The Hermits Cave, Camberwell

A lot of alcoholic losers down there at times. The governor is an Irish chap - a firm, polite and chatty elderly bloke but make no mistake, he does not give a toss if you misbehave. This place is a good boozer though. Great selection of good quality real ales and spirits. No music which is great. Good atmosphere in general. There is one con though. Be aware of the governor's daughter behind the counter. She may be quite unpleasant person to encounter. She's got poor communication skills and could be quite rude unnecessarily when you've had one too many which does not help really. She's being patiently tolerated by the customers there. Double-faced and intellectually deluded she is but I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to experience a good old traditional English boozer.

22 Nov 2015 11:04

The Duke of Sussex, Waterloo

This is a very strange place this pub with a weird governor named Dave. This pub is a great surprise for all those who dare to enter it. Gloomy, old interiors with some distasteful deco - you don't know whether to love it or hate it. Strange customers, strange atmosphere. You may enjoy this place on one condition - you need to be drunk and it has to be a Friday/Saturday night when there are some atrocious karaoke performances. Generally speaking it is a pretty boring and depressing place to be. The area where the pub is located is ugly and might not be very safe in the evening or at night. This is a good place for bigoted people to visit though as local black residents tend to avoid this pub. Dave - the living in governor is a great fan of karaoke and likes to sing himself. He's not a bad singer for an amateur to be quite truthful - you have to give him that. When he talks and he likes to talk a lot, he sounds quite like Terry Venables and he even looks a bit like him - same voice and same cockney accent. He's been around so he's got few stories to tell. Ordering food if there is any on the menu at the time is not a great idea. This pub has never been known for good catering. If you are hungry, take my advice and go somewhere else. Be careful with real ales there as they might be of some bad quality at times. Do not be afraid to complain and do not care about Dave's (the governor's) attitude. This pub is not on my list of favourites. Been there few times and that's enough.

22 Nov 2015 10:52

The Mansion House, Kennington

Very nicely gentrified pub/gastro bar at the moment. Great place to go for a date, have a good meal. Great interiors. I remember this pub as it was in 2000-2002. Very simple, old interiors, small selection of beers and spirits but man....that place had its own great character then! There was a Polish barman there who used to play some great tunes and had a bit of an attitude at times. There was a wonderful TV watching area - almost like a small cinema where you could watch football and music clips on MTV. The place was very spacious with some fantastic, old furniture and simple and rough local customers. The beer was cheap and of good quality. Good times.
Now....much busier than it used to be but much more expensive and completely different place.

22 Nov 2015 10:06