Waterloo Pub crawl

5pm Friday, the best time of the week!  I usually drink around London Bridge but we thought it was time to try some new pubs towards Waterloo.  I've never really drunk that much around there and Ben and I wondered if there were any good pubs that way. 

We started out at the Charles Dickens, Union Street, its a good pub that has improved over the last few years.  It did used to be a bit dingy but its better now.  They have 5 good ales on tap and they are changing each week.  When we were there we had Oscar Wilde Mild the 2011 Champion Beer of Britain.  When it ran out a new beer was on tap within five minutes.  Brilliant beer change overs!  The staff were quick as well which I'm noticing more and more recently having been to so many pubs.  Good staff can make such a big difference. 

Next we went to The Ring on The Cut, a boxing themed pub.  It's a decent pub.  It didn't have much real ale which was a bit rubbish.  It has lots of cool boxing pictures.  It was also fairly modern in design, it reminded me a bit of The Surprise in Chelsea. 

Next up Jack Bar behind Southwark Tube station.  A trendy bar with young good looking people and loud music.  I had to queue for ages to get a lager while the tosser bar man fucked about putting bits of apple on glasses for some girls.  Anyway its not really my kind of pub.  I can appreciate the bar for what it is but it didn't really fit into the kind of pubs we were looking for. 

The next pub was definitely a good find and a bit of a treat.  I'd say the gem of the crawl.  The Kings Arms is located on Roupell Street which looks like a street right out of Victorian times.  I liked it in there, it had that feel of a local as soon as you entered.  The bar staff were good and had some good banter.  They had some good ales on tap as well.  Not as many as I had expected for a pub where the SE branch of CAMRA had their AGM.  It was good fun in there and I could have stayed longer. 

The White Hart just round the corner from the Kings Arms was alright.  It was packed in there, we managed to get a seat, although one was someones suitcase.  It did stink of mulled wine.  Beer was ok but being cramped up in the corner wasn't the best place to hang out.  Time to move on. 

The Duke of Wellington is a fullers pub just opposite the entrance to Waterloo Station.  I'd never been there before which I now realise was an error.  I regret spending time when in the Firehouse when I could have been in the Wellington.  The Firehouse is a really poor, badgers backside, goats nut of a pub.  The Wellington is never going to win awards, its a sprawling pub under a huge painted ceiling depicting the the Duke giving the French a good shoeing.  I loved the disgruntled expression that had been painted on Napoleons face.  Had a few pints of decent fullers ale in there and played the quiz machines.

Last up was the Hole in the Wall.  The pub feel just like a low division football leagues bar.  The front bar in particular has that feel. Its very 1970s.  The back bar is fairly no frills but they have some good beers and a seat so that suited us.  Having been several pints down by then it was time to head off. 

Overall I was pleased with the crawl.  It was a good evening and some good pubs were visited that I had no idea about. 

Red Lion

Had the day off work to do some Chrismas shopping, hang out with my lovely girlfriend, and see a show in the evening.  My girlfriend, a while after we started going out read in one of those womens magazines an article about signs to avoid in a man.  As far as I recall I didn’t come off too badly, thankfully.  However there was one I was caught out on; ‘beware a man who wears a fleece, as he’ll think going to a pub is an acceptable anniversary date venue’.  Well for one, yea I have a fleece, in fact I have two.  Also more importantly, why would you not want to go to a pub for a date.  I met my girlfriend in a pub, what’s wrong with going back to one?  Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with going to a pub for an anniversary, birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah.  The image of the pub as a place for men is no longer true.   This is the twenty first century, get with the times.  Pubs are great places, they make good great food now and are great places to go.   

As such, wearing my fleece, we went to the Red Lion off Pall Mall.  On the way there, we passed the Red Lion and the Red Lion.  In a small area there do seem to be a large number of pubs called the same name.  Only one of these Red Lions, has made it into the good pub guide.  I’m fairly sure I found the right one.  It’ll be pretty embarrassing if I’ve gone to the wrong one.  The one I ended up at, which I think was the right one is just off Pall Mall opposite St James palace.  It’s up a little alley way which has a bit of a medieval feel to it, with the upper floor jutting out over the alley.  The shops down there now are a mix of modern and old.  A pret and gentlemans hair dressers are next to a Milleners and The Red Lion.  

Red Lion

 The area around the pub is worth a mention.  It’s an interesting part of town with an obvious history of old money and wealth.  There are blue plaques on loads of the buildings, commemorating some marquis or other and inventor of such and such.  It’s not far up to Old Bond Street where the super rich go to do their shopping and buy diamonds and expensive clothes.  It’s fun to walk around there and people watch.  I like the covered arcades, which transport you back in time almost and you can imagine the wealthy Bertie Wooster types looking in the windows.  If you ever need to buy a fancy smoking jacket or embroidered velvet slippers this is the place to come.  Just down the road is Fortum and Mason a famous food shop.  Also I saw specialist shops, selling mens grooming products, hunting gear, cigars and specialty whiskeys.  It’s well worth taking a wander around here before heading for a pint.  

The sign outside the Red Lion proclaims it as London’s last surviving village pub.  I’m not really sure what they mean by that.  When would there have been a village there I thought? Anyway, it looked cool from the outside with its hanging baskets and painted sign.  It is not a big pub inside at all.  The bar takes up much of the right hand side of the pub, where some men were standing having a lunch time drink.  Other men, were sitting finishing lunch of pub sandwiches.  They looked like they had a good pub menu on the go with various sandwiches on offer.  I love a pub sandwich.  For those who have read my post on Chesterfield, you will know my opinion of pub food.  I think, simple, tasty and affordable is the way forward.  So, I was pleased to see they weren’t trying to compete with the Michelin star restaurants in the area.  What would be the point, sometimes a pub should be left a pub.  It’d been there for centuries so don’t fix what aint broke.  

I thought the place had a real quiet charm about it.  Almost a rural feel in the heart of London.  I guess that’s what they mean about it being a village pub.  The bar selection was not huge but there were some decent ales.  I had two nice pints of tribute in there.   

I’d recommend it for a pint and a sit down if you are looking for one up in that part of town.  Worth a visit. 

the Prospect of Whitby and the Narrow

A dark November evening, the mists were forming over the Thames and a chill was in the air.  I had arranged to meet my friends at the Prospect of Whitby in Wapping.  Having looked at the route I thought it would be easy to get the bus straight there.  I discovered to my horror the number 100 bus moves around the city at the pace of an aged limping snail.  Wedged in the top of the bus by the door listening to some lady winge about her life on the phone for an hour was not the finest start to the evening.  My friend managed to walk there quicker with only a short head start.  

Reaching the pub felt so good having had such a nightmare trip to get there.  I walked in to a scene that I expect has remained in that pub for centuries.   The wooden décor gives a warm inviting feel to the room .  I took a seat by the fire and with a pint in front of me couldn’t have been happier.  The transition from commuting anger to the human equivalent of purring like a cat was quick.  Chatting to my mates and having a few nice ales was a supremely perfect combination.  

We chatted away like blokes do, sport, news, work and beers.  Having caught up a bit we began to look around the pub a bit.  One point I brought up was the Taylor Walker, Costa combo that the chain does these days.  I was pleased to see that the coffee machine, although behind the bar was small and unobtrusive.  The Christmas decorations were up and very much in full force. They even had a tree up.  Woody wasn’t a fan of the decorations.  I personally didn’t think they were too bad.  They had a number of decent ales on tap.  No standout beers to mention as they just had some pub staples like youngs, and doombar. 

Prospect Of Whitby

 The beers were flowing so to protract our evening and allow us to remain clear headed for a little longer we ordered pies.  The pies were good with lovely puff pastry, fresh vegetables and some good chips.  I was impressed with how good they were, much better than the fullers pies I’ve had this year.  I did have a little explore of the pub and found they had much more seating than I had first noticed and also a good sized outdoor area over-looking the Thames.   

Being on the river is another advantage point for the pub.  The big windows looking out provide great views over the water to Bermondsy on the opposite bank.  There is a hangmans noose outside the pub.  I did want to find out what it was from but didn’t get around to it on the day.  One thing we did notice was its position and reputation are obviously serving it well as a whole coach load of tourists turned up and were ferried upstairs for an “English pub experience”.  Being close to where we all live we had enquired about its availability for NYE drinks but were slightly put off when we were told there would be several coach loads of tourists booked in that evening.  Not sure we want to usher in 2012 surrounded by tourists.  

Overall it is a really nice, traditional style pub, well worth the visit.  Good beer, good food and relaxed atmosphere.  If that was my local I’d be well happy with that, in fact, had I known there were good pubs over that part of town I’d have thought about moving there.  Close to the city and the Wharf you can’t do much better for location.  I look forward to my next Prospect visit.  It’d be cool to arrive by boat I think, I’d rowed past there enough times it’d be good to stop off for a swift half.  

After a few beers we paid our tab and headed out to the next pub…

It had been noted the Narrow was another pub on my list which was close by.  We walked down the river to the Gordon Ramsey pub the Narrow.  This pub is very different from the Prospect.  The décor is more modern and refined.  The feel of the pub is more like a yaht club for the yuppy bankers of Cannary Warf.  The part of the pub overlooking the river was a restaurant where suited types were enjoying a meal.  As we arrived later on in the evening, perhaps I missed the best time of day as it was getting pretty empty as the diners left.  That worked in our favour getting sofas in ‘the boat room’.  There was a single scull rowing boat suspended from the ceiling which I liked being a former rower.  However the room didn’t have the same warm relaxed atmosphere the Prospect had.  There was something about the faux leather of the sofas and sticky wooden floors that was all a bit too Weatherspoons for my liking.  Two girls of an eastern European origin sat eating a kebab out of a polystyrene box in the corner.  I wouldn’t put up with that if I owned the pub.  I got the feeling that something has been misjudged when setting up the pub.  I think if you want to aim at the well off members of the London community then that’s fine and I think a good pub could be run like that.  However the location is not quite right for a pub like that.  Yes, there may be an influx of wealth to the area with the bankers but its roots are still in East London and to marginalise these people is a mistake.  You end up with a pub that doesn’t feel relaxed and is lacking in individuality and quality.  

The beers were also limited whilst still being pretentious.  Various mean times beers and continental lagers were the main fare.  No hand pumped ales were on show.  I was very disappointed about that.  Plus the barman was a really irritating individual who seemed to look down his nose at you.  He had one of the strangest accents I’ve ever heard.  I asked him where he was from and he said ‘all over’.  An omnipresent bar man, in theory that sounds good as he would be able to serve me beer when ever I wanted!  However if it was that bloke it would be awful as he was a right tit.  

Ed had warned me that the pub had gone ‘down hill’ but having not been there before I only had this visit to rely on.  Also having just made my first visit to the Prospect, a pub I was impressed with it was always going to be a tall order to impress me after that.  However I won’t be venturing back any time soon put it that way.  Why bother when I could go to the Prospect. 

Nearly End of the year

Just a note to say,  I've been to six pubs on my list this month so reviews will be coming soon. 

So far this year, I've been to 32 on my list so, unfortunatly I didn't get through the whole list in 2011.  However, I  am now really looking forward to 2012.  It's great to know I've still got a whole load more exciting and varied pubs to visit next year. 

The Market Inn (Chesterfield)

I’ve been up in Chesterfield for work this week and I had two nights on my own in town.  I had asked the owner of the B&B where I should go for dinner and he suggested that if I wanted to go to a pub then I couldn’t go wrong with ‘the Market’. 

I took a wander down to the pub which is easy to find and unsurprisingly located in the market.  I did ask one lad on the way there if he knew of it but he’d never heard of it so I’m guessing it’s not overly popular with the younger drinking crowd in town.  However I’m not surprised by this as on my last visit to the town I noticed that there was a huge number of pubs in the town centre.  I think I saw every mainstream pub/club/bar chain that I know of!  They were all vying for the attention of the putters with 2 for 1 deals and free shots, not exactly where you would want to spend a nice evening.  My colleague had mentioned that Chesterfield in only second to Newcastle in terms of pubs per head in the town.  Having seen the pubs I was admittedly a bit sceptical about going to any of them. 

(not my pic)

Also being from the south coming up North is always a bit interesting.  I’d already been addressed as ‘Arright Duck’ that day so just wanted to get back to normality and hopefully have a good pint.  I was in for a treat!!

 

Upon entering the Market Inn I was greeted by the glorious site of 9, yes 9, handpumps on the bar.   Looking around the atmosphere was convivial with most of the tables full even though it was a Monday night.  I got a pint of the Sheffield Porter which was a decent porter, if a little to malty for my tastes.  I also ordered some food which I was just in time for as they stop orders at 7.30 (which seems quite early to me).  As soon as I ordered and sat down the bloke opposite me started telling me how good the food is and what I could look forward to so I was certainly hungry when it arrived.  I had the pie of the day, minced beef and onion with homemade chips and veg.  It was so so good!  The mince was real chunks of meat, shredded and was so soft and delicious.  The pie crust was also really good with the just the right level of crisp to soft and golden brown in colour.  If I had to be picky and I do as a reviewer, I’d question if the gravy was homemade, if it was fair play but I thought it was a bit rich for the pie in question.  This was overall a great dinner.  I washed it down with a pint of the Absolution from Abbeydale Brewery which was a nice one to finish on for desert as it was quite sweet. 

Having enjoyed my evening there I went back again on the Tuesday night.  There were still 7 taps I’d not had yet, Timothy Taylor, Abbott Ale, Darkstar Hophead, Ossain from Inveralmond Brewery in Scotland, Easy Rider from Kelham Brewery, Bullion from Nottingham Brewery and Westons Cider.  I chose the Bullion to start with and was really impressed by it.  It is a golden ale which was easy to drink and just the right amount of hops to give a nice aroma and slight bitter finish.  I’ll certainly look out for that again in the future.  Fish and chips were on the menu with mushy peas so decided to go for that.  It’s a good pub staple that when done right is very good.  The fish and chips was excellent!  Their chef, Paul did a really good job both in terms of taste and presentation.  The batter on the chips was perfect, as good as I’ve had anywhere and the chips were clearly homemade and very tasty.  The only recommendation I’d make would be to suggest homemade tartar sauce. 

I’ve eaten in a lot of pubs this year and had some good meals.  The best pub in terms of food probably being the Lord Poulett Arms which was the Dining pub of the year 2009.  The food at the Market Inn was exactly the kind of food I think should be served in pubs.  They have absolutely nailed the balance between good, locally produced food that is simple and put together very well at a reasonable cost.  I was so pleased to have found a pub doing food like this.  They are proof that simple pub menus with pub staples like sausage and mash, fish and chips and pies can be amazing food.  There is a real skill involved in this and I tip my cap to the chefs as they have done an outstanding job.

The beer was all very well kept and I enjoyed a few more pints there of the Darkstar and the Ossain. 

Lastly the pub in general seemed to be a good community pub and meeting place which was nice to see.  They won the regional CAMRA award for ‘Town pub of the year’ this year and I can see why.  I’d like to go back on a busier night to see what it is like.  I noticed they run all sorts of events such as music nights and food nights to attract customers which is always a good thing.  Check out their website blog or facebook for news. 

Overall I’m now looking forward to my next trip up to Chesterfield so I can go back!  

Task ahead

I realised the other week that despite my efforts so far I'm not going to finish all the pubs in 2011.  But I'm not going to give up.  I've decided that when I get the 2012 GPG I'll just add the new pubs and visit them too!!  Pleanty more good pubs to come!

The Bishops Finger

Back on the Boris bike (what a great way to get around London!) and heading over Blackfriars past the pub of the same name, and onwards towards Farringdon.  Today’s destination The Bishops Finger, located on the edge of Smithfield Market.  Smithfield Market is the largest meat market in the UK and the best time to see it is early in the morning before 7am.  If you do that make a day of it and have a huge fry up with the traders later on and finish your day at the Bishops Finger.  

A Shepards Neame pub, and an excellent example of one too!  With awenings outside covering some circular tables there is a sense of the Parisian cafe culture and the day I visited was warm so plenty of people were outside enjoying the evening.  The nice thing about the outside is that it is not on a busy road so you won’t get so much smog from London buses.  Inside there are some sofas on the left as you enter, and some of the higher tables in the middle make good use of the space around the bar.  The walls were nicely decorated with interesting pictures and items as well some Shepherd Neame advertising.  I quite like the Shepherd Neame advertising it’s pretty funny but not everyone likes it.  You have to see the funny side of it’s tongue in cheeky humour.  They had a load of bunting up in the pub as well so the Great Britain vib was in full effect.  

They have both been satisfied by a bishops finger.

 
All the beers were well kept and they had the full range of Shepherd Neame beers with several ales on tap and the lagers they have like Orangeboom which is a beer that has always held a place in my heart as it was (and still is) the lager served at my first rugby club. 

The other good thing about the evening was we had dinner at the pub too.  We all went for the sausages and mash which was pretty good.  They had a big list of different sausages to chose from.  Can’t go wrong with sausage and mash, good hearty pub food done well is always a winner.  It was a little bit pricey but not too bad.  

Overall a good pub well worth its place in the GPG.  I’ll go back again sometime.  

Cittie Of York

Ben a mate of mine from when I spent three months in the wilds of Argentina honing my thirst for the perfect pint was in London so we went for a beer.  As a quick aside in Argentina we were drinking Quilmes Bock in the big one litre bottles they do out there.  I’ve seen Quilmes over here in London regularly recently but not seen the dark lager version anywhere. 

Anyway the pub we went to was the Cittie of York on Chancery Lane.  The pub is in an amazing building like a beamed medieval hall.  It has to be one of the most spectacular pub interiors in London.  Along one side of the room is the bar and opposite are wooden panelled booths.  When we got there it was pretty packed in the main hall but there is another room around the corner which isn’t quite as cool as the first room as it is more modern in appearance but it has comfortable seating so was good enough for a while.  

The beer is Sam Smiths so as usual you can get some cheap beer on tap which for London is always a bonus.  The beer isn’t the best however from the taps but Sam Smiths do make bottled beer well so if you are looking for a good pint go straight for the bottles of IPA or the Stout.  Food is cheap as well, Ben had some and whilst the portions were decent it didn’t look amazing but for £10 you can’t complain really. 

Later on in the evening we managed to get a seat in one of the booths in the main hall of the pub.  Worth waiting for as it’s a great pub to sit in and take in the architectural styles of the place.  I read that it’s not actually that old and definitely not medieval more I think it was built in the 1920s as a wine bar.  

Overall a good pub worth visiting for the interesting pub interior first and foremost and also for cheap beer if that’s something you are looking for.  I’d go back but it’s not the sort of pub I’d want to spend a whole afternoon in.  Like the Cheshire Cheese the main hall does not have a relaxed feel to it and there is a lack of natural light as well that can distort your sense of time.   

Great British Beer Fesitval - Guest Blog

It’s the morning after the night before. I wake with a sorry taste in my mouth and a thirst that would struggle to be quenched by drinking the contents of a reservoir. The discomfort is all worth it though, for the previous afternoon we (i.e. James and I) had been unleashed at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF). More than 700 real ales, ciders and beers all under one roof - I can’t think of many better ways to spend a Friday afternoon.

We met at 13:30 at Bodeans (an American restaurant) in Tower Hill - to line the stomach and have a cheeky beer to get the ball rolling. Bodeans is a great place to eat and drink – the beer menu is generous and the food is fantastic. We both went for IPAs – James opted for the Goose Island and I went for the Moosehead. Both were served with frosted glasses to keep them cold, something neither of us had experienced in the UK and we were very grateful for them too. The beers were fantastic, as was the food.

We arrived at the beer festival at 15:00 and were met by the usual CAMRA stewards on the doors. Apparently CAMRA are keen to attract more young people but they need to shake-off the stereotypical ale drinker image (especially on the front door). After passing through the gate we headed for the first bar – both of us went for Yorkshire ales. I went for the Wold Gold from the Wold Top brewery and James went for the Rudgate Jorvik Blonde. We both tested our taste buds to see if we could pick out any of the flavours marked in the book. Needless to say we failed miserably. Both beers were very pleasant though I must say.

I can honestly say that every beer we had we would have again. The only one I struggled with was the Fuller’s Vintage ale 2008. The 8.5% ABV was a bit too strong after drinking mainly 3.5%-5% beers throughout the day. I would imagine it would be a very nice beer to accompany a nice, rich meal though – all the same, not really one for the casual half-pint.

The main reason we were there was to attend the ‘Master Brewers Tasting’ after James had received two tickets from Henrietta as a gift. It is here where I offer my warmest thanks to James for offering to take me and also to Henri for buying the tickets in the first place. The tasting basically consisted of 100 real ale fans sitting in a room tasting 6 beers from 3 breweries (2 from each) whilst the master brewers from each one spoke about the beers and their breweries. They also took questions. The breweries being represented were Youngs and Wells, St. Austell, and Amber Ales. While it was good to hear from master brewers at the two larger breweries I, personally, found it more enjoyable listening to Pete from Amber Ales as he was sat in the room as a listener 5 years prior, and had been inspired to start his own brewery. 

Beer of the day came from the Thornbridge Brewery – the Jaipur IPA. With its citrus-honey flavours, it’s very pleasing on the palate, and at 5.9%ABV it’s not to be taken lightly. Its quaffable nature mixed with the strength means it has all the ingredients to fuel a monster hangover, although it is a hangover I wouldn’t mind sampling (I’d very much like to spend a Saturday afternoon in a pub which serves this beer – cue James to arrange a visit to Cask Pub and Kitchen, Pimlico).

Bar of the day was the ‘Young and Upcoming Breweries’ bar, which was sponsored by J.D. Wetherspoon. For all the bad words people have to say about Wetherspoon pubs (and rightly so in some cases) you can’t fault them for their promotion of real ales. Walk into any ‘Spoons pub and I guarantee they’ll have at least 3 random ales on tap. Whether they’ll be well-kept or not is a different matter but at least they’re trying. James and I both had a couple of beers from this bar, my favourite being the Flack’s Double Drop, from the Flack Manor brewery in Hampshire. James went out of his way to break my rule that we should only have one stout each (rule put in place as we’ve had our fingers burnt by awful stouts on numerous occasions at previous festivals). I’m glad he did break the rule though because the Dark Peat Stout from the Raw brewery in Derbyshire was a tasty drop.

All-in-all, the day was fantastic – certainly one of the best beer festivals I’ve been to. It certainly put my faith back into the GBBF as well, as in previous years I’ve thought it to be a bit too commercial. This year there was less presence from some of the bigger breweries and more beers from smaller breweries. As mentioned briefly earlier, CAMRA have got some work to do if they want to attract younger members but it certainly seems they’re doing something right. I’d also like to thank Pipers Crisps for having constantly topped-up bowls of complimentary crisps – they went down a treat in between beers. A perfect day all-round and we weren’t even too drunk to make it home before midnight.

 WOODY