Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Blog

  • Hull – Hop and Vine (Second Visit)

    Hull – Hop and Vine (Second Visit)

    This was my second visit to the Hop and Vine in Hull, and it’s fair to say that my first visit last year impressed me. I can almost hear Nathan muttering about the bloody Hop and Vine given how many times I mention it, but it was my pub of the year for 2019. And Tony kindly did an interview for me a few weeks back.

    So, I went back with two other people and, to be honest, I wasn’t sure whether the engagement of my first visit could be repeated. Perhaps I was just fortunate the first time and it might all be a let-down. More on this later.

    This is what Richard ordered, a bottle of mead. It’s not something that I’d think to order, but he enjoyed it. I ordered a rather lovely dark beer, but, enough of that, let’s move briefly onto the food.

    The pork pies….

    And the cheese-board, for a bargain £5.

    I’m going to speed over the subject of food and drink, not because they were bad, indeed they were impeccable as ever. The choice of drinks was wide and carefully thought through, whether that was with the whiskies, the beers, the ciders or the gins. To me, the main part of this visit was seeing if the customer service was as good as I remembered it. And – it was.

    When we entered, and without the customers knowing who was coming in, someone moved to another table to make space for us. This is a very good start in any pub. But here, the customers were speaking to each other, whether they were locals or newcomers, and my plan to visit for an hour got ripped up as we stayed for over four hours. I’m not going to drone on about this pub again, it’s clear I think it’s the best pub I’ve been to in the country. It has community written all over it, it’s marvellous.

    All I’ll say is that I’ve no idea how a landlord can build up an atmosphere where customers feel welcome and, most importantly, they make other customers welcome as well. This pub in a cellar has an almost undefinable quality and only twice in the hundreds (probably thousands) of pubs I’ve been to have I experienced this level of engagement and both times it’s at this pub.

    This pub is as near perfection as I could want it to be. I will be back next year. And, to anyone visiting Hull, just pop in, I’m confident nearly everyone will be pleased that they did.

  • The Craft Beer Section of Fuller’s Web-Site

    The Craft Beer Section of Fuller’s Web-Site

    I make no comment about what displays on the craft beer section of Fuller’s web-site…..

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – The Union Tavern near Westbourne Park

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – The Union Tavern near Westbourne Park

    This is the Union Tavern, near to Westbourne Park underground station and it’s a Fuller’s pub which has embraced craft beer. I was perhaps unfortunate that I seemed to arrive at the only time during that part of the afternoon that a table outside wasn’t available (I nearly always avoid outside, but it was very humid), although I hadn’t booked and I didn’t return to the bar to see if I could move to be fair.

    The temperature inside was way too hot for me, so I made this visit relatively brief and didn’t sample as many beers as I would have done. Track and trace was in operation though, the staff member was polite and everything was clean and tidy.

    A well thought through selection of beers, by far and away the best I’ve seen at a Fuller’s pub. I also liked that they made the effort to print these sheets out for customers, they were very useful. I went for a Cambrian Root by Vibrant Forest Brewery and this was well-kept with a rich taste of chocolate. There’s a focus on beers from London, but there are some other options as well, and their web-site mentions occasional meet the brewer sessions.

    This is a really good canned beer list, with Siren Craft, Tiny Rebel and Brew York amongst the choices.

    That’s all I can write about the pub, it was potentially a joy, but the heat drove me away much quicker than I had anticipated. But, from all accounts, its position in the Good Beer Guide seems justified from what I saw with a welcoming vibe to it.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – The Italian Job

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – The Italian Job

    I’ve never written a blog post like this.

    But, I walked out as I felt unsafe.

    I hope I never have to write another blog post like this again.

    Anyway, they are a company which has a few outlets, so I’ll try another one out of a sense of balance. And, as an update, I did, and it was much better. Which makes me feel much better about them, so all is well with the world again…

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Victoria (Paddington)

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Victoria (Paddington)

    This is part of my continued meander around Good Beer Guide pubs and it’s located a relatively short walk away from Paddington railway station. It is named, as so many things are, after Queen Victoria and it might have opened on the same day as she was born. But this might be a myth, but it’s what CAMRA say might be true….

    The inside of the pub, which is listed on the CAMRA’s list of nationally important historic interiors. Much of what remains is mid-Victorian or inspired from the period, with the pub having avoided the modernisation that so many other locations have suffered from.

    The pub didn’t have any dark beer options, for which the staff member apologised and explained they weren’t busy enough to get the throughput that they’d need at the moment. So, I settled for half a pint of Fuller’s London Pride and some Mini Cheddars. The drink was as good a pint of London Pride as I’ve had, but it was just a little disappointing this was as exciting as it got.

    The service though was marvellous, engaging and helpful, with the staff being friendly and polite. It was clear that most of the customers were locals, but the pub still seemed to be offering a warm welcome to all. I think that the staff member who served me was actually the operator and if so, they’ve been here for over fifteen years. Fuller’s do perhaps need to take off their web-site though that this was their pub of the year in 2007 and 2009, there’s a limited amount that customers can do with that information given it is now ten years out of date.

    As an aside, CAMRA notes that Charles Dickens might have written some of his works here and, in 1966, David Bowie hosted a gig here. Certainly, an interesting pub and it justifies its place in the Good Beer Guide, but hopefully, they can return to a wider selection of drinks as things get busier again. The pub is well-reviewed (and the owner takes great care in responding to feedback which I like) and they were also taking trace and trace seriously, with everything seeming to be managed in a professional manner. All rather lovely and a comfortable location to have a drink or two.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Brewdog Paddington

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Brewdog Paddington

    I’m still working my way around Brewdogs in the UK, although, unfortunately, not quite as fast as I’d like. Anyway, this is their outlet in Paddington, a sizeable affair located by the Floating Pocket Park. There’s some work going on outside the front of the pub, but it is in there somewhere on this photo.

    This is probably a better photo, it’s what the Brewdog looks out onto.

    The beer list and I went for The Boogie Below, a milkshake IPA from New Bristol Brewery. They did have a very tempting imperial stout, the Brush from Omnipollo, but it was £8 for a third of a pint and I’m not as decadent as Nathan. Anyway, back to the drink I actually did have, it was suitably summery and refreshing with the pineapple and coconut being evident in the taste. A lingering aftertaste and at an appropriate chilled temperature, all rather lovely.

    This is a good idea, something that probably works alongside Deskdog, which is an area that people can get work done. I’m not sure how popular a designated separate area would be, as I like sitting in the main part of the pub, but it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves.

     

    And the interior is so on-trend it slightly hurts, but it’s still comfortable, welcoming and fun. The beer choices were excellent and there was a range of different styles, with the staff being knowledgeable as usual. This is rather a decent addition to the Brewdog chain, although it wasn’t particularly busy when I visited on a Tuesday lunchtime.

    The staff were friendly and engaging, with the track and trace requirements being met and everything was clean and organised. Brewdog took over here from Draft House, who still operate a few pubs across London, in early 2019. All told, a rather lovely visit.

  • London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    After my trip to the Museum of London a couple of weeks ago, it reminded me that I hadn’t visited the Museum of London Docklands for eight years. Located near to Canary Wharf, it first opened in 2003 in former sugar warehouses and it’s an extensive collection that looks at the history of shipping and trade in London. It’s well put together and there’s plenty of material that is accessible to younger visitors, such as a recreation of a dockside scene.

    The museum ticketing process was all well managed and they didn’t have many people in the building at one time, I’m not sure whether by design or lack of demand. Like the Museum of London’s main location, they scan visitors in and out so that they know how many people are in the building. A visit here is likely to take a good ninety minutes or so, perhaps longer, with the museum being free of charge.

    The museum is very well-reviewed, they’ve only picked up three very poor reviews on TripAdvisor, which is some going. One of those was last week because someone came with a cabin bag and was confused they couldn’t get in, despite the museum making that clear in advance. Another person objected to being asked if they’d make a donation and the remaining negative reviewer complained that they spent thirty minutes in the cafe nearly to the last entry of the day and then were refused access to the galleries.

    Anyway, I digress. Here are some photos…..

  • Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Located down The Pathway in Hull is this strange door, partly bricked up and looking rather mysterious. I’m sure that it’s intrigued many people over the decades, but it was originally a back entrance to 16 Bowlalley Lane. This is now a residential building that has been split into flats, but it was once a much grander single property and this side door in the passage was used by tradespeople to avoid using the main front entrance.

  • Random Post – Barcode Scanners and White Stripes

    Random Post – Barcode Scanners and White Stripes

    Well, you learn something new every day…. I’m not sure how useful this knowledge is in my day to day life though.

  • Hull – Furley and Co (Second Visit)

    Hull – Furley and Co (Second Visit)

    This is my second visit to this Good Beer Guide listed pub in Hull, having already visited here in late 2019. I liked the laid-back atmosphere and felt that it was a suitable place to return to. The welcome given on entry was polite and helpful, with our pre-booked table being ready on the first floor.

    Two photos of the first-floor dining room, which remained empty until just as we were leaving. I think it was going to be a relatively busy lunch-time for them though, it was just that some customers had reserved tables for a little later on.

    How lovely. The ordering process works by ticking boxes on a piece of paper and then going back down to the bar to order. This was fine, although I wasn’t entirely thrilled at having to carry the tray of three drinks and a bottle up to the first floor, not out of laziness, but through being concerned that I might drop the bloody thing. I did hint that I wasn’t entirely delighted at this arrangement, but, fortunately, all went well.

    To be honest, this air conditioning unit looks like I’ve fitted it. But, that also means that I was entirely happy with how it looked jutting out as it does.

    And my meal, I went for a lighter snack of salt and pepper chicken wrap and this was sufficiently well presented. I’m not a big fan of smaller plates as there’s less room to cut things (and one of my fries fell off the plate onto the floor when the waitress placed it down), but the meal was more substantial than it looked when served. The chicken was tender and the fries were very moreish, although I find that they generally are. The others ordered the boar burger, which was apparently also entirely satisfactory which was very pleasing.

    The beer, which I didn’t photograph as I think I needed a rest after carrying the tray up the stairs, was Port Out from Half Moon Brewery. They’re a micro-brewery from Ellerton, which isn’t a huge distance from Hull, with the beer being rich and having a pleasant chocolatey finish to it. It seems that the pub are making a real effort to source beers locally, a plan which should be applauded.

    Everything was well managed in the pub and the range of beers was well measured with a variety of different styles available. I also like that their on-line booking system allows customers to choose their own seating in the pub, so that they can sit wherever they like without that being chosen for them by the staff. On that theme, the staff were friendly and this was a comfortable place to spend an hour. All very lovely.