The Dog and Partridge pub, in Bury St Edmunds, receives a visit from SuffolkNews’ Secret Drinker for food and drink

Welcome back to a fresh series of pub reviews by SuffolkNews’ own Secret Drinker, who will make their way round the county’s watering holes and give you their honest opinion.

After hearing some good things about The Dog and Partridge, in Bury St Edmunds, I felt it was only right to start my first review of 2024 in style.

I was particularly looking forward to digging into some good food, which is always on my mind – and I’m not talking Elvis Presley.

Situated in Crown Street, the 17th century watering hole had a great-looking bar with a good selection of beverages to choose from.

Straight off I opted for a pint of the Dog and Partridge pale ale priced at £4.95. It was refreshing, with a nice hoppy fruit flavour and bitterness. It’s safe to say it went down very well with my meal.

A question I often ponder is: how long is the appropriate amount of time to mull over a menu?

In this case, there was a good variety on offer but the tricky dilemma was made easier in that my stomach was simply growling for a burger.

A few minutes later and following some careful deliberation, I ordered the signature Dog and Partridge burger for £14.95. Of course, my dinner companion decided to copy me.

The meal consisted of an aged beef burger and crispy pork belly in a glazed linseed bun, drenched in burger cheese sauce and pickled red onion, with apple barbecue sauce.

In the well-known words of Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, it was fab-u-lous.

My mouth was flooded with the dazzling combination of ingredients and my palate was having an absolute whale of a time (please note, there was no whale in the burger).

On top of that, the house seasoned fries were genuinely some of the best fries I’ve had in recent memory. Wow.

Following that joy of a meal, I then felt it would have been a screaming injustice to not follow it up with one of my favourite desserts - sticky toffee pudding.

However, I was left deeply underwhelmed and actually quite sad about what followed.

The sticky toffee pudding (£5.75) was not good. It actually pains me to say it. Even the custard (which I love) could not mitigate the overwhelming feeling of disappointment.

I thought it lacked taste and was rather stodgy. My companion (who of course copied me again) agreed.

So although the first half of my meal was excellent, sadly the pudding was a bit of a let down.

It was like going 2-0 up in the first half of a football game only to concede twice and take home a point. Then again, that’s something a lot of Chelsea fans would be grateful for these days.

Aside from my dining experience, the inside of the pub is really nice and I liked that there was a range of seating options.

There was a warm glow which paired nicely with the decor as well, with a mixture of frames and items dotted about on the walls.

During the summer, I bet the outside of the pub is very popular because it looked like a really spacious and welcoming area.

Those of you who have read my previous Secret Drinker articles know I often pick up on the music in these pubs and in this case I was impressed again. I knew a few of the songs and it was at a perfect volume for me.

The staff were also really nice and thoroughly professional. I’d like to shout out one of the waitresses who initially knocked a glass over but quickly reacted and balanced it back up in one fluid motion. I was very impressed.

I’d like to round off by saying I thought the men’s bathroom was fantastic. A little bit odd I know, but I felt it was worth a mention.

On the whole, aside from my sticky toffee pudding, I was thoroughly impressed with the D&P and would recommend it to anyone in the area.

The scores out of five:

Decor: I really liked the pub’s interior and appreciated the effort that has clearly been put into it. 4/5

Drink: I may have only had one alcoholic beverage but it was nice to have something by the Dog and Partridge and I would have no qualms with drinking it again. 3/5

Price: I was pretty satisfied with the prices to be honest – no issues here. 3/5

Atmosphere: It may have been a week night but the place was still fairly busy. I can imagine during peak times it’s a wonderful spot to be with family and friends. 3.5/5

Staff: Exactly what you’d hope for and more. 3.5/5