The Hoop and Toy, South Kensington

I like this place. I've drunk there about 3-4 times for fairly long sessions at different times of day, all have been rewarding. Excellent selection of real ales from three or four breweries, enabled by the fact that it is a Free House. Good friendly service. The decor and layout are cosy, toilets acceptable. Never eaten there so no comment on that.

They are now opening to midnight every day, apart from Sunday when it is 11pm, under the new licensing laws. Halleluja!

24 Nov 2005 14:37

The Southwark Tavern, London Bridge

Fairly decent but trendy pub. Staff are not up to much - there seems to be a high turnover so a lot who are just being trained up. Excellent selection of bottled trappist/Belgian beers. Food is OK, and they do just about the best Sunday roast I've had in a pub, for about �8.50. Ask for horseradish. They've also introduced a few real ales on regular rotation. Nice little private cubbies in basement area. We do the pub quiz on Tuesdays, which is very popular so good prize money (�2 per person, winner takes all, prize regularly exceeds �120). However the music intro round is always far too hard and we lose on that. We use it in preference to the fairly shoddy boozers next to the river in the area, but there are better and cheaper real ale pubs about, e.g. Royal Oak and Lord Clyde.

22 May 2005 01:13

The Fire Station, Waterloo

Fairly nice place for the location. It is big with tall ceilings, much of it given over to a restaurant section. There is also a semi-separate area with a big screen for football fans. Good range of interesting real ales (Youngs amongst others) and one or two nice whiskys. You can see the "cellar" with all the beer barrels in an adjacent area. Long bench tables with individual chairs, and the walls are white tiled like an old-fashioned butchers. I think it is a nice atmosphere but it is fairly odd so YMMV. I guess it is an old Fire Station, so that will give you an idea! I think it makes a better gastro-pub than normal pub. Didn't try food so no comment on that. Directly opposite Evans cycle shop, which is nice.

22 May 2005 00:55