The Talisman Pub - Fareham

Decided to have dinner at the Talisman as we had not been there for some time. The venue has been extensively modernised and it looks very good. We were attended to in less than five minutes. Ordered drinks and starters very tasty! We both had fish pie as a main and it was full of white fish and salmon with cabbage and peas as vegetables. Prices are about average for good quality pub food. The staff were all helpful and pleasant.

Took our daughter for an early evening meal. Pub was quiet, not been in before and thought it was a really lovely place. Staff were welcoming and friendly (lady at reception desk and chap on bar) We really enjoyed the food, and thought it’s was the best pub food we have had for a while. Will def be back.

Oh my goodness Food was okay New Year's Eve Band,.... ..not good for entertaining. Left to celebrate New Year's Eve on our own

Our Christmas Day lunch experience was a bit of a disaster. We were booked in for 3.30, arrived at 3.15. When we arrived we could see immediately that the staff were under a lot of pressure. We were taken to our table and after about 15 minutes were served drinks and all was fine, but then it went drastically downhill. We waited about one hour for our starters which was not too much of a problem because we could see how busy it was. The main course took about another hour but when it arrived it was practically inedible. The only thing that was ok was the turkey meat, the rest of the meal looked like it had been hanging around for hours. Considering what we paid for the meal, it was totally unacceptable and our Christmas Day experience was far from what we expected. We feel they were over booked and could not cope and all the staff by 3.30 had had enough. We did not complain at the time because we could see the pressure they were under. Maybe next year they should only take bookings for what they can cope with.

We were a group of 15 all with pre-ordered Christmas meals, so no excuses. I can only think that they had lost a chef. The roast turkey meal was so embarrassing, with burnt roast potatoes, that they offered those who made this choice a free drink. I had the only fish option which was fish pie. It was average, with chunks of salmon and white fish. No smoked fish. No prawns. Not even a sprinkling of parsley on the top. Extremely boring dish. No finesse. It's a nice pub to go to for the odd drink. But avoid the food.