Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Clapham

  • London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – London and South Western Pub

    London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – London and South Western Pub

    As we were walking back to the railway station from the Brewdog in Clapham, we thought we’d pop into this new JD Wetherspoon outlet near to Clapham Junction. I don’t do the whole argument of “I don’t visit Wetherspoons because they don’t pay staff” as I’ve heard that piffle before, but each to their own, as I’ve decided to work through the Good Beer Guide and there are too many outlets from this chain in there for me to avoid.

    This pub only opened a few months ago and it has been converted from a Revolution bar, apparently at a cost of just over £850,000. They already have the relatively nearby Asparagus pub, which I rather like (but that one is more traditional than modern), and I’m not sure whether they’re planning to keep both. This one has more of a Lloyds feel to it, although I think that branding has pretty much gone within the chain now.

    There’s a history about the building outside (too few pubs do this….), noting that before the building was used by Revolution, it was constructed in 1935 as a flagship store for Hastings, a furniture showroom. The pub name is taken after the railway company, a nice nod towards the local area. We had a bit of a wait to get inside, although there was plenty of seating available so it just seemed to be a matter of managing numbers rather than it being particularly busy.

    Richard had already had his decadent cheeseboard at Brewdog, I went for a rather more affordable pint of Punk IPA with burger (classy, eh?…..). I did note that the pint of Punk IPA here is only slightly more expensive than at Brewdog, but it comes with a free burger. Anyway, they’re different places, and there are usually more exciting alternatives to Punk IPA for anyone who is at Brewdog.

    I had a quick half pint of Urban Dusk from Redemption Brewing, as it cost the grand total of just over £1. Perfectly well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and all that. The service in the pub was also fine, everyone seemed friendly, with the environment feeling safe and well managed.

    The burger. There is a Facebook group now where people post photos of their meals (which I accept is ridiculous enough as it is for me to do here) and they then count the chips and post that total number. I decided even I wouldn’t be doing that…. For the money, this was entirely reasonable, but I won’t spend too much time describing JD Wetherspoon food.

    Anyway, I suspect this pub will end up in the Good Beer Guide in due course, although it’s too early for the current edition as they weren’t open at that stage. There’s more of a cafe style in the day it seems with its outdoor seating for those who like sitting outside inhaling traffic fumes. The reviews so far aren’t great, but I’m not sure that JD Wetherspoon are too much bothered about that since they’ve withdrawn from social media. For those who hate the chain, then that’s easy, don’t go, but, for others, this was a clean, modern and seemingly well managed JD Wetherspoons with a few real ales to choose from.

  • London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Brewdog Clapham Junction

    London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Brewdog Clapham Junction

    I continue to work my way around Brewdogs in London, with Richard joining me on this visit as he was in the city for his specialist work purposes. I had wondered whether it’d be quite busy in the bar on a Sunday evening, but it was nearly empty inside (although full outside, where Richard and I had agreed we didn’t want to sit anyway). I hadn’t realised that this branch existed (lots of things seem to pass me by), but it’s been here since 2014.

    And welcome to Brewdog….. The decor was modern and typical Brewdog in style, all well maintained and comfortable. We were offered a table that was a bit high up and Richard worried he’d get drunk and fall off it (I think that was the reason, it might not have been though) so we sat at some lower down chairs to avoid any mischief happening. I liked how many power points had been installed throughout the bar as well.

    The beer fridge at the front of the shop.

    A couple of the third pints that I purchased, the Black Ball from the To Øl Danish brewery (on the left) and the Blue to a Goose from Wild Weather (on the right). Both were excellent, the latter had a very rich hit of blueberries (certainly the best way to get fruit into the body) and quite a sweetness to it.

    Richard ordered this, I can’t afford decadence like this. I haven’t seen them serve this in Brewdog before, but it’s a marvellous idea and the quality of the cheeses was very high. Richard was very pleased with the £10 that he paid for this, and they also have a charcuterie board as well. They don’t serve burgers here, just pizzas and these platters, because of the small kitchen. I prefer this set-up, although of course there’s a problem that I couldn’t get all you can eat chicken wings here (and nor could I bring anyone for their cauliflower wings)….. Having said that, looking at reviews they used to serve very popular Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, their loss is disappointing.

    I’ve had a run of excellent customer service in the Brewdogs at Canary Wharf, Ealing, Seven Dials and Brixton, but it was all a bit more muted here. No real engagement about the range of beers, but the service was always warm and polite. It was just very good, rather than the exceptional service that I’ve experienced recently in the chain. The branch is smaller than some other ones in the chain, but it was clean and organised throughout. The range of beers was a little more limited than some other Brewdog branches, perhaps given that they’re a smaller size. Anyway, all a rather pleasant experience (and Richard didn’t fall off his chair).