12 etc he didn’t even ask if we had enjoyed our meal or apologise for how long it had taken. Just asked for a tip. Mr sister is a generous tipper but for probably the first time in her life didn’t want to tip just rudeness throughout the night that had ruined a meal that was close to £200 as there were six of us. She tried to compromise as she was embarrassed at the waiter telling her to tip and said she would round it up. The waiter became even more surly and told her not to bother. We left. No goodnight no thank you from the staff just what seemed to be either sneery silence or contempt and indifference. I had not seen that waiter before but I was embarrassed to have recommended it to me family. The good was good but the rudeness so appalling I would never go again and advise others to think twice they clearly couldn’t care less about their customers in the restaurant only getting the takeaways out the door. I rarely write reviews and have only ever written positive ones but it was appalling. My son was so upset as previously he has loved chatting to the staff and having them be impressed he can eat a vindaloo and now is confused as to why the man hated us so much and was so rude to him and his family"

Thai Nakorn

Thai Nakorn

34 High West Street, West Dorset, United Kingdom

Thai • Fish • Asian • Salad


"Very disappointed. Texture was horrid and food was tasteless.Annoyed that i had to give you a star just to write my review. So i gave you one. I have never eaten at a restaurant where they served dried cheap tofu, especially in an up market location as Dorchester. It was my first time in Dorchester and I arrived in the evening over the weekend. I was shocked. I had just visited a friend and I was about to drive home. I love eating Thai food and was feeling very hungry. I prefer Thai food to Indian or Chinese food. Because the Thai food is delicately fragrance but with lots of different flavours and nicely garnished. I arrived out of the very cold that evening. The restaurant was not very busy. I sat down and knew what I wanted to eat. I am vegetarian and so I ordered a tofu starter. I was not impressed with the high price of the menu. No need. I have eaten Thai food in a restaurant a lot and do not see why this restaurant should charge extortionately high because the area is supposedly a big town centre where houses are slightly under the value of London. So, I ordered a side order of Jasmine rice. I was expecting the soft white tofu, nicely season in a seasoned sauce. When the starter arrived with a tiny bowl of rice, It looked more like sticky boiled rice and not Jasmine rice and horrified to see dried cheap tofu. I should have put up a fuss as I would never have expected to eat that dried textured tofu. It needs to be soaked for at least five hours and cooked in a flavoured sauce. I've purchased it once. From Holland and Barrett, a 375g bag at £1.99. Never again.It is a horrible texture. Not what you expect to be served in a posh location or even in a restaurant. This restaurant could not have soaked it long enough. Then, they deep fried them. The tofu texture was like eating deep friend flavourless bread. I eat three bits only. I then poured what little sauce there was in the tiny bowls over my sticky rice and quickly eat some of it then stood up. The English teenage waitress arrived, I told her that was vile. I walked over to quickly pay for my food and left. I would have expected her to show some concern as i hardly eat the food. Possibly because i did not look like i was a local. Well, I was born in London. I am not a foreigner.NO phone or WiFi signalThe starter cost nearly £7.00 and side order of sticky rice cost nearly £3.00 OMG. And it was not what I ordered, jasmine rice was not worth the price. Shocked. And to think that I was going to purchased a portion of vegan fish and chips. I really wish that I had."