Our final stop of Day 1 is to the Golden Lion Pub

When we arrived at the Golden Lion Pub, we were surprised by a restored WWII tank and its owner/reenactor in uniform waiting for us in the pub's parking lot. Once he'd given a presentation on the features and uses of the tank, he took the time to answer all questions and posed for pictures. 

Once inside, we were offered tea, coffee, and some pastries before being led into the main bar area. The owner, Greg, helped tend bar to anyone who wanted to try an alcoholic beverage while he regaled us with the history of the pub. Greg talked until his staff gently reminded him of the time so that we could have time left over to explore the pub on our own.

The Golden Lion Pub is located in Southwick, pronounced Suthick, as we learned that locals don't pronounce the "w" when saying the town name. The entire village is owned by Southwick Estates, apart from the Church Lodge, which is why the Golden Lion Pub has a red door to match all the other owned buildings. The Church Lodge is the only one to have a white painted door. The lounge bar was used during World War II and the planning stages of Operation Overlord as the unofficial Officer's Mess. 

Inside the pub, the walls are lined with memorabilia, including a cardboard cutout to showcase the corner where Churchill, Eisenhower, Montgomery, and Smuts hunkered over maps to plan the attack. 

 

On the bus ride back to London, we were provided with water bottles. One unique thing about plastic bottled drinks in Europe is that they come with the cap that stays attached while drinking the product. It is meant to help reduce waste so that the cap stays with the bottle when tossed for recycling. Took us a few days before we finally figured out that if we press the cap as far down as it lets us, it will lock in place and we no longer had to hold it back when drinking to keep it from poking us in the eye!

Once back at the hotel, Dad opted to rest in the room while I visited the Park Corner Brassiere alone for dinner. I charged the dinner to the room as nothing outside of breakfast (and the pub pastries) was included by Viking in today's tour. Total cost for my meal was £49.16. I was charged £5.50 for still water which we soon learned was based on buying your own large bottle for the table. I was charged £6.00 for a single glass bottle of Diet Coke. We found that a lot of sodas on this trip were sold as these glass bottles which required a bottle opener to get into. We stocked up whenever in the Executive Lounge at the hotel so we could have some to drink in our hotel room. 

My Corn Ribs appetizer cost £8.00. It was basically a barbecue flavored corn on the cob that they cut down into strips. I was not expecting them to have cut straight through the center of the cob like an apple versus shearing off strips of kernels. I felt a bit silly trying to figure out how to eat such a messy appetizer. I left a good bit of it behind after trying to cut off the kernels from each section.

As for my entree, have you really been to England if you don't try the fish and chips? I have had this dish several times on several trips including our first time in London while dining at the Sherlock Holmes Pub. If we ever meet on a trip, ask me about the British bacon at that pub!

This "Cod & Chips" cost £24.00. I got some strange looks when I chuckled at how it looked like my fish was trying to escape the plate! Then I couldn't help but chuckle again when I made my first cut in the middle and watched it deflate back onto the plate. Guess even Londoners have their own version of Deflategate!

Once I tried the dish, I was pleasantly surprised at how light tasting the breading was despite being crispy. The fish was fresh and well cooked. The fish flaked nicely but also stayed together as several large chunks making it easy to eat. Ketchup was offered but I chose to decline instead dipping my "chips" in the tartar sauce provided. 

The remainder of my total included a £5.66 service charge and a £7.25 VAT (or Value Added Tax) charge. We asked our waiter on the first evening about tipping protocol and he pointed out that a 13% service charge based on your bill total is automatically added so no additional tipping is expected like it would be in an American restaurant. He did add that such an additional tip would be happily accepted, just not expected of course.