Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • 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 – Lambeth (Borough of) – Hercules

    London – Lambeth (Borough of) – Hercules

    I saw this pub when leaving Lambeth North underground station and it wasn’t listed in the Good Beer Guide and there didn’t seem anything obviously exciting. But, it looked an interesting building and I had anticipated getting half a pint of London Pride.

    The welcome was authentic, prompt and engaging, with the staff member seeming personable and keen to welcome customers. I looked at the beers on the pump clips and there were a few options, but I asked if there was anything dark anyway as it’s best to check.

    What I had managed to miss was the huge selection of beers behind the bar, with four dark options available. This was a ridiculously good selection and it’s marvellous to get offered dark beers of varying strengths. The staff member was very tempting in selling the imperial stout, but I went with the rather more moderate Coldblooded from Siren Craft Brew. This was a decent beer, initially unexciting perhaps, but with a delightful lingering taste of chocolate. I like this from a beer, subtle but with an element of decadence and it grew on me during the drinking.

    There weren’t any other customers for a while, although a couple came in for a Diet Pepsi each. It was a moderate shame that the pub’s fine beer selection wasn’t being taken advantage of and they must get busy in the evenings to justify having this range. There was a food menu available, but it was quite punchy in terms of the pricing and they probably needed a better value lunch-time menu given the current situation.

    All told, I think that this pub should be in the Good Beer Guide and it has changed my mind entirely about Fuller’s, as this is a beautiful location. I also liked how pro-active the staff member was in offering samples of beers, it gives me confidence in what they’re offering and it gave him a chance to show his knowledge. Friendly, comfortable and welcoming, it might yet be a candidate for my pub of the year…..

  • 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.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Victorian Urinal (Star Yard)

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Victorian Urinal (Star Yard)

    OK, this might not be the most riveting content ever, although that’s something I write on a semi-regular basis…. This is Star Yard, in what is now an area associated with the judicial process. And, there’s a listed structure here which is perhaps noteworthy.

    And here it is, a Victorian urinal. Made of cast iron, it was installed here in the late nineteenth century as part of a vague attempt to improve sanitation in the city. There are numerous decorated panels and it’s quite a sturdy structure, evident that it has survived for this long.

    Like most public conveniences in the city, they’re now permanently closed and have been for some time. They’re now just locked shut, although it’s not entirely clear what the owners can do with them other than just use them as some storage shed. The area around them is now all relatively modern, so they’re a reminder of what once was here.

    And here’s the area 100 years ago, the toilets are located where it says Star Yard on the map. The bank on the nearby corner is now a JD Wetherspoon outlet, the Knights Templar.

  • London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands (St. Paul’s Church, Dock Street)

    London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands (St. Paul’s Church, Dock Street)

    St. Katharine Docks, located near to the Tower of London, was once an important part of the city’s working docks, although it was damaged during the Second World War and is now more of a marina type affair. Back in the nineteenth century, the docks area was surrounded by slums and poverty, a dangerous part of London to be around.

    St. Paul’s Church was constructed on nearby Dock Street between 1846 and 1847, designed by William Cubitt & Co. Prince Albert came along to lay the foundation stone and the building was funded by wealthy donors and local seaman, who would have likely had little money. It could seat around 800 people and the church became an important part of the local community, trying to offer charity and guidance where it could.

    The church closed for religious services in 1968, but the building has remained and has now been converted into a nursery. There were hopes that a religious institution could continue to use the building, but it was finally sold in 1989. Anyway, this sign is one of the reminders of when the church was in operation, offering services throughout Sunday and offering a time when children could attend.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Windsor Castle

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Windsor Castle

    This pub is listed in the Good Beer Guide and is named because when built it was possible to see Windsor Castle from here. It’s no longer possible to do that….. Anyway, it’s operated by Mitchells & Butlers and its foliage packed frontage is hard to miss.

    The interior is of historic interest and it’s a pub on the CAMRA list of nationally important historic interiors. The pub was busy when I visited and they were one of those locations where they had numerous empty tables for reservations later on, but didn’t allow customers to sit on them until those times. Everything seemed clean and organised at the pub and there’s usually a list of craft beers for customers to peruse. But not on my visit. The staff were friendly and efficient and there was a vibrant, but safe, feel to the environment. I went into the rear beer garden which was relatively sizeable for a city pub and, fortunately, nice and cool in terms of the temperature.

    There was nothing else particularly exciting when I visited, although some more interesting beers were marked as being on soon. Left with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, which was adequate but unexciting, there was nothing else of note I could mention. Which is a shame, as I’ve noted they have sold beers from Moncada here before, my favourite of breweries. So, all rather average, but their beer selection is in usual times seemingly quite innovative. Given how busy the pub was, this seems like a popular community local though.

  • 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.

  • 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.