BITE user comments - Charno
Comments by Charno
The Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street
The refurb has done wonders for the place. I've always found it a handy, comfy place, but now it's a nice place, especially since they've added extra seating by converting what used to be the gents into a quiet side-room. Obviously it serves a station, so it's often crowded with various types of people, but then again it serves those people well. So not your choice if you want a quiet back-street boozer, but for what it is, it does very well. I'm upgrading my rating from 7 to 8.
10 Jul 2014 09:11
Where's it gone? It's disappeared from the Nicholson's site too. I think this is because they've taken over the O'Neil's on Queen Victoria Street.
29 Jun 2014 00:29
The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon
A nice comfy Spoon which always has some interesting ales. I had two pints of Weltons Winter Heat yesterday, a stout made with chilli. Very pronounced chilli flavour too, which was excellent. I like the Oldcastle. As I say, it's comfy, and the service is always good and friendly. I wonder why some people are harsh, but then again what people demand varies. I think it's always good to have a pub you can rely on. Alright, it's not pub Heaven, but nor is it pub Hell. It's a decent pub.
7 Mar 2014 15:02
The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell
A return to the Jerusalem after some time, but it's still just as comfy and atmospheric as ever. The cream stout was nice and satisfying.
7 Mar 2014 14:58
First visit yesterday afternoon. It looks nice from the outside, and inside very comfy. The usual mismatch furniture with chapel chairs and all sorts, but friendly. Only three handles, but then there were three good ales. Redemption Trinity and Red Rye (I had the red) and Waen's Chilli Plum Porter (which was even better than the Red Rye). If you have good ales, you can be satisfied with a limited number, surely? The bottled beer menu showed some fearsome prices, especially as they were 330ml bottles, but then that's always the way with the bottles.
Why does BITE have twelve entries for this pub, eight of which have no comments at all?!
7 Mar 2014 14:55
Very welcoming and indeed very charming pub. Nicely kept McMullens, a very comfy atmosphere. We were in the smaller bar - not sure whether I can call it a snug without seeing the other bar, but it was cosy. It felt very much like a country pub should and, if i were local, I think it would be my regular. I was much impressed that they'd had an onion competition - for a townie, that's the sort of thing which strikes the right rural note! We didn't eat, being full from a wetherbrekkie consumed at the Last Post in Loughton, but maybe next time.
1 Nov 2012 11:24
Friendly and enjoyable pub. The Bombardier was in good condition, though being Youngs-Wells I was surprised there were no Youngs offerings - just Directors and the bland Eagle. Still, I suppose that's the luck of the draw! We didn't eat there, so can't comment about the food, but I'll try it next time. It's out of my area, but as I've got a mate now in Theydon (which is why I was there), I'll get the chance to visit again.
1 Nov 2012 11:16
I visited this place a couple of weeks ago and found it lovely and comfortable. Good beer in good condition, charming barmaids and a very comfy-looking interior. It being a sunny day, we sat outside, so I didn't get a chance to give the inside more than a cursory scan. Likewise I didn't see much of the clientele, so can't comment there. The garden seems very acceptable if you have a family: very well laid out. All in all a really nice pub which, though it's quite a way out of my way, I hope to visit again soon.
1 Nov 2012 11:08
Gutted: I took my eye off the ball, and this happens. I was in here about a month ago and it was great. The toilets did smell, but they smelled of toilet cleaner. The place was full of people drinking happily. No-one was swearing or shouting, no-one was causing aggravation, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the beer was cracking, both in selection and quality. What's going to happen now? They can't demolish the place because of the extension of the conservation area, so I presume they'll just gut it and turn it into flats that way, like so many other sad reminders of our once-great pub heritage that are now residential. I know we need places to live, but there are lots of office blocks in the City which are being turned into shops that no-one uses. Why can't we have more people living there? So sad that somepeople would rather destroy something with real character because it's an easier option than giving some proper thought. Goodbye Wenlock: you'll be missed.
4 Apr 2012 11:02
The Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street
Upped my rating from five to seven after some recent visits: the ale's nice with a good range on, and the service is attentive. The really tall man who I seem to remember has been there a little while is still his excellent self, sometimes recommending other ales that you might like based on what you've ordered. Of course all human life is here, but it is outside a railway terminus, so that's only to be expected, and if only a few of those swillers of pasteurised lager and keg ale are tempted to try cask beer out of curiosity then the aggravation will have been worthwhile. Plus they cooked a very nice breakfast the last time I was in there! Well worth revisiting if you've written this place off. It's not beer heaven, but it's a decent, enjoyable pub.
4 Apr 2012 10:30
The Craft Beer Co, City of London
This is everything the Euston Tap should be and isn't. My first visit yesterday teatime and I couldn't find a fault. Maybe after a few more visits the cracks might appear but I don't see how. The choice of ales was wondrous and the balance between light and dark was spot on. We went upstairs and what could have been a drab alternative to the characterful bar downstairs was actually a nicely-managed, understated but comfortable pair of rooms with the most excellent light fittings. Sadly we could fit in only a couple before heading down to meet another chum; I could quite cheerfully have stayed there for the rest of the evening.
4 Apr 2012 10:18
5/10 for the environment, Johnny B? Personally I think it's quite comfy, especially when compared with the Euston Tap, which is more quirky than comfy. The Doric Arch (aka Head of Steam) is comfy and quaint, though I haven't been there for a while. So the Bree remains a favourite.
9 Jan 2012 11:51
First visit early doors yesterday. Lovely comfy place, and nicely-kept beer, as it should be for a Fuller's pub. Beautiful woodwork, everything gleaming. Just right at this time of year. The only drawback was the music: it did rather spoil the atmosphere. Why do pubs insist on having chairs that don't fit under the tables?
13 Dec 2011 10:36
I was in here for first time a couple of weeks ago with schoolmate Brad: I'd meant so many times to visit, and was not disappointed. A lovely snug little place, with two very pretty young things behind the bar. Beer was excellently kept: I had two of the Red Car autumn ale. Well worth a visit.
13 Dec 2011 10:23
Some comments have been appearing about the size of the pub: they can't do anything about that! Given where they are, they can hardly extend the place. You have to understand sometimes that the consumer isn't king, and that he/she has to accommodate him-/herself to what's available. So, please come to the Harp at a reasonable hour; if you can't, be prepared to drink outside (dress accordingly in the colder months). But at all times be grateful that this place offers such a good service (and that the barmaids are corkers), and save your criticism for the other pubs in the area who don't offer such quality: if they did, the Harp wouldn't be so crowded, after all.
4 Dec 2011 17:53
Still maintaining its high standards, and the demand for cask ale remains high. Also they're expanding their whisky presence, and now have three Japanese malts. Nick and Ben have opened a second venue in Berks: these lads just keep going! Long may they thrive.
18 Oct 2011 14:48
Not too sure about this place: more quirky than comfy, I think. The upstairs reminds me of a waiting room, or the office where you sit while waiting for an interview. Also there's the toilet issue: I haven't been back for some months, so don't know whether there's been any improvement, but only one toilet made for increasing queues as the evening wore on on my previous visits. Also there's the question of the dispense of the cask ales, which seem to be dispensed under pressure (they're very heady). I tend to stick with the Bree myself, but will stop by the Tap soon to check up on its current status, and hope to be able to increase my rating.
14 Sep 2011 13:04
FYI, it was the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, which is why there are Chinese gentlemen holding the clock at the back.
28 Jun 2011 14:20
Agreed, they are perhaps rather ambitious, but as for the Romanov stout - OF COURSE we need a stout at 12%: a half of that is a great way to round off the session. Ditto the Porter at 7.5%. Also, considering both are only �1.99 a pint, you could spend the best part of an evening drinking halves of these for under a tenner in total.
16 Jun 2011 18:47
Jolly Butchers, Stoke Newington
I found this yesterday, and am so glad I did. OK, it's a bit mismatched-quirky, but the ale selections from smaller breweries, and the two cask ciders, more than made up for that. It's not really that pricey either in these inflationary times, and considering it offers such a specialist choice. The food is huge, far too large really. My ribs came as a piled plateful of meat with a bowl of chips on the side, and my China's fish and chips was a very substantial haddock with fat chips. Neither of us managed fully to finish our grub; but it was good stuff. As it's only eight minutes on the train from Cambridge Heath to Stokey, I shall return often.
15 May 2011 11:23
My first visit to this pub today, and it didn't disappoint. Lovely place with a guv'nor who knows what he's talking about. We discussed beer and whisky, on which subjects he was clearly an enthusiast, and he had a good chat with my good buddy Otto about punk, even taking the time to look up stuff on his lap-top. OK, it was a quiet afternoon, but even so it shows a level of friendliness I need to experience more often. The decor was great too: shows how estate pubs weren't necessarily as soulless as the name implies. Very clean and well looked after. I shall in future make a point of dividing my drinking time between the Sun and the Eleanor.
7 May 2011 18:16
Well done from me too, Binnie and staff: yours is a wonderful pub, and the honour is well deserved. Keep 'em coming for your ever-grateful punters.
17 Feb 2011 16:22
I don't know where Chav__man was, but he wasn't in the Harp. Then again, considering his comment on the Old Mitre, I think perhaps he's just trying to be provoking. Grow up, man.
16 Jan 2011 11:53
In here yesterday (2 Jan '11) with a mate. Still as lovely as ever: good beers, nicely kept, including O'Hanlons Port Stout. Lovely barmaids too, especially the tall blonde; very attentive and friendly. It's so clean and comfy in here: a bit like having a drink in someone's well-kept front room, and the cleanliness of the urinal in the gents is exemplary.
4 Jan 2011 00:02
I was there yesterday evening before and after a trip to the Bridewell Theatre: I don't get why some people are being so negative about the place. Given that Fleet Street is a ghost street now that the papers have moved out and offices have moved in, I wouldn't expect to see a Fleet Street pub heaving with life. The Bell is comfy, the service (despite its being full of punters) was swift and friendly, there were six ales on its eight pumps, it did all you'd want it to do. I enjoyed coming back there, not having visited for a little while (not having been in the area), and will do so again next week when back at the Bridewell.
4 Dec 2010 15:34
The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell
I've been here many a time and love it. OK, it's a bit fake-old, but then again in London so many places are. Incidentally, simonk, though it was 'renovated' as a pub relatively recently (in the Eighties, I think), I seem to remember reading that it was indeed a coffee house originally. St Peter's beers are imaginative, and it's wonderful that they have a tied house in London so that you can get a go at the full range. The honey porter is lovely. Gravity dispense will lead inevitably to an impression of flatness in the beer which you wouldn't get with a pump, but then we don't all mind this. I'd rather have more liquid and less head any day. One thing about the Jerusalem is that it keeps popping up in films and telly programmes. It was a Fleet Street pub in 'The Wings of the Dove', and a Cornish (I think) pub in an episode of the Mrs Bradley Mysteries (the interior only: in fact, they also used it for a room in someone's house when she was fitting a bride-to-be for a wedding dress).
29 Nov 2010 13:14
Won't be going back because of an unfortunate experience with one member of staff? Did you complain? The people who run the place are very keen to maintain service levels. Do mention any problems you have: you'll find they're not the customer's enemy, they want people to come back. Please try again.
14 Nov 2010 17:26
The Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street
Usually the beer selection is good, but the quality is variable, as it is for the food. The atmosphere is like a station bar usually tends to have. On the whole, given the choice of good pubs in the area, it's one to bypass, but sometimes convenience draws you in.
30 Oct 2010 07:50
Can't say I've been served by any miseries on my visits, but then I can't deny others' experiences. The point is well taken however that occasionally the beers sometime seem to have been around a little too long: curiously, when you consider how busy the place gets. But not necessarily a place to avoid on that score. They will change a pint without demur. Also the guvnor does show his face, and is open to comment. E-mail concerns to [email protected] (gleaned from their website).
11 Oct 2010 14:29
Very nice, comfy pub where the beer is good, and it's very handy for pre-show drinks prior to a show at the Cadogan Hall. I recommend it highly. Yes, it does get busy, but then that testifies to how good it is!
11 Oct 2010 14:22
The Bohola House, Bethnal Green
It has now become 'Bar Valiente' - no idea what goes on in there!
1 Oct 2010 15:20
I've been in here on odd occasions, and have found no problems with it. It seems friendly enough, and today I had a chat with a friendly man behind the bar (presumably not the manager; he had glasses, but was a Slim Jim) about the next ale tasting (27 October, from 5:00 - or was it 5:30?). Certainly preferable to the Hamilton Hall (what has happened to the place?), but then again a short walk to the Crosse Keys will help work up that little bit more of a thirst!
29 Sep 2010 13:50
What is going on here with all this 'Rat' nonsense? This is a clean, friendly pub serving now four pumps' worth of well-kept cask ale in an area which is largely a desert for those of us who drink the cask product. What's wrong with that? Or does it transform itself when I cross the threshold, morphing back to reality when I leave? Please can the rodent-spotters declare their agenda? Or is it all one of those tedious scams perpetrated by on-line auto-eroticists? PLEASE can we limit posts to accurate reflections on the pubs in question rather than indulging ourselves on speculations about what one or other reviewer is about? As to there being only two of the four ales on, occasionally one or more pumps may be dry, but this is more a question of demand than policy. I was in the Sun on Monday: Nick the guv'nor mentioned that he was nearly out of ale, as the demand the previous week had been so high, and consequently he had a glut of Beck's Vier. The Sharp's was off, but the other three were on, and the next delivery was scheduled for the following day.
22 Sep 2010 12:25
This is a nice, comfy Spoon. It's not up to the Crosse Keys, but it's clean, the service is good, the downstairs bar has eight pumps, at least six of which are devoted usually to ales (the other(s) being for cider). Also the ale is cheaper than the Crosse Keys and the Hamilton Hall (which is on the duff side), �2.45 a pint rather than �2.65. Certainly a welcome stop for a pint or two after an afternoon at the Globe or a spot of shopping at the Tesco. Spoons don't offer pub heaven, but this is a nice compromise.
13 Sep 2010 17:34
Excellent Spoon, considering how Spoons can be, even in the City (e.g. Hamilton Hall, which varies between alright and decidedly dodgy). Lovely selection of ales. Can't vouch for the food, as have only eaten in here on curry club nights, but as has been said, Spoon food is Spoon food and ever will be. Still, the service is fine and friendly. Point taken about the dim lighting: when you've nipped in for a quick one or two it's difficult to read anything while you sip unless you're careful to sit by a light...
9 Sep 2010 11:52
This is a lovely little pub, and as a born-and-bred local I can confirm that its transformation from the dive it was once is little short of a miracle. We're not overblessed with cask-ale pubs in the east end, and this place has friendly, attentive staff who look after their beer beautifully. Unlike some of the pubs round here which have been comprehensively tarted up, this place was done up tastefully. Also they've now added a fourth pump: for a pub of its size, this is quite an undertaking.
9 Sep 2010 11:35
Lovely place, with good selection of well-kept ales. I can't believe I've passed it by so many times: I suppose if you don't know it's there, then it's easy to miss. Once you've found it though, you won't forget it (for the right reasons).
6 Jul 2010 13:34
Finally got to this place a few weeks ago, all beers on were Brodie's so I worked through the thirteen (I think) by halves. Some excellent stuff: I liked the one made with passion fruit, but the one made with pecans was superb, rich and satisfying. The porter is way too drinkable at 7.8 abv! And as for the Romanov stout: very yummy. Am looking forward already to the anniversary fest in September, but won't be waiting that long until the next visit.
5 Jul 2010 17:01
I love this place, and one thing I miss about no longer working at UCL is that I don't get to it as often as I did. I agree that some of the beers are becoming 'the usual suspects', but there's enough variation around this for it not to matter. Also the cider selection is great: hopefully the price will go back to a more reasonable rate now that the duty hike has reversed (it has, hasn't it?). The Guv'nor is great value, as is of course the CAMRA discount.
5 Jul 2010 16:48
The Oliver Conquest, Whitechapel
A friendly pub with excellent service and a wonderful choice of beverages. It's just outside the City, and en route to the equally wonderful Wilton's Music Hall. Matt and his people offer a really warm welcome. I'm not a gin drinker myself - I prefer the darker spirits - but it's gin heaven for those who like that sort of thing. A huge range of gins from all over.
9 Feb 2015 17:46