The Old Bear, Cobham – Review

After a complete refurb the Old Bear in Cobham recently re-opened its doors. Now we don`t normally review pubs for Lussorian BUT having trialled the delights of its sister restaurant and pub, The Albion (Islington), we thought we`d make an exception and classify this as a luxury eatery.

Cobham sits in the heart of Surrey`s Golden Triangle and tends to draw the uber wealthy residents, notably much of Chelsea football club as their training grounds are situated here. Therefore what better place to put a very posh pub!

As soon as you enter the Old Bear you get a sense of what a `real` English pub is all about. Brimming with old beams and lit with cosy fires, it`s designed around the traditionally values of a good ol`British boozer but with much more class! The atmosphere was great, lots of people of all ages which we felt was extremely welcoming.

We dined in the restaurant part and kicked off with fresh oysters and half a pint of king prawns. Now what you MUST know about the seafood in this place is that they get it hand delivered by the fishermen on a very regular basis. Fresh it certainly was and with plenty of taste.

Our mains consisted of fresh fish and chips and steak and home made chips. The restaurant manager was incredibly proud of the chips he`d developed – thick cut wedges made with beef dripping. Before you ask… I ate them all and can thoroughly recommend them although they may have been a little heavy to accompany a steak to be fair. The fish and chips were delicious and the batter perfect.

Then came the dessert… apple pud – a very good choice which is a good staple all-rounder.

To sum up… we`ll definitely be going back to the pub but next winter when Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. Fronting onto a main road takes a little of the romance away from the venue – however there is a garden at the back but we didn`t get opportunity to explore I`m afraid.

The Old Bear postcode for your sat-nav – KT11 3DX