The Duke of Edinburgh, Brixton

Just really poor. Which is a big shame as we'd had two separate hugely enthusiastic recommendations prior to choosing it for somewhere close to Brixton Academy, with outside space and decent food in order to catch some pre-gig early rays and be fed and watered. The website proclaimed all boxes thoroughly ticked.

It gets the one point for the huge beer garden. The biggest I have ever seen in London. But you can have too much of a good thing. The surly staff seemed completely unprepared for one of the sunniest days if the year so far. I arrived first out of our party and those of us that hadn't been before soon all agreed that the beer garden (and Save The Rhino mural) were brilliant. It soon filled up and inside also became suddenly really busy - Man Utd v Bayern will do that to a pub with screens.

The menu looked fab - a sign of former glory perhaps? A couple of people have said the pub has changed hands recently. A really interesting variety of burgers in the main, all with pickles and salad, but also tempting salads and staples like fish & chips, all for just £9, including a side. Extra sides £3. I'd had the halloumi burger recommended so went for that with fries, plus a side of coleslaw. My sister plumped for the spiced chicken thighs with salad and a side of potato salad and others had traditional burgers and fish and chips. Well over an hour later, in danger of missing some of the gig the obviously harassed bar man plonked the most embarrassing excuse of a chicken salad - two tiny thighs, a pile of iceberg lettuce and a tomato cut in half - in front of my sister, saying there was no potato salad, but she could have chips. I got a burnt bap containing the tiniest bit of uncooked halloumi, no salad, no coleslaw and not a pickle in sight on any plate! It was dark by this time, but the advertised items were definitely missing. We asked for cutlery and were told we had to trudge all the back to the bar to get our own. There was only three forks and four knives - we needed four of each. I asked the same guy for an extra fork to which the reply was "We haven't got any." When I made it clear that wasn't good enough he finally, after finishing serving a huge round, returned with some plastic forks. By the time I returned to the table, my food was stone cold and the fish and chips eater had given up and eaten with his fingers! This was a couple of hours ago and I still feel sick. So disappointing.

Needing to get to the Academy sharpish by this point and with the bar being rammed, I didn't bother to queue to argue the toss over the three quid they owed me for the lack of coleslaw, being pretty certain if the reaction I'd get. But I won't forget and I won't be back. Shame.

1 Apr 2014 22:07