Category: Southwark (Borough of)

  • London – Southwark (Borough of) – The Ship

    London – Southwark (Borough of) – The Ship

    My opinion of Fuller’s has very much changed this week, some of their pubs are way above average and I had been expecting them to just be offering London Pride in the main. The choice has been much better than that and there’s some quirkiness, in a positive way, to what they’re offering. This Fuller’s pub has a traditional feel to it, located relatively near to Borough underground station and to Mercato Metropolitano.

    The welcome at the pub was prompt and friendly, with the staff member showing me to a table outside and then explaining the set-up at the pub. Customers could either order at the bar, or scan a QR code to order direct to the table. Everything seemed well managed and organised, with a few different real ales to choose from. Nothing overly exciting in terms of dark options, but I’ve never seen the HSB before and so went for that.

    And here it is, not bad at all, Fuller’s say that it has a taste of Dundee Cake and I had to look up what that was (fruit cake with currants, sultanas and almonds). I’m not sure I got those tastes, I got notes of toffee, but it was all rather refreshing and was well-kept.

    The outside garden was suitably cooling and there were no wasps around to irritate me, something that happens too often when I sit outside. It was all organised and laid-back, this is a quite lovely way to spend the afternoon.

    And the pub sign. All told, a perfectly decent pub which had a community feel to it. The service was friendly, the pub was clean and the environment was comfortable. So, all rather lovely.

  • London – Southwark (Borough of) – Mercato Metropolitano

    London – Southwark (Borough of) – Mercato Metropolitano

    I was visiting this rather on-trend market near Elephant and Castle to have a little trip to The Italian Job, but there are tens of other choices there as well. It opened in mid-2017 and the owners wanted to create a community theme to the site, aware of its social responsibility and offering unique experiences. The company behind it started with a major project at Milan railway station and they’re on the look for new sites.

    And mostly photos here, it’s a community food market with innovative and interesting food and drink options. Just to say that I hate raclette (just in case anyone thinks I took a photo of that stand with any excitement), but that’s an option for anyone who doesn’t hate melted cheese. There were plenty of inside and outside areas to sit, with everything seeming clean and organised. The prices are a lot of the establishments seemed a bit punchy, but I guess that comes with the on-trend nature of the site. All rather lovely and a nice way to spend a weekday lunch-time, although I imagine it can get busy at weekends.

  • London – Southwark (Borough of) – The Italian Job at Mercato Metropolitano

    London – Southwark (Borough of) – The Italian Job at Mercato Metropolitano

    OK, I’ll didn’t like the Italian Job I visited yesterday. Actually, I entirely hated it. But, there was something wrong there as it was well-reviewed and the chain seems to be on the up. So, I wanted to visit another outlet.

    This is their outlet at Mercato Metropolitano, all nicely presented and clearly signed.

    The staff member was engaging, warm and welcoming, as well as being knowledgeable about the beers that they had. They had Voodoo Logic from Trouble Brewing, but it was early on and that’s a very punchy imperial stout for a lunch-time visit. I was pleased at the selection though, well-balanced and intriguing, a country mile from the other outlet I visited yesterday.

    I went for the Westway Pale Ale from the Portobello Brewing Company, as I felt like something light and refreshing and it’s a local ale from London. Citrusy and light, it wasn’t perhaps packed with flavour, but was pleasant enough with a suitable lingering aftertaste.

    But, overall, this was a decent little outlet and I felt welcome. They don’t do food here as there are tens of other stands offering that at the market, but it’s worth a visit for anyone in the locality. And, with that, I can say that the Italian Job experience of yesterday can be forgotten.