The Royal Oak

I’ve finished my sporting commitments for the year so will be getting on with my pubs quest.  I wanted to get one in over the weekend if I could so I went to The Royal Oak on the corner of Tabard Street in Borough.  It was a Saturday afternoon so not prime time drinking and the pub was about half full.  Most of the tables were taken by people sitting around chatting.  The pub is owned by Harveys of Lewes and is their only London pub.  I told the bar lady about my pub quest and she recommended a pint of the mild to start with (I don’t know if that was out of concern for my liver or not).  

The Royal Oak

The pub is located in the backstreets off Borough High Street and is almost everything you would hope for in a classic backstreet pub.  Inside it is split in half by the bar which dominates the centre of the room.  A large ornate section at the back of the bar made of carved wood cumulates in a big clock.  The range of beers is good with almost all the Harvey’s offerings being on sale.  They also have a guest beer and fullers London pride.  It was clear that the pub has a good reputation with ale drinkers of London, two of the blokes in there were wearing real ale tshirts.  I found the beers to be exceptionally well kept and the porter I had was very good, with its smoky, charcoal, flavours and sweet caramel and bitter coffee notes.  

I had a look at the menu which had to be one of the most classic examples of British pub grub I’ve every seen.  Loads of simple, comforting food and by the looks of what other were getting good portions too. 

I thoroughly enjoyed sitting there on a Saturday afternoon with my girlfriend enjoying some good company, good beers and a pack of dry roasted nuts.  However I felt that I wanted to check out the pub during a more prime time slot. 

The following Friday with a few blokes from work I went back to the Royal Oak.  All the pubs on the way were rammed, we got to the Royal Oak and….. it was empty again.  Well there were a few tables taken but we walked straight up to the bar where the bar man put down his paper and served us.  So the backstreet location off the main thoroughfare along with the classic pub interior of with no music doesn’t make it the liveliest pub in the area.  That would be my only negative observation as the one thing it did seem to lack was a bit of atmosphere.  I really do not understand why Harvey’s have not bought a more centrally located London pub, they could do better in my opinion. 

Overall if you are looking for a quite drink and a very good pint of real ale then this is the place to visit.  It is let down by its location which is a shame as it is a beautiful well managed pub.  If only it had a bit more atmosphere it would be much better. 

The Dog and Duck

On a warm Friday evening a few weeks ago I went to The Miller over near where I work.  The work lads like to go there as the nurses from guys hospital go there after work, not that I’ve ever seen any of them actually talk to a nurse.  It’s a pub that’s gone for the trendy approach to pub life and it seems to be doing well.  After a pint there I went over to London Bridge to hop on a Boris Bike, they are easily one of the best ways to get around central London.  They cost less than the tube or a bus and you don’t have to cram on with lots of sweaty Londoners.  I’d recommend them but don’t drink and cycle of course!  I cycled up to Soho and parked the bike. 

Soho is a vibrant and busy part of London with lots of bars and restaurants.  There are plenty of good pubs as well as the more modern wine and cocktail bars as well as the unfortunately inescapable eye sores of pubs like a ‘Slug and Lettuce’.  In terms of pubs, there must be 100 pubs within 10 minutes walk of Soho Square.  There is a good website that has mapped all 48 of the pubs within the Soho area, it’d be one hell of a pub crawl.  

The Dog and Duck

My destination for the evening was the The Dog and Duck on the corner of Frith St and Bateman St.  My mates were drinking outside on the pavement so after saying a quick hello nipped inside, crossing the interesting mosaic of a dog and duck to get a pint.  I’d never been for a pint in this pub before and from the outside it looked like a good establishment.  I had my suspicion that it might have been a Nicholsons pub and on entering my suspicions were confirmed. Not that it is a bad thing by any means, they always have a good range of interesting beers. 

The pub would certainly fall into the historical pub interior section.  It is certainly old, the note on the website made me laugh though saying it was ‘famous for serving John Constable, George Orwell and Madona’, I wouldn’t exactly put Madona into the same historical figure list as the previous two.  It’s not very big inside and the bar is particularly small.  The three bar staff behind the bar were whirling around in the non choreographed dance of the bar staff, always just managing to miss one another.  They were doing a good trade but the queue went quite fast and I got a decent IPA style beer.  I am generally a fan of a Nicholsons pub and this one had been done well in my opinion.  The back area of the pub where the tables were looked like it could have done with a bit of work to smarten it up a bit but least there was somewhere to sit if you wanted to.  We were happy enough outside and we had bumped into a school mate of ours.  Our mate ‘Coogs’ was working the crowd and came to say hi for a while.  I told him about this blog and asked his opinion of the pub.  “More Duck less Dog” was the reply, a slightly cryptic message but one that at the time when a few pints down I somehow completely understood.  

Overall I thought it was a good pub.  It had just enough to make it stand slightly above other pubs in the immediate area.  I’d definitely go there again for a beer or two.  As far a recommendation I’d say its worth going to if you are fan of historic pub interiors, the etched glass, wooden panelling and interior features are worth a look.  If you are looking for a real ale then you are guaranteed a good one here.  If you have time I’d suggest exploring the area a little and trying other pubs in the area too as many of them have a lot to offer.   

The Argyll Arms

Being a true gent I took my girlfriend out for a drink and dinner the other week up in central London.  I did manage to chose the location so of course there was no question that we would be going to a pub on my list.  We went over to the Argyll Arms as she had been shopping on Oxford St.  Located in one of the busiest parts of London just near Oxford Circus the Argyll Arms is certainly not going to suffer from a lack of passing trade.  Finding the pub easily it was obvious that it was popular with a wide range of after work drinkers.  Everyone from, city boys, scaffolders and tourists were outside having a pint after work.  Entering the pub it was clear it was a Nicholsons pub.  I’ve been to enough now this year to be able to spot the pub styles very quickly.  The dark wooden panels and bar with dark wooden floorboards and etched glass reminded me of several of the pubs I’d been to already.  The dark wooden interior with some dividers around the bar reminded me of the Windsor Castle and the etched glass reminded me of the Sailsbury.  Neither features were as striking at the two pubs mentioned but they are well set out and provide a good historic looking interior.  I’m not sure how much is original or not.  The back of the pub was carpeted and did suffer from the stale beer smell that gets trapped in the windowless rooms at the back of pubs.  The bar man was pretty useless, a bored South African who was clearly tired of working in a pub serving tourists who didn’t speak English.  

We managed to get ourselves a drink after some eager non English speaking tourists worked out what they wanted.  I had a pint of the Atlantic IPA by Sharps which also had quite a sharp taste.  The range of beers is not too bad, fairly decent for a central London pub.  Nothing overly special about the beer though.  

When I had mentioned to my mate woody that I was going to the Argyll he gave a shake of his head to indicate he didn’t think much of it.  I found it a fairly middle of the range pub compared with the pubs visited so far on my list.  This is not by any means a write off as I think I’m usually fairly critical so to get middle of the range from this list means it would be bloody good compared to most but not outstanding overall.  The best thing about the pub is that it has managed to maintain its character in such a busy area surrounded by other standard pubs and ubiquitous coffee chains.

I’d recommend this pub if you are up in that part of London but don’t go too far out of your way for a pint there.

The Harp and The Lord Moon of the Mall

Making the most of the long Easter break I had the pleasure of meeting up a mate of mine from university, Dr Alex Beaton.  Meeting up with the Dr was cool because it reminded me how sociable visiting pubs was and how my little quest was allowing me to see friends who are not always that available. 

I lived with Alex for three years so we know each other pretty well, plus both being from London originally and both enjoying pubs and real ale I knew it was going to be a good evening.  We did the usual meet up at Charring Cross and went down to the Princess of Wales for a pint before deciding where to go first.  I never realised how often I go to the Princess of Wales before till I started this blog!   

On arrival Alex announced that he had brought with him two bottles of the home brew he had brewed.  My initial thought was I hope I liked it because I wouldn’t want to be rude and have to pretend to like it if it was no good.  But my fears were unfounded, the double fermented beer was really good.  Alex had been aiming for a dark winter warmer type beer and had well and truly succeeded.  The strength of the beer around 6%ABV was perfect for a cold winters evening.  The chocolate, molasses flavours with hints of raspberry and oranges finished off with a subtle bitterness made for a thoroughly drinkable pint and by far the best home brew I’d ever had.  It was as yet unnamed (Alex let me know if you have named it yet).  We drank the beer sitting in Trafalgar Square and moved on down into Whitechapel to the The Lord Moon of the Mall.  

Alex and his home brew

I’d been talking up this beer trip over the evening and telling Alex about some of the good pubs I’ve been to so far this year so I may have got his hopes up quite a bit.  As we approached the Lord Moon we started to notice subtle signs that set the alarm bells ringing.  The writing seemed familiar and we jokingly said ‘I hope its not a Weatherspoons’.  No signs outside advertised the Spoons brand but as we entered Alex spotted the J.D.W initials on the door frame.  I immediately received the justified comment from Alex ‘I’ve come all the way up to London to go to a fucking Weathersoons?’.  There was not much I could do other than apologies and get a round in.  The building which used to be a bank has been given the usual Spoons decoration.  I felt it was looking a bit tired when we were there, its a big space and with the few groups in there it felt pretty empty and lacking in atmosphere.  The usual Spoons smell of poor people and gravy pervades the pub.  

Lord Moon of the Mall

Turning our attention to the bar we looked over the list of beers on tap (the only saving grace).  At least Spoons pubs have a decent number of ales on tap.  The beer was decent and I stuck to my self made rule of having a minimum of two pints in each of the pubs on my list.  We spent most of the time discussing how bad Spoons pubs can be and how we did not feel the need for the ‘double up for £1.50’ signs plastered around the pub.  Needless to say we didn’t stay long and swiftly made an exit, I would not recommend this pub at all.  There are better pubs around and to prove it we took a five minute walk back over the otherside of Trafalgar Square to the The Harp.  

The Harp (not my pic)

The Harp is a pub I had been looking forward to visiting for a while and I’m glad we went there second on the day as it more than made up for the terrible Spoons.  The Harp is an outstanding central London pub.  It currently holds the very high accolade of CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2010\2011.  The accolade is well deserved, as soon as we entered we knew we were in for a good evening.  We had both been to the pub before a few years previously when the Harp was the London Cider Pub of the Year so we knew roughly what to expect, even those expectations were surpassed. Entering we found ourselves in a pub with a convivial relaxed atmosphere decorated with fine art and hand pump labels around the bar.  I like pubs where they use the handpump labels as decoration.  The other pub I know that does that is the Market Porter in Borough Market.  Pump labels are art in themselves and displayed together are interesting collages.  

The bar

The pub, on the evening we were there was perfect for what we were looking for, the eight ales on tap added to the experience and we wasted no time in getting stuck in.  There is not much point listing the beers they have as they have such a broad range with some regulars such as Sambrooks, Dark Star, Harveys and Twickenham Ales (plus I forgot to write them all down).  We got a seat at the small bench tables just past the bar and soaked up the atmosphere, whilst sampling all the beers they had on offer.  I recognised the bar man as having worked in The Chandos  just up the road he’s not moved far but has definitely gone up in the world.  All the staff in there were quick to serve and most importantly knowlegable about their products! 

This pub is the complete antithesis of the other pub we had been to and I would highly recommend this pub to anyone. This pub is perfect for anyone who loves good pubs, good beer, good conversation. Alex and I both very much enjoyed The Harp and will certainly be going back someday.

The Blackfriar and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Thursday night before the long Easter weekend seemed like the ideal time to go pub hunting once again.  Workers of London would be out later than usual to celebrating the long weekend so the pubs would be full of people having fun. 

A short walk from work took me to the Brew Wharf at Borough Market where there were some work drinks happening.  I’d not been there before, on first impressions it looked a bit like a wine bar.  The people in there were all very smart like they were going for a day at the races.  Girls in full dresses and blokes all suited up.  The prices matched the expensive look of the place.  But I thought the overall feel of the place was nice.  It might not be so good on a cold winter day but on an unseasonally hot April day it was perfect as 90% of the pub is outside on a big patio.  Plus the beer was well kept and interesting.  They had two house beers which I always like to see.  I only tried the IPA and was not a huge fan of it as it was slightly too bitter and dry.  They made up for that by serving a good range of other specialty beers and lagers.  I had a pint of very expensive Brugge Zot and two good pints of Cotswold Dark Lager.  I know I had a lager.  Shocking... It was a really good pint and I’d happily drink it anytime.  One thing I am surprised about it how I didn’t see any of this when I was actually in the Cotswolds!  

Time to head on to hit some of the pubs on my list.  First up for the evening was the The Blackfriar about a 15 min walk over the millennium bridge from Borough Market.  Located on a busy road near to Blackfriars station the wedge shaped pub delivers a calming retreat once inside.  The Nicholsons owned pub is dressed in the usual Nicholsons style with lots of curly writing wood and brass hand pumps.  The marble frescos of the Blackfriar monks that adorn the walls give a sense of sobriety to the place.  Having lots of stone in a place can sometimes lead to a cold feeling but the marble is mostly a golden brown colour which gives a nice atmosphere.  The link to the history of the area is a nice touch and something that really adds to the pub experience.  The seating areas looked comfortable but we stood outside.   

The Blackfriar

Barman and some good ales

Inside the pub

Being a Nicholsons pub they had a good range of ales on tap from their list of 20 ales on their books.  I’d love to know how they chose the beers on their list.  That must be a great job choosing the ales.  On the day we were drinking Downton Honey Blonde and another good beer from the Butcombe Brewery Old Vic.  Both were well kept and lovely to drink.  A few times the tattooed long haired bar man was a bit short on his pouring but was happy to top up when asked.  My mate woody did not seem to be a huge fan of the pub.  As seems to be the case, my notes which at the time probably would have made perfect sense now are as clear as mud.  I should have noted down Woody’s opinion (if you read this let me know what you thought).  The only note I had from the day simply said ‘I wouldn’t kiss a sausage on the cheek’.  Anyway I liked the pub and would definitely go back.  I’d recommend it as a good pub for a session and it looks like it would be good in the winter too.  

Outside area

Ben, Dave and Woody

Short pints

Ed man Stott

As the clock was ticking both on the evening to get to another pub and for me to get through all the pubs on my list this year we took a walk along fleet street to the famous pub Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.  The pub is a must visit pub for put interior enthusiasts and tourists alike.  Entering the pub via a narrow alley way off Fleet Street you see on the outside a list of 15 monarchs who’s reign has come and gone since the pub has been standing gives a sense of the age of the pub you are about to enter.  The second clue to the old traditions being upheld is the sawdust you’ll notice in the grate at the entrance and on the floor of the pub.  This certainly harks back to a bygone age when sawdust was used to soak up any spilt beer and any unfortunate bodily releases that can result from consuming too much beer and mead.  Going further into the pub its dark wooden panelling (standard for most Sam Smiths pubs) is wall to wall.  Various websites argue over the age of the panels I’ll go as far as saying some of it is old, very old!  The rooms are small on the ground floor with short bars with room for one barman only so it can be busy and crowded.  Even when busy it is a big enough pub to explore and stepping from one room out into the corridor you notice the noise drop away like the history is soaking up the noise.  There are a number of rooms in the pub and I may have even missed some myself, the biggest room where we ended up sitting in a booth is down stairs.  The room opens up into a bigger space unlike the small rooms upstairs and the decor is newer than above with tiled floor and newer panels.  The usual array of Sam Smiths produce is available, Sovereign bitter, Alpine Lager etc.  I’m not as much of a fan of Sam Smiths as when I was a student as I can afford better beer now.  I used to go to the Chandos by Charring Cross quite a bit but not been in ages as the beer is crap.  Me and Woody both discovered that Sam Smiths beer leaves you with a horrible hang over.  I find the Sovereign Bitter the most drinkable (but not nice) of the beers they have on tap despite its incredibly metallic aftertaste.  

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a pub that should be visited.  It should be visited because it is old and keeps the sense of history alive well.  It should be visited for the experience of drinking in an interesting and historic location.  I am not trying to be deliberately controversial when I say this BUT I don’t think it is worth the fuss it seems to get.  My first visit to the pub some years ago was one of the most disappointing visits to a pub I’ve ever had.  I’d heard so much about ‘oh you must visit the Cheshire Cheese’ and arrived to find it to be just another dark Sam Smiths pub.  I’ve read the lack of natural light gives it a ‘gloomy charm’, that is some great estate agent spin right there.  Woody mentioned he didn’t like the fact he couldn’t tell if it was 10am or 10pm.  I’m not sure quite how the pub got the reputation it has other than from being very old.  I’m just saying it’s worth dropping by for a swift pint and a look around but don’t get your hopes up for a nice beer or an enjoyable session.    

The 'gloomy atmosphere'

Standard Sam Smiths

So two historic very old pub done in one evening.  My favourite of the two is definitely the Blackfriar I am looking forward to another visit there one day.  After all that beer a curry was needed and we wandered off in search of food.  A good night out. 

Riverside pubs

Pubs on rivers always have a certain draw to them and a natural geographical advantage.  Sitting by a river at a good pub in the summer enjoying a pint on the banks is a beautiful thing.  Seeing the swans, ducks or other water fowl, seeing fish leaping, listening to the sound of the river or just enjoying the scenery is a great way to spend an afternoon.  There are a great number of pubs along rivers in the UK and I’d love to hear from people about what they think is the best one.  Just thinking of a few that I have been to The The Trout Inn in Oxfordshire is a cool pub with good food and ales right on the upper reaches of the Thames with a big pub garden overlooking the river as it winds its way across the countryside.  One other pub that has diversified to make the most of its river side setting is the Peat Spade Inn in Hampshire located on the river Test in prime fishing territory.  They hire out fishing equipment to tourists and experienced anglers along with providing them with a good quality packed lunch made with local ingredients.  Across the county there must be loads of good pubs long our nations rivers and all the pubs along the canals too that sprouted up in the industrial age.  

The Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge

Tadpole Bridge

Thinking closer to home again now about pubs on the river in London, I certainly would not profess to know them all and in fact I’m sure there are a great number that I’ve not been to yet.  Just off the top of my head I know there a few on my list for this year such as The Dove, The Gun and The Prospect of Whitby.  Being a city dominated by the river Thames it’s hardly a surprise that there are pubs along the river front.  

The River (not my pic)

So you are probably wondering why I am going on about river side pubs so much today…   The reason is on Saturday night I went to the Founders Arms located by the Tate Modern to the west of the millennium bridge.  The pub was on my list and having only been there once before I was eager to go back for a proper visit.  The first thing you notice about the pub is that it is clearly a fairly new building plonked right on the south bank.  It’s a fairly ugly edifice to be honest.  Outside is a patio along the Thames with the usual pub benches, they have created a bit of atmosphere (and warmth) with flames that spring out of the patio around the benches.  The seats outside are the prime location for the pub and even on the evening when I was there when it was pretty cold people were still sitting out there.  The views are of blackfriers bridge now a train station and across to the city and St Pauls.  It’s a good view but I’m afraid that’s about the only positive thing I can say about the pub.  Upon entering you will notice that its owned by Youngs who have given it the air port lounge feel.  It’s also more of a bar than a pub with loud generic music with a thumping baseline repeating over and over.  When I was there it was full of pissed up blokes.  I’d say the cliental is pretty chav as far as that works as an analogy.  A bunch of skin head eastern Europeans were getting stuck into some heavy drinking while other groups cracked on with jeager bombs, vodka lemonades and anything else that would get them pissed up as quick as possible.  Lager drinkers dominated and with only three ales on tap not much choice for anyone who didn’t want fizzy tasteless beer.  The general cliental seemed to have the devolved in terms of mental capacity.  The two pints of courage I had were Okay but not that well kept.  We eventually got a seat by the window and sat at the sticky table and shouted at one another over the music for a while.  Food was being served and it looked grim, lifeless frozen re heated meats and microwave foods came out looking limp and un appetizing.  I was glad I had eaten down the river already.  I guess if the customers are all hammered then they wont be too fussed about what the food is like.  To add a little perspective I should mention I had been once before and had a similar experience so I was not overly surprised.  Another point to make it that I do see the point of pubs like the Founders Arms, I’d not make out like I’ve never been on a night out with a bunch of blokes looking to get drunk far from it and on those occasions the Founders Arms is the sort of place we would be looking for (except for the prices).  So to sum up what I thought of the pub… Souless, over prices, loud, uncomfortable and not worth visiting.  I am shocked the Good Pub Guide have it as an entry and not at all what I would class as a good pub!!

The Founders Arms

I know my riverside pub experience has not got off to a great start on this journey what with not being a fan of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich and definitely not being a fan of the Founders Arms but I know there is some good stuff to come!  The last point I would make is a positive one as there are a number of better pubs in the area around the South Bank that can be visited and while they may not all meet my high standards for a ‘good pub’ are much better than the Founders Arms.  For example the Anchor Bankside and the The Old Thameside Inn  and the Doggets right on the river with great views.  The Anchor probably being the best of these three.  I might get around to doing a proper review of some of these in time. 

So pub fans do not be disheartened by the Founders Arms and do try to visit some of the other riverside pubs in London when you get a chance.  I’m looking forward to getting to the rest of the river side pubs on my list. 

***New Pics added below, I had to go back from a work drinks so took some new pics.

The View

The pub

The bar, four deep

Still a rubbish pub!!

London Waterloo Pubs

Friday night and I needed a beer after work.  On the pub menu for the evening was the Fire Station at Waterloo.  I met up with a few mates including my usual pub chum, Eddy.  I felt a bit bad having suggested the pub as I’d been before and knew it wasn’t great.  But on the other hand it was on the list so I had to give it a visit.  

Fire Station Waterloo (not my pic)

The Fire Station is just outside Waterloo train station and I’d been there several times before due to its useful location for a cheeky pint while waiting for a train.  The pub is divided into three parts.  Most of the so called pub is actually a restaurant that you have to be eating in to sit there.  The other two parts are where the bar is and some sitting area.  The pub doesn’t have much character.  It was once a fire station and I’m guessing some of the original features are the same like the floor tiles but it’s not that interesting in terms of design.  It is probably a good thing they got rid of the fireman’s pole as that may lead to some confusion about the function of the pub!  The feel of the pub is very much wine bar rather than pub.  The shiny black tiled area that is the restaurant looks like a pizza express or other bland chain restaurant.  So the place is part wine bar, part pub and part restaurant.  Unfortunately it has not done any of these very well.  It would be better off just focusing on one and getting good at that rather than having three poor elements to make the whole.  

Ed and Catherine

As I usually do I like to sample some pub snacks, I asked for a pack of nuts and was told I would have to wait until they were heated.  I told them not to bother, I didn’t need some stupid hot nuts.  One of my mates got some later on and it was not worth the cost or the fact they were warmed up.  Pointless.  

Pub or bar I can't decide

The other problem is the price.  Don’t expect much change from a tenner if you get two drinks in there.  So pretty disappointing overall, I wouldn’t recommend visiting this pub if you are a fan of real ale with the 3 ales being fairly ordinary, I wouldn’t recommend visiting as pub lover.  Oh well let’s hope the next pub is better.