The Alwyne Castle, Islington

I have been going to this pub for years and although it is easy to pass judgment on the Alwyne in one way or another it also remains true that it is astonishingly rare to come across an establishment that manages its standards with such infallible and enduring accuracy and persistence. With an almost other worldly resistance to the passage of time and the inevitable fluctuations in the nature of local demography the Alwyne has succeeded in maintaining such appalling levels of service for such a long time that this has become a source of fascination for many rather than a force of repulsion. Beyond incompetent, uninterested and effectively absent the staff's arrogance and laziness are almost intoxicating in their ability to induce a sense of pure awe in an experienced patron as well as the unsuspecting guest. . Even though bar staff come and go, the customers change, winter rains are replaced by the sweet scents of spring blossom the Alwyne team�s inability to deliver in this very unchallenging job is as certain as the passage of time itself. But, as in life, the closer we look at the Alwyne Castle the more we realise that it is a far greater source of marvel than it seems at first glance. And, once we get a chance to discuss all this directly with them ,as I once have we, find that the world is even more curious than we could have thought as it becomes apparent that there is genuine interest and ambition for success in the hospitality industry lurking behind that bar, behind those eyes; this performance is brought to us by people who are doing what they want to be doing, what they want to succeed in. The mind is then elevated to new heights by the incomprehensible situation it witnesses and that is why I still go back to the Alwyne, every once in a while, just to remind myself of the fact that the world is simply not here for us to understand. Here's to the Alwyne, whatever its significance might be.

15 Mar 2009 19:32