The Fox Under The Hill, Shooters Hill

CHOCOLATE brownies with four scoops of vanilla ice cream, four of chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, Maltesers, Milky Way Magic Stars, Galaxy Amicelli biscuits, cream and chocolate powder.

This is not just any dessert; this is the kind of dessert on offer at The Fox Under the Hill, Shooters Hill Road.

Its picture in the menu portrayed it being on the right side of generous, reinforcing the chain's Hungry Horse name.

I have not visited one of these establishments for years but little has changed. Food remains the focus - with traditional pub grub and some other dishes - rather than drinks and there are still the slightly cartoonish pictures of horses on the wall.

To go with my nice pint, I ordered a plate of pasta and meatballs in an arrabiata sauce, which was fiery enough to keep me warm while waiting for the bus home.

That said, the pasta was way past al dente and far too soft for my taste. You'll be saddened to hear there were sliced olives in the sauce, so any Italian traditionalists should steer clear.

If you are one of those types, it would probably be better to stick to the traditional pub grub, which is plentiful and fairly cheap here.

Despite there not being many Hungry Horse pubs around this way to compete with, the Fox does little to distinguish itself from the rest.

Staffwise, they were all friendly and had enough personality to be individuals, but I sensed they were probably being held back from truly exerting themselves by a manager in a head office somewhere.

A chain's a chain, yet with a little individuality it would be a warmer experience.