Honor Oak, Honor Oakback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Finding myself in the area for the first time in donkeys years looked for a hostelry nearby and remembered the St.Germains Tavern. Certainly as the Honor Oak not my type of pub but clean friendly maybe a bit on the poncey side. Drink was quickly served and was fine. Being wise after the event should have gone to the Blyth Hill Tavern instead.
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Just seen this in the News Shopper - whilst comment on this site are of course supposed to be taken with a pinch of salt, the chap (or chapess) in News Shopper is not a fan.
www.newsshopper.co.uk/leisure/foodanddrink/pubspy/index.var.48.0.0.php?s=y
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Worth going out of your way for. Good range of drinks, friendly service. Keep it up please!
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The comment on Lordship Lane says it all. Lordship lane no longer has any pubs, just trendy bars and restaurants. If you want this sort of thing then move to SE22 (and my comments include FHT).
Having said that the refurb is a bit more sympathetic than most of the places on Lordship Lane. It alays seems to be full of oh so nice people - you are fortunate enought to be near to the best pub in SE23 the Blythe, so you can compare and contrast
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This is one of my favourite pubs.
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Good pub/bar, a welcome to Forest Hill, along with the Forest Hill Taverm, nice to have two really good bars to go to without having to travel to Lordship Lane.
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As said before this is a very decent little pub and much welcomed in an area lacking many good pubs. The decor is flatpack gastropub (distressed wooden tables, odd wallpaper, "statement" kitschy prints and the like) but the simple truth is that without attracting more middle-class customers pubs will continue to die off at the alarming rate (50+ a month) they currently are. But there are nice touches (flowers on the bar) that suggest a degree more thought than Sydenham's Dophin (although the best gastropub in the local area is New Cross's Royal Albert). Decent beer (Black Sheep is a rarity around these parts) if limited to two draught beers (another gastropub norm) and quite superb, well-priced food, which is another factor that can save a pub and turn it into a considerable success. I wish the Honor Oak well and look forward to returning again soon.
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We went to this pub for the first time tonight and really have only very good things to say about it. It is by far the best pub in the whole Forest Hill/Sydenham/Honour Oak Park area. I myself work in catering and know what I am doing!! The guys who run this pub obviously have their heads screwed on.
The decor is great- appealing, trendy and just right for the market they are trying to attract. The service was relaxed but great and very helpful. The place was very clean. The toilets smelt fresh and were clean (a rarity in a pub these days). We both ate. I had Lancashire hot pot with red cabbage. The chef obviously has a clue what he is doing as it was cooked to perfection - I come from near Lancashire and have not had a better Lancashire hotpot up North. My partner had a burger- great Maris Piper chips. Lovely burger pattie (perfectly seasoned and cooked), on a nice bun. It came with a beautifully presented salad garnish. The only criticism is that that burger garnish hjad slightly too much olive oil on it which swam around the plate and soaked the bun. But I am sure that this was just a slight over-sight on the chefs part. I am an "expert" in food, and it is obvious that this is a chef that has been trained in "fine dining" that is now cooking very good pub food - simply prepared, using good ingredients and perfectly executed. All in all, this bar has got it right - The owners and the manager are obviously experienced. Thanks very much guys and keep up the good work...we will be visiting again soon.
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I have just been to the Jazz night in this establishment.
The music was wonderful (Ballantine/Shaw band - regular performers at Ronnie Scotts since the 80's).
Bizzarely at the end of the evening Ian B. suggested that the future of this event is in some doubt - it seems the YOHO pub is only committed to this venture until the end of May.
I would liked to have paid my £3 entrance fee - but there was no one to pay. (I hope this doesn't fail due to a lack of revenue). Jazz is a minority interest I know, but South London has always lacked venues. I have spent many years travelling to central, north and east London to hear top quality music.
This pub has unearthed a perfect little venue in the room provided, it would be a shame for it to fold before it got off the ground. It needs the word to spread around that a good night can be had locally with good musicians in a suitable environment.
So, if you have any interest (or know people who have any interest) in quality non-mainstream music, get them down there on a thursday evening in the next few weeks and maybe Forest Hill can claim its own interesting, challenging and rewarding venue.
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Depressing - pub design by flat-pack. Well, this is one woman who didn't like it.
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Missed my ending off!
So in conclusion a reasonable place that compliments some of the other drinking establishments in Forest Hill (it is not in Honor Oak). Oh and the most positive point, it is not a carbon copy of the Herne Tavern, phew
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A number of good points – good choice of beer (Broadside or Black sheep) prices actually displayed prominently, as by law they should be (but rarely seen), could therefore forgive them for being at the upper levels for the area. Odd to be served in a jug, which was the norm in my youth! Shame that I was the only person drinking proper beer at the time (there should be a law making this compulsory). Food both interesting, non-generic, reasonable in price (opposed to the mass catering rubbish most places serve) and had not gone too far down the gastro route. Compares well with other similar ventures in the area – DA, Gowlett, Rye Hotel, Nunshead. (note can’t bring myself to mention Lordship Lane)
On the downside, the interior does match the Victorian exterior, and could be located in a building from any era. And the wallpaper hurt my eyes (sad that I am commenting on wall paper). Still think that it should have not changed its name. The pub has certainly been well marketed.
I did post earlier addressing some of the other comments, but either I pushed the wrong button or it got deleted. If you look at Karloff’s many other postings there is no thread of misogynistic comments, so perhaps others are being a bit precious (and noting that they have only ever posted about one pub, unlike Karloff who has reviewed dozens). Looking at his age (and mine) we were a generation that made great headway in making the world a fairer place (get my guitar and Joan Baez song book out now) ops, where the rise of the new lads and ladettes and the me-first generation seems to have reversed much of what we achieved. Also on equality, I do not see any of the ‘better’ drinking establishments reflecting the ethnic mix of the area, not that they have any obligation to do this of course. Clearly in economic terms better to have a pub full of nice gentrified youngish people than providing a community facility for a small minority (as the St Germains did) and not producing the profit margins that are now expected. Lecture over.
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Like Karloff, I mourn the loss of the traditional British boozer. There are few left in the SE area - witness the comprehensive gastro/bar-isation of East Dulwich in recent years.
However, it can't really be said that the Honor Oak has caused the loss of any such boozer (the old St Germains was ... err ... unusual, and closed some time ago). And there are some very traditional boozers near it - the General Napier, the Blythe Hill Tavern and (for those who like their SE pubs completely undiluted) the Chandos. The Honor Oak serves pretty good cask bitter, despite an odd retro fondness for serving it in jugs, and the food is OK, if unexceptional. Avoiding the young couples and their undisciplined offspring is a question of timing.
There's room for the Honor Oak in the local drinking market. "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend" as Chairman Mao used to be fond of saying.
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I have just roused myself from my park bench, finished off the day’s first can of Special Brew, dusted off the dandruff, and now feel ready to face the beerintheevening site…
I thank all of you who responded to my earlier comments. I made the cardinal mistake of forgetting that using ironic humour in emails and web messages doesn’t work – people take you at face value. Of course I don’t hate women going into pubs!
However, what I do hate is the fact that so many pubs are being transformed into continental-style bars, and lose all those features that are traditionally associated with what makes a good pub. It’s fact that these days pubs have to appeal more to women, as nowadays women have far more spending power than they did 30 or 40 years ago, and so it’s inevitable that pubs will change to suit women’s tastes. It’s a fact that women and men want different things from pubs. In a recent survey, people were asked what was the most important thing that determined which pub they went to. Most men said the beer had to be good. The women almost unanimously said that clean toilets were the most important thing. Need I say more?
Many people, including many women, do not like pubs to be full of toddlers and babies – some people actually like to think of the pub as a place where they can forget about all the worries of parenthood for a while. I also want my pubs to be places where people go primarily for a drink, whereas these days most of the staff’s time seems to be taken up with food orders.
I am happy that there is now a safe, clean place for people in this area to go, and, as previously said, it’s good news that there is some decent real ale in this place.
But is there no one else out there who, like me, mourns the loss of the traditional old British boozer? It’s always been a part of my life and now it is being inexorably obliterated as pubs are either turned into modern bars or converted into flats. Am I a lone voice in the wilderness?
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So women aren't supposed to go to the pub? I find some of the comments on this site very offensive. Would anyone be supportive of Karloff's comments if he had said we shouldn't have black or asian people in pubs, or they had "invaded"? But it's OK to say that about women, and to boast that women didn't used to dare going to this pub before it was refurbished, like that is something to be proud of?
The Honor Oak is great, beautiful original decor, lovely old building with many original features, great beer and wine, really good food, and women can go in there without fearing being hassled by horrible blokes like Karloff hanging round the bar waiting to intimidate them. That is a good thing.
Seriously, give it a try it's great for men and women, and shock horror there have even been children in there!
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The Honor oak is a fantastic pub and an asset to the area. The warm and inviting atmosphere spills out from the large gleaming windows pulling you in to a beautiful decorated interior, where funky alternative prints, retro lighting, and sprawling leather sofas successfully compliment the original Victorian features. With an extensive and creative choice of drinks, a menu full of delicious home cooking, including the best home made chips I have ever tasted, is by far the best venue for miles around. I was amused by the comments made by the woman hating bigots previously, if they prefer the atmosphere of pubs filled with sexists then they should frequent them and not tarnish places such as the Honor Oak with there out dated and offensive attitudes, I believe they would be happier on a park bench with a can of special brew! Long live the Honor Oak it’s champion!
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I find it more than a little unsettling that there are people out there who have a problem with women being in pubs. And speaking of Victorians, I'm not sure what 'original features' the poster was hoping would be preserved, given the state of the place when the current owners took over. I, for one, would rather have a friendly, well-run, OPEN pub in my neighbourhood than a boarded-up, derelict one. From what I've seen on my few visits, the Honor Oak seems to cater to a wide variety of largely local people. The staff are friendly and helpful, it is clean and bright (I know, a crime to some), and the selection of booze is outstanding. I think the neighbourhood deserves a local like the Honor Oak. Highly recommended.
lma13 - 27 Feb 2007 15:03 |
Firstly, as local bloke has already pointed out separately, this is not a wilderness as there are good pubs in both directions on the South Circular particularly the wonderful Blythe Hill Tavern.
Secondly why change the name? This isn't even in Honor Oak. Just as legitamate to call it the Brockley Hill or Blythe Hill!
Thirdly, the previous incarnation did serve a community, albeit not one that tends to post on this site, but not exactly inclusive of us not recognising this.
Next: 6X and Directors, hardly inspiring! Thanks for Karloff's most excellent (as ever) review, I'll reserve further judgment for the time being, but expect the score for this place to come down to a more modest level
anonymous - 19 Feb 2007 12:07 |
First, the good news. This had been closed for around six months but reopened on Friday, 2nd February. Previously it was devoid of real ale but now it boasts two brand-new hand-pumps. Wadworths 6X and Courage Directors were available on my visit; the latter was in good condition.
Now the bad news. It has been totally ‘modernised’ and is ‘contemporary’ – i.e. it no longer resembles a pub. Everything is bright, clean and woman-friendly, venetian blinds on the windows, furniture is of the irritating gastro-pub variety (square tables and straight-backed chairs, a few sofas), trendy pictures on the walls (including photos of Barbie ??!!), etc. On my visit, a gang of women had invaded (they would never have dared when it was still the St Germains) and another woman was wheeling a toddler
around in a push-chair. Gentlemen, the traditional pub is dead. The women have won.
The pub probably dates from the 1880s or thereabouts, but there are no original Victorian features left in the interior. The exterior, with original green tiles all around the base, still looks good though.
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More of a bar than a pub, The Honor Oak has by far the best selection of booze in the area and also does really good food. Very reasonably priced and often very busy. Sunday roast is not to be missed, nor are their cocktails.
Dan Wanstead - 9 Feb 2007 09:11 |
Fantastic new pub, where previously there has been a complete drought of decent boozers.
Best of luck to them.
Ed - 8 Feb 2007 19:37 |
Cracking new pub, opened on the site of what was previously the St Germains.
Is extremely early days but a lot of thought, care and attention has been put into the place - and considering how everything is selling out it's certainly needed by a fair proportion of the locals!
Good atmosphere, beautiful decor (oh all right then, I'm not sure about the Sindy porn artwork either) and nice, cosy, welcoming vibe - despite feeling and looking stylish.
Long may it prosper!
Laura - 4 Feb 2007 21:53 |
formely the St. Germain's, re-opens tonight under new ownership. Should be good as the rye hotel (run by the same people) is lovely. Good Luck!
www.thehonoroak.com
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