BITE user comments - JArticle
Comments by JArticle
I was in this pub (and I hesitate to call it a pub) a few weeks ago, and have to say it's all that's wrong with the general direction some pubs are going in. First observation was the lack of ale - just one on tap. The rest are fizzy, overpriced lagers. Second, it's the kind of place frequented by people who don't really like pubs - you won't struggle to spot women in overpriced wellington boots or people wearing sunglasses indoors, on a dark day. You can pretty much tell how good a pub will be by its clientele.
During my last visit a reservation notice was whacked on our table having been sat there for a couple of hours. Yes, one of those places. If you do decide to visit this place, I'd suggest you reserve a table first unless you want the same to happen to you. Or if you can't find a table while you're in there, just call from the bar and reserve a table, get some punters chucked off their table. Really. The rules of the pub have worked fine for centuries (first come, first served). The sooner this kind of pub disappears, the better.
29 Oct 2012 18:40
The New Cross House, New Cross
I agree with the review below, but being an ale drinker, I haven't noticed the �4 pint. The ale selection is very good, and they like to try new beers here too. I guess it's the fancier lagers that hit the �4 mark. The Grand Union chain charge �4 for Fosters and Kronenbourg (with no ales on tap), and I refuse to step foot in one of them (and I also refuse to accept that the �4 Fosters is becoming the norm - it isn't if you go to good pubs).
Another good thing about this pub is the beer garden and 'tree house' (with table football). I've been coming here since 1998, and didn't realise this garden was going to waste (it was a bit of a different crowd in the Goldsmiths Tavern 1 (pre-2003 refurb) days).
So, another pub in New Cross (along with the Royal Albert) that you can take your snobby middle-class mates to (a good thing - not everyone gets the whole 'new Shoreditch' vibe). Jokes aside though, I think you'll find that New Cross is the original Shoreditch. Real artists an bands have been doing very well here in New Cross for decades. What good comes out of Shoreditch?
17 Jul 2011 14:43
The Marquis of Granby, Westminster
Full of smug Burberry types. With giant handbags that anyone within a 10 metre radius can't help but walk into.
21 Nov 2010 16:49
Excellent pub - probably the best in NX, with the Telegraph a near rival, except the Royal Albert has an excellent atmosphere. It's not just a student pub though - you get a few older types who look a bit boho (almost bobo, and you get a few 'yummy mummy' types here, which you wouldn't expect in NX if you're not familiar with the place). The food is good, and the kitchen is open, so you can see the chefs preparing everything. My only criticism is they could do with more regular chairs and tables - it's sofa heavy here, which opens it up to annoying people who 'reserve' entire sofas by chucking coats on them while they wait an hour to see if more of their mates turn up. This pub could do with a juke box too.
21 Nov 2010 16:44
The Telegraph at The Earl of Derby, New Cross
This pub has almost everything for me - a good selection of beers (including ales), a god juke box (a rare find these days), old school decor (with some nice touches on the walls, such as old election posters and a world map), and great food. The menu is interesting - not standard pub fare. It's more than I'd expect from a pub - it's almost a gastro pub (and probably is by contemporary definition). There's also a covered outside area out the front where you can smoke. The only place to rival this place is the Royal Albert, which also benefits from a better atmosphere. This pub can get a bit quiet, which makes me worry about how long it's going to be around for. I try to do my bit to support the place...You can quite easily make a night of it on most occasions here, whether you're having a beer with a mate and messing around with the juke box, having a decent dinner with your girlfriend (it's restaurant quality here), or getting a drink with your ale-only old man. Good toilets too, which I only mention because it's a rare thing in NX!
21 Nov 2010 16:33
The beer is decent in this pub (the IPA was good), but the barman needs to exercise some restraint when showing the football - he switched channel on one of the screens (to show the rugby, which hadn't even started) when Arsenal started trailing Sp%rs yesterday, annoying half the pub. I'm a gooner, but I want to see the whole match when I'm in a pub to watch the football (there isn't much more of an incentive to drink in this pub). Shocking.
21 Nov 2010 13:06
The Telegraph at The Earl of Derby, New Cross
Shocking service when I was last in this place (December 2012). I was served by a ghost-like bar maid who refused to speak to customers, her face frozen with an expression of despondency and indifference to the customer. Barely five words are exchanged between ordering your beer and burger and having said burger placed in front of you with a hint of derision. The service was bad enough that I won't be going back. It's happened to me a few times with this bar maid. Funny thing is, as soon as she'd finished her shift she was drinking wine and laughing along with her friends like a normal person, so we know she's capable of acting without complete indifference to those around her. The level of rudeness is significant enough to genuinely astound you. However good the beers are in this place, there's no point going to a place you're not welcome.
27 Dec 2012 16:01