"The George is our local, and closest pub. We missed it when it was closed until earlier this year, and welcomed it being open again.It was a bit hit miss back in early 2020, with no chef one night, broken down oven the next, which put us off to be honest.Then COVID hit, and everything shut.In June or July it opened again, and we visited hoping for the best. We met the new owner, who apparently runs a large pub/restaurant in Clacton, and he was really nice and friendly. He was also a really good chef, and the food we had on two occasions was really good, with generous portions and reasonable prices. And the service was great.Unfortunately, it appears standards have dropped.....We visited this evening, and were greeted by a friendly bar man who was there last time.It transpired that the owner from Clacton had put a manager in the pub, and was not there tonight.We each ordered rump steak at approx. £15 each along with 2 x starters (which were the best part!)My wife asked for her steak medium rare and I requested mine to be medium.We were told that they had no chips, only fries, which was ok, but I would have preferred thick cut chips.We asked if the steaks came with a sauce, or if sauce could be purchased, but after the bar man popped off to the kitchen, he returned and said no.We had noticed that we could add stilton to a burger for £1.50, so we asked if we could have stilton on our steaks.The steaks arrived with minimal salad, and both steaks were over cooked, and well done. The steaks were chewy, and dry.When the young lady behind the bar (who we thought was a bar maid, but was actually the new manager parachuted in), came over to check if all was well, I mentioned that the steaks were not cooked as ordered, and over cooked.The female said she would mention it to the kitchen, and promptly disappeared, never to return.There was very little stilton sprinkled onto either steak. Certainly not £1.50 each worth, unless it was vintage cheese?!!We ate and chewed our way through the steaks, and finally finished. The bar man came to clear our table, and asked if everything was ok, and I again mentioned that our steaks were over cooked. He apologised, and disappeared.We also mentioned that the mayonnaise sachets were all out of date, and had expired on 17/08/2020, 4 days ago. I know its not massively out of date, but its not great.Nobody came back to our table to offer us a dessert menu, so we finished our drinks and went to the bar to pay.We asked the female manager for the bill, and she disappeared, and sent the bar man over in her place, just as he was tucking into his pint behind the bar.The bill came to approx. £61. I paid this, and after doing so (as I am not in the habit of complaining to get money off the bill), I again mentioned to the bar man that we were disappointed with this visit, compared to the previous ones. I again stated that our steaks were overcooked, and that we weren 't offered dessert, or the bill at our table.I also queried the £3 charge on the bill marked MISC FOOD, which I was informed was the charge for the stilton on the steaks. I mentioned that it was expensive for the minimal amount of stilton we got, but no response was forthcoming.The bar man just looked at me, and said sorry, and appeared very awkward, and unsure what to say or do.The manager never came near.I said to the bar man that we were disappointed, and that this visit was not as good as previous visits, and hoped for better next time. The bar man just replied OK, Sorry about that. It is a real shame that tonight was a let down. We like the George, and we try to support our local pub.I think that the staff in there currently do not have the same enthusiasm and customer care as the owner, and let the place down, when he is not around.I want the George to succeed, and remain open. I will return, but if the service and food continues to be poor, then I will not be quite so keen to attend.Maybe tonight was a one off, but next time I will order something more simple like scampi or gammon.Fingers crossed its better next time!"
