The Fire Stables

5 Reviews on “The Fire Stables”

• EatGoSee

  Fire stables is a pub that are used to come to quite frequently. It was a favourite place as it was located just off the main street so it tended to be a little quieter. Moreover there is still damp all amounts of space to have larger groups but also so that you felt like you were in a fairy environment. There is still a good number of draft drinks available on top and while there has been a refurbishment since the last time I was here the decor is still welcoming and in keeping with the kind of Wimbledon village pub that you would expect.But this is really wear my warmth towards the fire stables comes to a close. I recently came here for lunch with my wife and I would say the best part of the experience was the service, which was attentive and helpful while not being smothering.We ordered the plough mens sharing starter, the tomato and basil soup as well as the fish finger sandwich. Before getting into detail on each, suffice to say that each dish was relatively lacklustre. There was something missing or disappointing about each of them which to my mind speaks to either and acceptance in the kitchen for mediocrity or the lack of attention to detail. There were one or two dishes where I wondered whether it was really mean in the kitchen or not.The Plowmans sharing platter is a good place to start. Lets be clear: a Plowmans is a selection of calls and already prepared dishes. There is very little to be done here. It is really about the cheese, any pickles, having an excellent meat like a pork or ham and then often includes a pie together with some fruits or celery sticks. This is not a complicated dish. And yet for me when you have such a simple dish it means that you really need to be decisive about each thing that goes on the plate. The porkpies were very average and very bland. There is no chutney at all instead you get pickled onions and I would also say that the ham was also okay. The hammers thick cut so that feels a little more generous but ultimately I found myself turning to the hot mustard to try and get some sort of flavour profile on the plate. Saving grace is that the cheese selection was the best dates in there. My suggestion is that for a sharing platter with essentially only 4 ingredients they really need to go back and re-consider each individual elements on the platter and how they work together collectively. To be clear this is not a bad dish but its also not a great dish and I struggled to decide whether it is a good finish.The fishfinger sandwich is a lesson in quantity over quality. The thing is huge. However it is unwieldy and not easy to eat. We found half of the sandwich sleeping out while we were eating it. A very simple thing to do would be to either one cut the bread slightly thinner or simply cut into quarters or not just hearts because I think its unrealistic to ask people to wrap their face around the sandwich that deep. I cant help but wonder whether this is designed for Instagram or for eating. Then we get to the contents: this is more like a fried fish sandwich as in fish and chips fried fish or a fish finger sandwich. I appreciate that they are taking the time to make their own fried fish as opposed to relying on frozen or well-known mass produced fishfingers. However this has not worked here and in reality this is closer to a fish and chip sandwich then a fish finger sandwich. Why is this important? The sandwiches really sloppy partly because of the size the party because the contents is so soft in the middle there when you buy down in a bit just spilt everywhere. There is a generous amount of source which is great some people may not like that however. My recommendation is they go back and again reconsider how to structure this sandwich. They may even want to consider it being openface if they keep the size.There is little to be said about the tomato soup. Its quite bland. Which is apprising given this is a tomato and basil soup. The croutons which arrived in the middle of the soup quickly go soggy because surprise surprise bread and soup will go soggy. They may want to consider either toasting the croutons in advance or simply serving them on the sides. I think it needs a little bit more flavour in order to work. One easy suggestion would be adding a teaspoon or tablespoon of pesto in the middle to provide a boost to flavour both on the basil side but also with the wider seasoning as pesto has a bit more saltiness to it. I also think it would help the presentation because there would be a nice and contrast of colour as opposed to one monotone dish.All in all, there are a lot of places to eat in Wimbledon village. And the question has to be asked whether or not the fire stables its really bringing anything special to the table. Literally. I noticed that the pubs in Wimbledon village owned by the same brewery and so I simply wonder whether or not there is any competition in the village to drive better quality food out of the pubs if in fact the role owned by the same Brewery.I would however still come back in order to sit there in the pub and drink with friends. The atmosphere is still great, the drinks are still good and the service is still good. The problem is that the food is as good and while the direction of the food is in the right place the execution fall short.

  February 1, 2019, 9:57 am

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• Michael Obi

  This restaurant proved a good place to peek at the CL Final while pretending to pay attention to my female acquaintance. The food is also stellar, with a selection of nice dishes which left me too full for dessert. A great place for one of those summer gatherings.

  November 7, 2014, 5:21 am

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• Don S

  Surprised by the low rating, food here is pretty good, although i usually go for the burger as never disappointed.

  October 11, 2014, 6:54 pm

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• Victoria

  Mrs. Had lunch there today and the service was a shambles with the staff literally running around like headless chickens, having to wait too long to be served mains and getting orders wrong although the food quality was decent. To top it off when the bill arrived we were not given the option of not having to pay for a side dish we didn’t order.

  March 4, 2012, 5:52 pm

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• Arif Baig

  Tables were awkward – had to sit with one leg in one leg out. No one came to ask if my food was ok. No condiments. Under seasoned – massively filling though

  February 17, 2012, 5:18 am

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