please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
No reviews for two years! Not much has changed. No O�Hanlons beer anymore, but two unusual and well kept ales. Nice service. Looks like the Dim Sum has stopped as you can bring your own food in.
Was busy last night as I think the novelty of the ping pong table(!) at the back is a popular draw for office workers to let off a bit of steam.
I like it here, would've also liked to have seen it when it was a proper pubby pub called O�Hanlons.
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O�Hanlons Yellow Hammer and Port Stout as the only 2 draughts both were excellent however. Several draft lagers including Freedom Ale which was great too. Superb range of bottled beers from all over the world plus an interesting looking Dim Sum.
Can understand the comment below that it�s not very pub like, it was however spotlessly clean, comfortable and very friendly- would definitely return.
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An unusual spot, long and narrow, yet with two clearly defined areas, the front section with the bar and a more secluded strip at the back. The interior is modern and has a mix of what I can only describe as Oriental/African decor and furniture, especially the seating and tables which vary in design. Dim Sum is a speciality it appears. The general theme was reinforced by a low volume, chilled world music soundtrack.
A distance from my idea of a traditional pub, but I still liked it, four pumps but only two in use on my visit, O'Hanlons Port Stout and Sambrook's Wandle. Tried the Wandle and it was in good nick.
I didn't sample the dim sum, but some bloke did call in for a takeaway while I was in.
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An unusual spot, long and narrow, yet with two clearly defined areas, the front section with the bar and a more secluded strip at the back. The interior is modern and has a mix of what I can only describe as Oriental/African decor and furniture, especially the seating and tables which vary in design. Dim Sum is a speciality it appears. The general theme was reinforced by a low volume, chilled world music soundtrack.
A distance from my idea of a traditional pub, but I still liked it, four pumps but only two in use on my visit, O'Hanlons Port Stout and Sambrook's Wandle. Tried the Wandle and it was in good nick.
I didn't sample the dim sum, but some bloke did call in for a takeaway while I was in.
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Doesn't look much like a pub from the outside, which is probably the reason why there were only 2 other customers except for ourselves. The interior has a modern feel and it serves a kind of oriental tapas for diners. There are two real ales available - O'Hanlons Goldblade and Sambrook's Wandle during our visit yesterday. They also sell Luscombe Organic cider. We sat at the rear on some wicker like seats underneath a skylight. No longer a traditional pub. But a fairly pleasant experience nonetheless.
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Pub number three of a pre xmas Friday night pub crawl.
Use to be must on any crawl of the area in the O'Hanlons days.
See no reason to remove it from the list either.
Very pleasant.
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There is a new chef who is now doing Malaysian food, so it is back to its original feel. I like this pub as the staff are very open and friendly. They talk to all the regulars without any airs and graces. Its a good mix of locals and suits. Good range of draft beers. Nice atmosphere, though perhaps not very pub-like.
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What an odd place! Used to be O'Hanlon's some years ago, when it was a cozy "boozer" type of pub. Now it is all modern, pale tones and stripped-back. Yet it isn't an unpleasant place at all in which to drink and it somehow manages to combine real ale with a modern, "media-trendy" sort of ambience. Some lovely Oakham JHB was to be had when I was there last week.
I shall probably go back but I can't quite work out what the attraction is - perhaps the "otherness " about the place.
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We really really enjoyed the mexican food which was fresh, tasty and done to a high standard. Good efficient, friendly service and good atmosphere. (although when we first entered we almost left staight away as there was a large party standing around at the bar which would have put us off sitting down to eat - fortunately they all moved to the back).
Will definitely be going back.
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Noooo! Called in earlier this week and learned that the dim sum chef will be retiring at the end of April. The food was a real reason for visiting there. Signs posted around the pub say that they'll be introducing a new menu in the near future, but it will be hard to match their current standard.
A couple of interesting real ales, although the bottled beer selection is not as extensive as I remember from previous visits.
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Nice bar, very friendly staff, red stripe on tap cheap bar prices, nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon.
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Ver quiet midweek, only 1 real ale on but OK - probably need to eat to get the feel.
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I thought this "pub" was OK. They had Caledonian's 6 Nations; Mauldon's Black Adder; and Moles Breweries Rucking Mole on. Unfortunately only had time for one pint of Rucking Mole, which was excellent. It was a new barrell, and was pleased to see that the friendly barmaid took the time and trouble to pull it through properly. I know that is what should always happen, but it doesn't always.
Not sure about the solid wood furniture - it looks fine, but personally I prefer something a bit more comfortable. But, as a previous reviewer said, it is tastefully unique, and in any case the quality of the beer more than makes up for any negative points.
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Good beers. Superb food. New staff. Much improved.
anonymous - 23 Aug 2006 00:05 |
They really, really need to sort out the music in here.
Our drinks and meal late on Saturday (a bit of a last resort) were ruined by the chinese barmaid being allowed to put on the kind of europop I haven't heard since I was 11, followed up by Celine Dion ballads. The barman was making faces at her but didn't decide to change it until after both other groups of people had been driven out and we were the only customers left. We then were subjected to a sixties mix tape of some sort. Dire.
Sort it out, whoever owns this place.
Food and beer continues to impress, hope they start having more than one or two real ales on at a time once summer is over.
anonymous - 21 Aug 2006 10:24 |
As I work quite local to this pub (getting on for 10 years now), I've been a 'regular' throughout it's transitions. For the record, O'Hanlons was excellent... Mulligan's was very much less so.
In it's current 'Old China Hand' guise, I have to say that, personally, I think this is the best that pub has ever been. It seemed to take a while to get there... but I reckon it's finally settled down to being a pretty nice place to spend a few 'bob' getting 'fed and watered'.
It still has a good range of beers on pump, a huge range of various beers/lagers/ales in bottles and their food (a varying 'Dim Sum' menu) is absolutely brilliant and simply must be tried.
The environment architecture is definitely 'love-it-or-hate-it'. At best?, it's... er... tastefully unique...! The pub also has big LCD's for sports and music played at sensible levels.
Basically, I like the place.
The only (slight) let-down for me is that they've had staff in there that have been a bit too 'easy going' for a pub that can get big numbers... especially at the end of the week...
But as Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy once quoted:- "I'm British. I know how to queue..." (!!!)
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Great food. Great beer. Friendly staff. Enough said.
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Indeed, that statement was racist. I agree completely. And spare a thought for the poor people who died in horrific circumstances while working for practically no pay. And aren't most cocklers English anyway?
Re. service, that can be a London problem. Many pubs here have iffy service.
Anyway, it's just a restaurant/pub. No need to chuck the toys out of the pram.
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In answer to the last poster:
You say this place doesn't serve all kinds of beer - I admit it may not have had mild on when you visited but did not so long ago. Meanwhile it has up to 4 constantly changing real ales from Sharp's and microbreweries - they do not stock any real ales from national brewers. In the fridge they have 50+ bottles from all round the world, including the sublime Lion Dark Stout from Sri Lanka.
You say the place has no history - it does for lovers of real ale. This used to be called O'Hanlons, owned by the same guy who owns the fine O'Hanlons microbrewery. The link with the past is maintained as the pub regularly stocks O'Hanlons brews today - such as the award winning Port Stout which I remember they had on at the time of the Six Nations game between France and Scotland. I say I remember, the detail is hazy as I had a few too many pints of the stuff, it was so good.
Meanwhile the young and energetic staff running this place are a credit to Finsbury/Clerkenwell. Unlike many innovative pubs/bars in recently "gentrified" areas of London, they have made old regulars of the pub in its immediately previous incarnation as an irish pub welcome. So interestingly and most enjoyably you have a mix in this place of people who have come for the food (renowned dim sum chef, etc etc), the exotic bottled beers, the real ales and the fact its been on a local drinking circuit for them for years.
This should be in a list of the top ten pubs of Britain, but then neither should many pubs that have occupied such spots on this site. It will sink again I am sure, but lets hope it still has a good score because it deserves it!
And a final word to the last poster:
"Because we slated the place as crap we then had to endure hostile postings and were branded as racists."
But your review said:
"Not sure if it�s a pub, chinky take-away or meeting place for cockleshell pickers."
That's racist in my book chum!
anonymous - 20 Jun 2006 10:53 |
I cannot believe that this snack bar is number two pub in the country. This makes a nonsense of the whole site. On my visit the service was the worst I have ever experienced in any pub in the whole country, there was no one waiting to be served other than us but we were totally ignored for around 5 minutes. Because we slated the place as crap we then had to endure hostile postings and were branded as racists.
I am highly suspicious of the clientele voting for this joint. Besides that, a pub does not deserve a top position unless it serves all styles of beer.
If you want foreign beers you should visit Katie Fitzgeralds in Wollaston, Stourbridge. This pub with regular live bands, amazing atmosphere, instant service, ever changing guest beers from around the World, Ansells MILD and a history worth knowing about is a million times better than the Old China Hand. I just cannot believe it.
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I really like this bar/pub/dim sum house. Interesting real ales, an extremely wide selection of bottled beers, lovely food. Very good service - they make you feel welcome and all seem very proud to work here.
anonymous - 19 Jun 2006 14:28 |
Interestingly enough, one of the two muppets who made racist comments about this place on 5/6/06 and 6/6/06 had the nerve to accuse others of being racist for use of the phrase "plastic paddy" in relation to a fake Irish bar in the West End. As it happens they seem to be from the Midlands rather than the North. Whatever, they can stick their "search for mild".
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I have no problem with people pointing out a pub having a problem with cr*p service and having a grevience that a pub doesnt sell mild obviously thats the end of the world! But is there any need for the racist garbage that has come from nomilds review!
Fine you think the old china is a cr*p pub with cr*p service but just leave it at that!
Theres no need for the other rubbish you spouted mate.
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Service in here is very good. Don't let the last posters - one of whom clearly is racist ("chink", "cockle-picker" references) - put you off. I detest ignorant northerners, and I speak as a northerner.
anonymous - 6 Jun 2006 10:16 |
Having drank MILD in the "Head of Steam" made a detour to this place hoping to find an unusual Porter while on our way to the "Wenlock" for a definite pint of MILD. Left my drinking partner nomild-walkout-mac at the bar while I used the bog. Back to the bar Mac still hadn't been served. The bar staff were too busy chatting to notice that we were there. Eventually attracted someones attention but could not make them understand what MILD or any other dark drink is, tried to sell us chemicals, will not go anywhere near this place again. Crap place crap service.
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After a long trek from the Head of Steam (and a few NO MILD WALK STRAIGHT THROUGH pubs en route) the MLF on tour arrived at this place.
Not sure if it�s a pub, chinky take-away or meeting place for cockleshell pickers.
Are the previous reviews referring to this dire establishment or somewhere else?
A couple of bitter beer pulls in this grim transport style caf� but no MILD available having waited an age for the staff, who outnumbered the few customers, to bother with us.
So true to our motto, Stus.search.4.mild and I did what the MLF always does � NO MILD WALKED OUT.
Avoid at all costs.
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This pub changed its name to the Old China Hand about 300 years ago.
anonymous - 23 Mar 2006 14:53 |
Old China Hand does dim sum (with an apparently renowned chef) in a quirky interior with a range of about 50 bottled beers (mainly lagers) from around the world and at least three constantly rotating real ales from small breweries on (the only name of national renown they buy from is Sharp's). Reasonably knowledgable and friendly staff. Incongruous big screens for sport, switched off when I was there. Quality.
anonymous - 12 Feb 2006 12:24 |
Another name change for this place and it's now called the "Old China Hand".
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This is a pub that has completely gone to rats over the past copuple of years. If you haven't been for a while don't be te,pted to go back for nostalgia's sake. The atmosphere is gash and the beer is indifferent at best. rating reflects that it is a pub but not much more...........
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Not the pub it was when it was O'Hanlon's. It's been tarted up a bit and I feel has lost some character along the way. Worst of all is the Guinness rather than O'Hanlon's Dry Stout. A fairly so-so pub these days.
anonymous - 10 May 2005 22:52 |
Called in for last orders last night. Was unaware of the name change etc as wqas going on the basis of the entry in the GBG 2004.
Disappointing, despite a row of about 9 beer pumps there were only two ales on, a Youngs one and Robinson's Stockport Bitter, tried the latter, which was so-so.
I saw no bottled ales on the shelves at all. Probably won't bother going again.
mym - 12 Aug 2004 10:18 |
I think the name change was forced by the fact that it's no longer connected with the O'Hanlons brewery. I visited recently looking forward to some O'Hanlons beer but was a bit disappointed to find that there wasn't any. However they are still doing other real ales and the atmosphere doesn't seem to have changed.
Graham - 14 May 2004 17:11 |
This is a pub that's clearly lost its sense of identity. Why change the name from O'Hanlon's to Mulligans? When you pay by card the bill still says O'Hanlons. If it wasn't for the excellent landlord and staff it wouldn't work.
paul - 13 Feb 2004 14:13 |
its changed its name to mulligans and no longer has the port stout on tap otherwise its still a very nice pub
gareth - 3 Dec 2003 07:55 |
Great pub with superb atmosphere. The O'Hanlons beer did change a little when the brewery moved, but it's still quite good - I liked the Blakele's No'1. DO visit. A good pub to include in a crawl with the Sekforde Arms (Youngs) nearby.
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A real, non-chain Irish boozer that has great real Ale (e.g. hand pulled Porter)from its namesake brewery in Devon. Apparently their Guinness is imported from Dublin. Live music on a Thursday. Friendly atmosphere - women wouldn't feel intimidated waiting alone for a friend in there. Right outside bus stops for Angel and Waterloo.
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