Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: London

  • London – Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street

    London – Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street

    I haven’t grumbled about anything in a while, so now feels appropriate. I received an e-mail on behalf of Hard Rock Cafe saying that they had a 50% offer which was off all food in their Oxford Street location in London. This is a very good offer, as Hard Rock might be a little expensive, but that makes it quite a reasonable expedition to get food at half price. I’ve been to around ten Hard Rock Cafes over the years, with the service in Atlanta and Krakow being outstanding, and my visit a few months to Hard Rock Cafe Bucharest was also perfectly enjoyable.

    Anyway, after being quite interested in this offer, it was then noted that solo diners were excluded from taking part. So, group sizes of 2 to 6. I don’t much like this at the best of times, but it’s vaguely understandable as solo diners don’t make as much money. But, nor do three diners at a table for four. And, judging from recent reviews, Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street is not exactly busy. Which is evident from their deluging food out at half price.

    I remember doing some work for a certain Italian restaurant a few years ago which was how to make solo diners welcome. This was marvellous, there are people who are on business trips, who might be lonely, key workers or just people who want to get out of the house. Ideally, the welcome should be positive and engaging for all of those, especially somewhere upbeat such as Hard Rock Cafe which can offer that friendly feel.

    Or, they could be like the management at Hard Rock Cafe in Oxford Street who puts two fingers up at solo diners. Unimpressed.

    Anyway, moving on, I can write about the rather lovely brewery I’ve just been to.

  • British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    This was the British Airways aircraft in Warsaw, G-NEOY, one of the new Airbus A321-Neo aircraft and this was only delivered to BA on 15 June 2020. It wasn’t the aircraft that they expected to use, but the UK Government announced an end to the travel corridor from Poland and this was one of the last flights back to the UK that avoided this issue. So, the aircraft was entirely full.

    The gate was busy and the announcements were hard to hear as the tannoy wasn’t very loud. There was boarding via seat row and this seemed sufficiently well managed.

    The free snacks provided en route, although three customers near to me tried to order food and drink from the Buy on Board service which has been suspended for some months. The crew explained that it was unsafe to serve customers food at the moment, and one customer asked why they were serving food then. It isn’t an unreasonable question (and the crew member couldn’t answer it), although I’m happy with the current set-up.

    This was one of the tensest flights that I’ve been on with British Airways and it’s clear that some passengers were on edge throughout. A passenger opposite me who reclined his seated immediately and then hugged the seat in front of him was one of the more selfish I’ve seen, but I was pleased he wasn’t near to me. This same customer also irritated a member of cabin crew who ordered him over the tannoy to sit down after we had landed otherwise he’d suspend the disembarkation process. It was the same customer who talked over the safety announcements and ignored the crew throughout, then seemed confused why he was being called out for standing up whilst taxiing to the gate. I quite liked the drama to be fair.

    Overall, this wasn’t an expensive flight as I booked early, although the last few seats were costing hundreds of pounds each for those who needed to return home before 4am on Saturday when the travel corridor option was slammed shut. The problem with this new aircraft is that it’s not very comfortable when it’s at this capacity. There’s not enough space and things such as the at-seat power didn’t work, which it really should have done given how new the aircraft was.

    But, having written that, I was just pleased to get back out of Poland given the travel corridor issue, and British Airways didn’t let me down there. The flight was around thirty minutes late in departing due to a delayed outbound flight to Warsaw, but our aircraft arrived just one minute later than timetabled as they were able to make the time up. It was a slight shame that the aircraft landed at C-gates, as that’s a bit of a trek back, but the airport wasn’t particularly busy. So, all sufficiently pleasant, but not my best flight with BA.

  • London – Waltham Forest (Borough of) – The Drum

    London – Waltham Forest (Borough of) – The Drum

    This is one of the oldest pubs in the JD Wetherspoon estate (opened in the mid-1980s) and it’s one of their smaller locations as well. Since I was staying at the Ibis Styles nearly next door, this proved to be a convenient breakfast option and it’s the best part of a decade since I was last here.

    As an aside, this is the opposite side of the street, and in the middle (with the white doors) is the former JD Wetherspoon pub that was known as The Auctioneers. That pub was even smaller than The Drum, which is named incidentally as the former owners had a collection of commemorative drums hanging from the ceiling.

    Photos of the interior and this is about the entire size of the place. It was all sufficiently clean, the health protocols were followed and the staff member was personable and helpful.

    A dray delivery arrived when I was there, which meant closing off the bar area and pretty much suspending service as well.

    And the traditional breakfast, purchased under the bargain JD Wetherspoon £2.99 for a traditional breakfast which is running at the moment. This is as good as their breakfasts get, the egg was runny and the bacon was crisp, with everything served hot. There were a couple of other customers in the pub, but it was otherwise quiet when I was there, although that was between 08:00 and 09:00 to be fair….

    I think this is one of the better pubs in the JD Wetherspoon estate as it retains some atmosphere to it, unlike some of their larger more sterile pubs. Having written that though, I think it fills up quickly, so it’s probably a nuisance to get a seat quite a lot of the time. As a piece of JD Wetherspoon history, it’s interesting though, and perhaps an unusual survivor.

  • Heathrow T5

    Heathrow T5

    Just some photos from Heathrow T5 today, it didn’t feel that busy anywhere.

  • London – Shoreditch – Goose Island Brewpub (Visit 2)

    London – Shoreditch – Goose Island Brewpub (Visit 2)

    I’ve pinched this exterior photo from my first visit to Goose Island, but the rest are from my second visit. I went as I had a voucher for a free drink, so thought this visit would be a marvellous idea after arriving into London Liverpool Street railway station.

    The tap list, which had a wide range of different beer styles including from Goose Island themselves and also guests. And, this is what I have to say annoys me a little about other pubs. I don’t expect country pubs to have this spectacular array of drinks, but it’s a shame that some make nearly no effort other than to offer some bland mass-produced IPA. Especially given a lot of this stuff is also available in cans, making it easy to store and with long best before dates.

    It wasn’t overly busy.

    The service was exceptional and the barman knew his stuff about the beers, which was a delight in itself. It’s rather lovely when the staff don’t just name beers, but also really engage about them. I know a barman in Norwich who was moderately good at doing this, but I won’t name him here….. The health requirements were well managed and one customer who came in and didn’t want to use his phone to sign in, instead wanting to write his name down, was refused entry.

    I went for the Eric by Brewski and the Forty Watermelons from Goose Island themselves, being rather delighted that one was free. The other drink isn’t a gin or tonic, it’s a water since I picked two different beer types and wanted something between them.

    The Eric by Brewski was decadent, a word I’ve been using too much recently, but absolutely appropriate here. Rich, smooth and a flavour of coffee and chocolate running through, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The Forty Watermelons was a bit complex with its strong flavours of watermelon and mint, being rather quite sour, although that’s not a bad thing since it is a sour. Not quite as packed with flavour as I had expected, but still very drinkable and a nice contrast to the imperial stout.

    The bar is doing money off food and soft drinks at the moment, 25% off and this is a continuation of the Eat Out to Help Out campaign. I didn’t eat today, although I know from my previous visit that the food is excellent. Anyway, this is a quite beautiful bar and it’s another place which is on-trend not because that’s how they’ve designed it, but because others are following this sort of style. The staff members were knowledgeable and helpful, so this was another pretty much perfect visit.

  • London – Thames Photos

    London – Thames Photos

    Back in London today, giving me an opportunity to take more night-time photos by the River Thames, a little further downstream the river than last week.

  • London – River Thames City Walk

    London – River Thames City Walk

    And another walk led by the formidable Des (the one with the bag swung nonchalantly over his shoulder) and I deliberately booked a later train back to Norwich so that I could come on this. That’s dedication…. I was fortunate that someone on the walk kindly explained how I could use my phone to take photos at night, there was a setting that I never bothered to explore. Anyway, that means I could take photos and below is the result of that experimentation.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Camden Road Draft House

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Camden Road Draft House

    This is a sizeable pub in Camden, located opposite Camden Road Overground Station. I never knew this until today, but the Draft House chain is now part of Brewdog (they bought it a couple of years ago), which explains why they share so much in terms of branding and beers. I wonder if they’d have been better of swapping buildings with the smaller Brewdog Camden, but there we go….. According to WhatPub, this has gone through a few incarnations over the years, “formerly the Eagle, then Rosie O’Grady’s, then Mac Bar, then Grand Union”.

    For those who don’t want to sit inside, there is outdoor seating on the pavement where you can enjoy traffic fumes and noise. The set-up here allowed me a suitable compromise, the ability to people watch, but with a lovely sheet of glass to keep out traffic and cigarette fumes.

    All modern and on-trend, as well as being quiet which is a little unfortunate for the pub. I imagine it’s a busy place on weekends and evenings though given it’s in a fashionable area. The staff member was friendly, so all welcoming and comfortable.

    The tap list on screens.

    Ordering was a bit of a faff, their system isn’t the most logical (there are lots of steps) and they had to explain it in some detail to a neighbouring table where it failed. Anyway, I got there, but was slightly annoyed that the prices on this tap list don’t match the prices on the app. The pub was serving food and I was amused (because it reminded me of someone….) that the couple near me ordered cauliflower wings as it’s buy one vegan side and get one free on Thursdays. I didn’t partake, although I might have done if it was Wednesday as they have unlimited chicken wings on, rather replicating the Brewdog theme.

    The Brewdog Oatmeal Stout, a perfectly acceptable drink, at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature and although not silky smooth, it had a certain richness to it.

    It’s all a decent modernisation of a Victorian pub, without its heritage being entirely destroyed. Spacious and with a suitable range of beers, all rather lovely.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Brewdog

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Brewdog

    And another day in London, so another Brewdog for my little collection…. This one is located in Camden and was formerly the Laurel Tree which had closed and then been turned into a restaurant. Brewdog were given permission to return it to use as a pub in 2011 and it became their first outlet in London.

    The pub is bright and modern in feel and although there’s a basement level, it isn’t the largest Brewdog in the estate. The staff member was friendly and helpful, with the appropriate health protocols all being handled professionally.

    The beer choice was wide, although there were no interesting dark beers from guest brewers, which is a little rare for Brewdog. Anyway, they had their own beer of Pudding Face which I haven’t had before and this was a quiet remarkable drink, as it tasted of a chocolate eclair. Beer shouldn’t have to taste like this, but I’m pleased when it does. It was certainly just a little decadent and there were tastes of pastry, chocolate and toffee, all coming together beautifully in a beer. I’m now rather glad that there weren’t any guest beers to try, as I would have missed out on this. Brewdog isn’t trying to be the cheapest option for beers, and this was towards the higher end of the scale, but the quality was high.

    As an aside, a senior person from Brewdog came in when I was there, but not many other customers did, only two during the time that I was there. I can see why so many pubs are deciding not to open at all at the moment in London, these are still challenging times.

    When walking to the toilets I was confronted (from the other direction) with this ladder and I suspect a customer who was slightly (well, very) drunk would have marched straight up it. It’s just their store-room up there and the ladder had been left down, so I was pleased I realised to walk around it rather than straight up it.

    Anyway, it’s another perfectly decent outlet and the beer is, as usual, towards the excellent end of the spectrum. The staff member was friendly, the pub was clean and so that’ll do me….

  • London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands (Lascars Only Sign)

    London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands (Lascars Only Sign)

    This sign is now on display at the Museum of London Docklands and it was also located here when it was being converted. It’s a sign that wouldn’t normally survive and it’s thought to be from a toilet block within West India Quays. Lascars were sailors from the India region, south-east Asia and what are now the Arab States. There were relatively large numbers employed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the East India Company and they were primarily Muslims, although with some Christians from Goa employed as well.

    The life of most sailors wasn’t one of wealth, but the Lascars fared badly and there were much poverty with the sailors and this was evident in their living conditions in London. The sailors were though well-regarded and the docks did make an effort to provide reasonable facilities for them. The facilities installed were squatting toilets and so it was more about meeting different cultural standards than segregation, but lascars did face discrimination in many areas.