BITE user comments - PissedMonkey
Comments by PissedMonkey
The Mucky Pup, Angel, Islington
A Noog special this place - I really like it. I'd rather you all stayed away though so I can enjoy it in peace. OK? good.
19 May 2010 12:56
So once again a Noog has a birthday and there was much to Noog, and lo, this was the place to visit. Have been here twice before so have a good view of the gaff now.
Nice open interior, and quite quiet as it's well away from the skanks that fill most Camden boozers. Its a bit Gastro-ey, but not smack you in the face so. Upstairs is laid as a resturant with tables and stuff. Some even have drawers in which to hide knifes and forks if the whim takes your fancy.
Beer: Redemption ale was supped by all, and there was happiness. After a while (10 pints perhaps) someone got a cloudy one, but this was replaced and the necessary work was carried out to change/clean/whatever. Overall a good pint of sessiony stuff that seems looked after. Tasty.
Food stuff: Hello, this is rather nice, and a right proper bargain if you have a 2for1 voucher meaning mains are about a fiver. Triple fried chips no less! That's Noog joy you can hear.
Staff were actually friendly, so not sure what the others are chattering on about.... As for the MTV people and their review, can you *please* just stop fulfilling your naff snorty stereotype everywhere you go? It's sooooooo 1996. Tsk..... luckily none on the night we went......
Verdict: Enjoyed. Return likely.
4 Mar 2010 11:50
Some Noogs searched out this pub one evening - first impressions: fantastic old school interior, seriously impressive ceiling. Cant believe I just wrote that.
......reasonably full early on a Wednesday night, but plenty of room and an open fire. Mixture of suits and the welcome sight of some proper old time all day session drinkers (complete with sticks and hats). Thinned out nicely as the evening went on - as commuter trains were caught no doubt.
Drinks: the usual "Man in a Box" fare, but the bitter as actually quite nice. And 1.88 a pint. 1.88! .......ONE.EIGHTY.EIGHT....Oh my.....
Food: not partaken.
Worth noting though, not really enough staff to cope with early rush, and first pints were probably the most laughably under-measured I've ever had, 1/3 head. Yikes! Quickly returned and filled by stressed/tutting manager without a word.
In conclusion: Best pub around here. Cheap pints. Some welcome local crazies. Dont expect bar staff to smile or talk to you. Good place to recover from major surgery.
Onwards!
3 Mar 2010 15:52
hello! One of my favorites for weekend lazy hanging - this is called The Britannia, listing needs changing really.....right in the park - result.
Food is expensive but good quality - have eaten here a number of times now.
Beer is well kept, and usually two guests. Beers that is.
....garden is big and now gets busy at weekend, though not as packed as The Royal Inn can get. Nice BBQ menu running all weekend.
Be warned: this is a proper kid friendly pub - if you dont like kids stay well away.....
Eclectic mix of people and music - I've seen a few famous rockers (plus thier kids, natch) chilling in here, thankfully going untroubled by star spotters.
Hey, I dont want it to get any busier - so I'd better shut the noog up yeah? Splendid.
7 Sep 2009 19:40
The Village Tap, Victoria Park
Local pub for local people - that means real hackney people thanks. Every single person in there knew every other person - and greeted every new person as they entered - er.... apart from us.
having said that didn't bat an eyelid when we wondered in and had a pint of Guiness..... John Smiths was the only other real offer on tap. Noog shame....
Not trying to be anything its not, and you shouldn't be scared of this pub (from what we experienced anyways.)
I sort of liked it in a non-ironic sort of way. Its real, which is very rare around these parts.
7 Sep 2009 18:36
Great Noogs Alive!
I really enjoyed my visit to this public house! A great little find, off the beaten track - Banana Ale was on when I visited, so we supped this all night. Weird but nice. And bananananry. Deuchars also seemed well kept.
Staff were really nice, and the locals were even friendly - bonus. There was a pool table if you like that sort of caper.
Downstairs was a magic little cellar playing live jazz on the Wednesday night I was there, theres also a reasonable sized beer garden looking over the canal, with a covered grotto type bit - good for when its raining I guess.
Didn't notice any sort of food on the night I visited so cant comment of this or if it was just a night off?
When next in Camden I shall return to this fine place, its worth the walk away from the dross that passes itself as pubs near the tube.
I love you pub.
7 Sep 2009 18:12
'Round midnight Jazz & Blues Bar, Islington
First time visitor in its new guise as a Jazz/Blues/Noog hangout. Went on a week night, but no live music - flyer says live music 6 days a week. Did we get the wrong day?
3 beers on hand pump, Deuchars was our pick. Absolute plus points for serving it in dimple jars, fantastic! Place was busy but thinned out early on as the "one pint after work"ers went home. No problem getting a seat, and staff were friendly enough.
......now on to the negative. the food. The menu is the simplest you'll ever see in a modern central London boozer - Ribs, chicken or cheeseburger. Not a fancy word used between them. That is an exact copy of the menu, word for word. This wouldn't be a negative if they made these really nice in some way, but they haven't. They've made them really rubbish in every way. You know that chicken you can get at 5am from the health hazard dodgy rundown sick stained broken windowed neon fronted hell that is some sort of kebab shop? Yes? That would be foodie heaven compared to the gnarly tosh they serve in here for six pounds fifty pence. Fried chicken that looked and tasted like it had been waiting for me for a few weeks, served with a handful of McDonalds type fries. Thanks for that.
They have a kitchen, and they have a man who is in the kitchen who I was hoping was some sort of chef. What a fool I was..... mind you, the fact that they can offer a cheeseburger but not a hamburger should ring-a-ding-a-dong some sort of alarm bells I guess. Its probably one of those microwavable Rustlers things in a packet from Tescos round the corner.
......harsh? Maybe - but I just think there isn't any excuse for this sort of thing in a otherwise upmarket-ish slightly cool music bar in a busy area. If you cant do food, stick to crisps, we don't mind! - if you just want to do bar snacks, fine, just put a little bit of effort in for 6.50 please. Any effort will do.
Hey, the music selection was ok too. See - not that bad a place really, as long as you feed up beforehand.
3 Sep 2009 17:15
Oh dear. Let me first say this pub used to be good. It now seems to of got away from itself and gone rather rubbish.
Firstly on my last visit two of the three ales were off and the one left, London Pride, was dreadful. The taste was off, and the head resembled lumpy sewage foam. Yuk.....to the point that both the Noogs on the Pride felt sick after a while.
Secondly the service seems shoddy - I waited an age to be served at the not very busy bar, whilst the bar staff wandered about a bit doing not much and looked generally grumpy with their lot.
Thirdly the food took ages (granted we were warned) and wasn't really up to much - certainly didn't resemble the interesting sounding menu.
Hey, it still looks nice inside though. Bonus!
Far nicer pubs very close by - off the top of my head The Mucky Pup, The Rosemery Branch - shucks - even the slightly upperty organic place round the corner with all the rich peeps honking away in it. Honk!
27 Aug 2009 13:06
A nice enough, harmless place to drink, and great place to grab food and a pint.
Pizza is fantastic (takeway as well for lazy times), Guiness is good.
......I avoid at weekends though as busy and loud music dont really fit. becomes non-local. Better pubs in the area for long sessions, lazy weekend drinking, or an all night stay.
10 Jun 2009 13:08
The Royal Inn on the Park, Victoria Park
A great pub in a fantastic location - been going here for a number of years.
Food has always been good, jukebox is fantastic, beer is nice, staff often polite, garden is big, crowd is cool in a knowing way.
Gents are proper ming, but who really cares?
.....only downside is drains in the area can stink like death in the summer, and can sometimes get quite busy. (the pub, not the drains)
10 Jun 2009 13:02
Good location, but interior is trying too hard. Feels over done - over poncey. But then this area is like that.
Good pint though, and food is actually rather nice. Bar staff also very friendly - no problems there.
So quite a good pub, but I can think of at least 4 other pubs within walking distance that I prefer. (Royal Inn being the obvious).
10 Jun 2009 12:56
A real shame, this one. As stated used to be a rather cool place to come a number of years ago and hang out until the wee hours when there was no such thing as 24h licences, but has gone downhill since. How can you ever rate a pub that delibrately turns OFF pints at a certain point and will only sell wildly expensive bottles? It really does smell strange to boot. Also now seems to be full of complete wangers (maybe it always was?).
Only recommended if your already really rather drunk, wish to carry on drinking something, ANYTHING, and dont mind paying a bouncer to get into a pub. Oh, and it does have a great outdoors bit for those rare barmy summers nights in which to watch the sunrise and pretend your in Ibiza. I give it that.
10 Jun 2009 12:50
Back to PissedMonkey's profile
The Marquis of Granby, Fitzrovia
Noogs probably feel this is a rather low score for an above average pub in soho/noho. Guest ales plus the standard Doombar and london pride, supped nicely. A big tree outside for standing under, although the whiff of drains is hanging - not the pubs fault though. Prime position for watching things go by. Busy with after work media types, and early service was shody, but improved later as thinned out and we got our eye in. Toilets very, er, tight? Amazingly small infact. Chips were nice.....erm....that's your lot.
20 May 2010 10:02