Wetherspoon is renowned for its deals. A quick glance at the menus in a Wetherspoon pub visited by KentLive this week revealed just how affordable the bargain pub chain is.
The offers range from mix & match, two for one, three for two, curry club, steak club, Autumn deals, Monday club, real ale Wednesday, deli deals – and that’s just to name a few.
Reporter Mary Harris found herself at the Opera House in Tunbridge Wells to try out one of the latest deals – the small breakfast offer launched on September 4, available at 650 Wetherspoon pubs across the UK. This compact breakfast includes a fried egg, a rasher of bacon, a sausage, baked beans and a hash brown.
It’s a perfect counter to the super-sized, full English meals which leaves you struggling to fit another loaded forkful into your mouth. Mary sampled this ‘bijoux’ breakfast at the Opera House, arguably the most lavish or glamorous Wetherspoon in Kent.
This pub hosts a sell-out opera once a year and the stage, which serves as customer seating for the rest of the year, transforms back into a performance space. There’s even seating in the gods and the boxes, so be sure to bring your opera glasses.
When KentLive visited the Opera House in Tunbridge Wells, it was bustling with activity, however, like all others in the chain, it does not play music. Mary went on to describe her experience and shared: “At around 10.50 am when I got there, I counted around 70 people. There was the pleasing sound of low conversations.
“People were actually talking to each other, reading books or newspapers, doing the kind of things people did before mobile phones were invented. This is a converted opera house, complete with a stage and chandelier. It flabbergasts visitors with its magnificence, its interior shimmering like burnished gold, with deep velvety reds, and of course, the famed Axminster carpet.
“From the outside, it’s an absolute spectacle, boasting a Wren-like dome and grand steps leading up to imposing doors. First-time visitors to the Opera House on Mount Pleasant are often left in disbelief, and I believe this sense of awe persists even for locals.
“It’s a showstopper from the outside, with its Wren-like dome, and long steps up to grand doors. People stepping into the Opera House in Mount Pleasant for the first time can hardly believe their eyes – and I think for locals that feeling remains somewhat.”
She continued: “Seeing me tipping my head up and taking photos, the lovely couple next to me nodded and smiled, knowing I was taking it all in. The seats are comfortable, and there are lush red banquettes at the sides. It’s peaceful enough, at the time I was there anyway, to have babies with you, and a father was bouncing one on his knee.
“The temperature in there was perfect: you only notice things like temperature in a place when they get it wrong, and you’re shivering in a jacket or sweltering.”
As for the food, the small breakfast offer at the Opera House in Tunbridge Wells, owned by JD Wetherspoon, is priced at £2.99. Mary shared that the bacon was top-notch, the baked beans were of good quality, the hash browns had the right amount of crispiness and the sausage had a pleasant herby taste.
Mary continued reviewing her food and said: “The breakfast was served on an attractive blue and white ‘countryside’ plate, complete with cutlery and a napkin. The plate was warm – something I’m particular about.
“It was served on a pretty blue and white ‘countryside’ plate, with cutlery and a napkin. The plate was warm – I am a stickler for a warm plate. It was served by ‘Peter’ who had a megawatt smile and made me feel very welcome.
“I noticed him smiling and greeting other people, and thought to myself, ‘give that man a raise’. As was ‘Ed’ who was telling the couple next to me all he knew about the opera event there. And while I am on staff, Ty who served me at the bar, was also extremely pleasant.”
She added: “The free refill Lavazza coffee is fantastic. It’s only £1.56, and you can refill your mug as often as you wish. I had three! I ate every scrap of my breakfast and I also noticed there was no grease or oil on my plate. This isn’t organic, free range, provenance-proved, locally sourced posh nosh. As the gentleman I spoke to said, ‘it’s good, cheap grub.’
Moreover, finding a cup of tea under three quid can be a challenge, so a hearty cooked breakfast accompanied by unlimited coffee for an extra £1.50 is a steal it’s particularly appealing as we seek warmth and companionship with the changing seasons.
In conclusion, Mary exclaimed: “My visit was excellent, not just because the breakfast was perfectly good, but the refillable coffee is such a winner, the surroundings are flippin’ fabulous, the low lighting and gentle conversation is relaxing, and just as important, the staff were lovely.
“And if you’re on a budget, say a pensioner, and it’s a belly full of warm food you’re after in somewhere you can seemingly stay for hours, topping up your coffee, and where staff will probably soon learn your name, then don’t miss this.”
