Ye Olde Smugglers Inne

Roochi Real Indian Cuisine

➤ 9 Hartfield Road, RH18 5DN, Wealden, United Kingdom

Piatti • Pizza • Seafood • Mexican • Fast Food

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"We are currently staying with our friend in Forest Row for the month of December whilst she recuperates from a hip replacement operation. The added bonus is that we have managed to go to Roochi twice during our stay, once just my husband and I then the second time our friend joined us. Like normal, we were warmly greeted by the boss, Saiful Hussain, and his staff who are so friendly, helpful and can't do enough for you. Every dish we had was absolutely delicious, cooked to perfection, and the portions are huge. On our second visit I left my gloves behind, and one of the staff ran out to stop us getting into the car to return them to me. Thank you! Just one word of warning: it is advisable to book a table in advance as this is a very popular restaurant, not forgetting that it also does take away service as well as eat in, so the kitchen gets very busy. Many thanks to Saiful and his staff for making us feel so welcome and feeding us so well. It is excellent value for money particularly considering the quality of the food itself. We look forward to coming back again when we're next staying in Forest Row probably the end of February!"

Lacasa

➤ High St, Nutley, TN22 3NG, Uckfield, United Kingdom

Piatti • Pizza • Pasta • Italian • Pizzeria

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"The last time I visited this restaurant was 6 years ago, it WAS a real hidden gem. When I walked in this evening nothing had changed and I was hoping the food would be just as good as I remembered. Service was slow which surprised us as it was a Sunday night and pretty empty. We were given some olives while we ordered (the nicest part of the meal unfortunately). My boyfriend ordered the garlic focaccia with caramelised onion; the bits that had cheese and onion on were very tasty but this was only about 30% of the focaccia, the rest of the bread was over cooked and bland. I ordered bruschetta which was completely underwhelming. 4 small pre sliced bits of stale bread, some chopped up soft tomato and pesto with rocket in the centre. I could have made this at home. For mains I ordered what I always used to have, linguine alla marinara. The portion of pasta was decent, however I only counted 6 pieces of seafood and one large prawn on the top. The menu states it also comes with tomato’s which there were none of. The flavour tasted like buttery pasta with a hint of garlic, again completely underwhelming. My boyfriend ordered spaghetti meatballs. A large portion but completely inedible as it was absolutely disgusting. The sauce tasted like pure tomato purée, so lumpy and stodgy and the meatballs were like nothing we had ever tasted, VILE. We decided to bring the rest of the portion home for my mum (a head chef) to try. We wanted to know what she thought the flavour was as we were confused as to how you can make a meatball taste so vulgar! She spat it out immediately saying it tasted like it had either been cooked in or made with rancid/old fat. The cherry on the top for us was when we asked for the bill. We were given the generic boiled sweets that come with it. 2 of the boiled sweets were in wrappers however there was a third that stuck them all together that was half chewed, out of it’s wrapper. The place was COVERED in cobwebs, decor completely outdated with many flashing lights, menu pages stuck together and stank, looked like they had many a drink spilt over them and not once changed. Don’t even get me started on the toilets! We cleaned our own cutlery it was so filthy and swapped side plates with an empty table next to us as ours had food still on them. Left feeling completely disappointed and are both now suffering with major trumps. Will not be returning again!"

Hatch Inn

➤ Kidds Hill, Coleman's Hatch I-TN7 4EJ, United Kingdom

Piatti • Pub • Vegan • British • Vegetarian

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"After following up again about the fries, the bar manager completely ignored us, still without offering any apology. When we asked for the bill, there was once again no acknowledgment of our concerns. We indicated that we wouldn't be paying for the fries, and yet again, there was no apology. The bill arrived without a service charge, which we wouldn't have paid anyway; however, in our honesty, we didn't double-check the contactless payment, and unfortunately, the staff had added a service charge without us noticing—something we definitely wouldn't have agreed to. This was a lesson for us to be more vigilant in the future, and we hope others will take note. It's a shame because the food was really good."

Red Lion

➤ Lewes Rd, Danehill, United Kingdom, Heaven Farm

Piatti • Fish • Meat • Wine • British

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"We rode over to the Red Lion with friends. My wife is vegetarian and therefore, from the limited option, she chose macaroni cheese. At £16 plus £1.50 for bacon this seemed a bit steep but that was what she wanted (without the bacon because she’s a vegetarian). As she began to tuck into the meal she discovered pieces of meat and was somewhat distraught so we returned the meal. We were offered a glass of wine or a refund and since a glass of wine was far less than £16 dish we asked for a refund. My wife continued to feel upset about her dining experience. It wasn’t helped when a young female staff member was sent out to explain that the chef had earlier been slicing a ham and cheese toastie and probably had a piece of ham on the knife. This did not leave us feeling confident about the kitchen hygiene if utensils used to prepare meat are subsequently use to prepare vegetarian meals without appropriate cleaning. We’ve had super experiences at other local pubs. We’ve no plans to return to The Rad Lion!"

The Coach And Horses

➤ School Lane, Haywards Heath I-RH17 7JB, United Kingdom

Piatti • Pub • Vegan • British • Vegetarian

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"Overview: Visited the Coach and Horses for a midweek pub lunch. Situated in the countryside of Ashdown Forest. A lovely pub with a garden and small park area for children. Dog friendy and our dog was allowed in the main bar area. The staff are extremely friendly and made a fuss of our cocker spaniel. Food The food ordered did take some time coming to the table, about 25-30 minutes. Seemingly as the food was being cooked fresh. Unfortunately the burger ordered was completely undercooked so it was inedible. The meat was completely raw in the middle so it was fed to our dog. I ordered the venision as it was described on the menu as locally sourced. Although it came out well presented unfortunately it was well overcooked. It was a shame as we were planning to have dessert but due to the main meals we chose to leave. It wasn't busy at all, so I don't really know why the food came out as it did. Price per person: £20–30 Food: 2 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4"