London Pub Tour 6 - Charing Cross: Princess of Wales, Ship and Shovell, Champagne Charlie's and The Sherlock Holmes

I've been visiting a lot of pubs in the Victoria area so opted to head slightly further to Charing Cross. Charing cross has many a selection of pubs and my first stop was a Nicholson's pub on Villiers Street called The Princess of Wales (WC2N 6ND). I've always avoided this pub as due to it proximity to Charing Cross station and being on the walk to Embankment tube station, it's always too busy. Well surprisingly the pub didn't look busy from the outside so I opted to go in.

The pub was much smaller inside than I was expecting. There were some high tables by the front window which would seat maybe 8 to 10 people each. Then some smaller tables passing along the wall opposite the bar through to the back. There was an upstairs dinning area which I didn't pop up to see how big it was though I noticed this was a Nicholson' Sausage and Chop House. I've never come across this branding of theirs before but it appears to be their way of offering a simpler menu much like Fullers Ale & Pie pubs, maybe due to restricted kitchen size, which I could understand if the upstairs dinning plus kitchen was the same as the bar area.

There were 6 hands pumps of which only 4 were on. I've had the house Nicholson's Pale Ale and Cotleigh's tawny before, so my decision was between Blackwolf's Big Red or Thornbridge's Wild Holly. I swung towards the Big Red as it wasn't a high abv at 3.8% and I've had quite a lot of winter/Christmas beers in the last few weeks, so it seemed a good time for a break. The beer was smooth but not overly impressive to make me want to order another one. All the tables were occupied so I found a place further towards the rear along the bar I could stand without being an obstruction to others wishing to order.

I moved on afterwards to the Ship and Shovell (WC2N 5PH) which is less than a one minute walk away, even against a rush hour crowd. The Ship and Shovell is down a walkway which you have to pass under Charing Cross station. The pub itself is unique as its actually occupies two separate buildings on the opposite sides of the walkway. The original pub is the bigger building from the 1860s which is always open, versus the newer building which opened in the late 90s but isn't always open. On this occasion the newer building was closed however the original side is the better in my opinion.

This pub is a Halls and Woodhouse pub and as such all ales on tap were Badger. I do like Halls and Woodhouse pubs however, I'm not a fan of Badger beers. There were 4 hand pumps with only 3 on providing a choice of Tanglefoot, First Call or Fursty Ferret. There were the whole selection of Badger beers and ciders on bottle, whilst on tap they had a small selection of mainstream lagers which included Peroni, Amstel and 1664. Also on tap was Badger's own lager, Leaping Legend. I'd tasted all these drinks before except for their pear cider but as I was in an ale mood I went for a pint of Tanglefoot. As stated I'm not truely a fan of Badger beers but I think Tanglefoot is definitely my favourite and it tasted much better than the Big Red I'd had before.

The pub had lots of free tables but I again decided to stand at a quite end of the bar so I could admire the interior of this wonderful pub. The pub had a nautical theme, like many do, with some very nice wooden ship models. There were some old portraits on the walls, of which I'm not going to attempt to guess the subjects and I'm sure can be found elsewhere online. The walls were wood panelled and there was a large section with beautiful mirrors. The pub had some minor screened areas and was full of beautiful wood all round. Halls & Woodhouse and Sam Smith's that I do admire when it comes to tasteful refurbishments of pubs.

After finishing my pint I headed slightly back on myself to an establishment I've passed many times that has a sign stating ales served but of which I always shied away from due thinking, based on its name, it wouldn't be my type of scene nor might I be permitted in. What is this place I talk of, well it's Champagne Charlie's.

After walking through and down the stairs to the basement area, you enter a very dim (mood lighting style) lit bar in front of you. The bar was 2 lagers (Meantime and London Pale Ale) and 2 ales (Old Wallop and Whitstable Bay). I opted for a pint of Old Wallop by Charles and Well and was pleasantly surprised when it was poured into a wonderful looking tankard. I was certainly not expecting that nice touch!

The bar was quite empty with only four older gentlemen drinking lagers and wines whilst standing at the bar. What I assume was a work party came from around a corner and left, which made me realise the place much have quite a big dinning area. Along with this I noticed that the bar area to the left of the entrance was actually much bigger than I gave it credit for as it stretches much further back. I sat at a small table with a view of their big fridge so I could have a nose. There were a few bottles that I perhaps wouldn't mind going back for to have a taste of. During my time sipping the from the tankard quite a few groups of 2-4 young (25-35yrs) people came down into the bar ordering beers and taking up seating in the bar area. I did see that they only served up the Old Wallop in the tankard, so people ordering the Whitstable Bay did miss out.

As the place was starting to get busier with work crowds as it had hit 5pm I left and made my way to my last venue, the very touristy Sherlock Holmes (WC2N 5DB). This pub is only a few metres away from the Ship and Shovell and was completely packed with either the after work crowd or the pre-theatre crowd. Usually the pub is full of American and Japanese tourists however I didn't spot one at all, and everyone had a UK accent which I found bizzare. Now the Sherlock Holmes is a Greene King pub which serves two special beers for the place: Holmes and Watson. As stated before, I'm not a fan of Greene King beers, as there is just something in the flavour that I'm not particularly keen on. Yes it's drinkable but I normally try to avoid their ales. Yet as I was in an ale mood and I had deliberately subjected myself to coming to this bar knowing full well it was a Greene King and what would be on I ordered a pint of Watson. The Holmes stated on the badge 'House Ale' which I've tasted a few times previously in Greene King pubs under other disguises whilst the Watson stated Amber Ale. The beer was as expected of Greene King, which is for each individual to judge themselves.

Looking round the pub it seemed to have less memorabilia on the walls then I remembered. All that remained of the old CRT TVs, that played Black and White out of copyright Sherlock Holmes episodes, were the brackets from the ceiling. As the pub was rammed and only getting busier, along with Spice Girls playing over the sound system, I made quick with my pint, and paid a visit to the lads room before leaving. Looking back at the pub from the road I certainly could admire what a grand and beautiful building it is, and can't help but feel that although touristy, it certainly wasn't a horrible 'tourist trap' like some other establishment. And at least was an introduction for many to the idea of a traditional British pub.

London Pub Tour 5 - Chelsea: Surprise, Coopers Arms, Phene and Prince Albert

I've not been able to keep up with the blog recently due to a busy christmas time both work wise and socially, though I hope to get back to my bi-weekly posts. I decided to pop over to Chelsea area today and sample some beer in a few pubs that I've been to a few times before. The first stop was The Surprise (SW3 4AJ) which is a residential area on a very open corner. Upon walking in I noticed a quite empty pub with the tables on the bar side mostly filled with individuals whilst the non-bar side with soft furnishing was emptier.

There were three ales pumps however, only two were in use. As a Young's pub they served Young's Bitter but alongside this they served a house Young's house ale called HMS Surprise. I've had the Surprise and didn't think much of it so didn't go for it. On the lager side they had London Lager, Chelsea Blonde, Amstel, Guinness, Peroni and Heineken. Based on these options I selected a pint of London Lager for £5.25. I've had it many times and ob
viously its a solid pint to fall back on, and only 4.5% abv. The pub itself has wooden floorboards and had a Christmas tree in one corner. There were some basic hanging paper decorations from the ceiling though overall it looks nice. This pub doesn't offer a great selection but isn't a bad place if you want a comfy few pints with mates after work. There was a slight nautical theme with some ship decorations and obviously the house pint is named The Surprise after the HMS Surprise.

I only stayed for the one and opted to move onto the next nearby pub which so happened to be another Young's pub called the Coopers Arms (SW3 5TB). This place again was quite empty for a Friday, with only about 4 tables with people and the rest empty. Some of the staff were on break occupying and chatting in the corner and was nice to see them all getting along outside of working and is a good sign of a well run pub. There were 6 ale pumps though only 5 were in use, with two as repeaters. So the three ales on offer were Young's Bitter, Young's Special and Sambrook's Wandle. On tap there was Young's IPA, 1664, Guinness, Peroni, Fosters, Yakima Red, London Lager, London Pale Ale, and one that was list as out of service. I went for a pint of Yakima Red and settled down on a large table by myself next to a plug socket to charge my phone. I also bought a packet of Piper's crisps which was flavoured as Three Bird Roast. To be honest it just tasted of chicken but it was worth trying.

The Yakima was standard style as expected, a good pint with a high price point. The pub had a few more people pour in for a booking but still was empty. There was some very fancy and peculiar light in the pub that caught me attention. After finishing my pint of Yakima I decided to go for a bottle of the always good Ram Rod. The bar staff were very good and even offered me a rod and special mix, which is unusual to come across in pubs nowdays, though I did decline the offer. The Ram Rod went down a treat and is always a bottle I would recommend.

I next walked further into the housing and chelsea to arrive at the Phene (SW3 5NY). They only have two and pumps serving up Wandle and Good Old Boy when I went in. I believe Good Old Boy must be their house as it's always on when I go in, unless they're serving the same cask for the last 3 months...

I opted to stick with keg and chose a pint of Camden Ink which I'd never had before. They did offer a standard selection of keg beers which included Amstel, Heineken, Chelsea Blonde, Camden Hells, London Pale Ale and Renegade Craft Lager. The pint served was very much head very, aka a short pint. It's an okay pub inside though the clientele aimed for are from more money. I understand they shoot scenes from The Only Way is Chelsea in here, which says a lot. There is a big dinning area out back and upstairs. The staff and customers were very much over dressed for a pub for my sense, though I felt better with the drunk wedding party there on the bombs. There was lots of seating in the bar area though almost all were reserved. There was club music playing lowly across the sound system. It did feel much busier than the previous two pub though not sure if it was more down to the rowdy suited type making so much noise. I think this could be an okay pub on the right day.

I next headed towards the river and headed south alongside Battersea Park and to the Prince Albert (SW11 4PF). Now this pub was busy and filled with customers. It was again a Young's pub and had a very nice horseshoe bar which I'm always partial to. There were 4 pumps with only 3 on which were Young's Special, Sambrook's Pump House and Sharp's Coaster. I selected a pint of Pump House but as he poured he turned to me and said he thinks its at the end and is there anything else he can offer me. The fact he could have served a full pint to me but end of the barrel, yet didn't, speak excellently for customer service here. I chose the Coaster instead which poured perfectly.

The pub had lots of seating available with an area that was on a high staging. There was a mixture of tile and wood floor across the pub and of course this was dog friendly due to proximity to Battersea Park. Overall this was a nice pub set back from the river a few hundred metres but close enough to the park.

All the pubs today were very much aimed for a more upmarket clientele, though some of them had a very nice potential, and I feel may be enjoyable on the right day of the week.

London Pub Tour 4 - Pimlico: Cask Pub & Kitchen, Pride of Pimlico and Gallery

I've been popping into pubs recently that I've either neglected for a while or never previously visited. Today however I decided to pop by some pubs that I've regularly visited over the last 6 months. I started off by popping into the beer nirvana that is Cask Pub & Kitchen (SW1V 2EE). This is a sister pub and precursor to the The Craft Beer Co pub chain.

The pub itself is on the corner of a 1950's estate, Lillington Gardens, which was part of the redevelopment after World War II and the new estate ideology that planners were promoting. Cask opened in 2009 and the outside area has some table and chairs for outdoor drinking, and even on this chilly day some people were braving it. When you walk into Cask the bar is just visible round the corner of the wall and between the pillar. Once you approach the bar you see the very large selection of ales and lagers available. There are 10 hand pumps that cover multiple styles, and normally you have a few casks from one brewery. Next are the kegs, all 12 of them, serving up lagers from London, Double IPAs from America and a stout (Imperial if your lucky) or two. Rather than name all that was one went I went as the selection changes regularly, I've attached a photo of the beer menu.

I opted to go for two half pints, of the first of which was an alt beer, Neu by Orbit Beers London. Now Cask isn't cheap but it does offer you a selection and at £2.65 for a half, it was good to try this beer. Sadly there was no major taste coming from it, though that did at least mean there was nothing off putting about it. The second half was All Day IPA from Founder Brewing Co at £2.95. I can understand the price for this beer more than the first, due to it being imported from the US. It was much better than the Neu and there was hops coming through in the taste. I touched upon the price as I do like to at least cover the cost aspect of beer, though I know if going to Cask I will tend to drink or find beers that I wouldn't normally find on tap elsewhere hence why I'm probably more willing to pay the price. They also have a massive selection of bottles which range in price from £4 through to £90, though offer a 1/3 off for take away bottles.

The pub itself had a varied selection of drinkers in with plenty of seating, though sadly most of it was marked as reserved from 7pm. I'm not a huge fan of reservations at pubs as it can put off already present and paying customers from remaining, which has a knock on effect particularly if a booking arrives later than planned, which is quite common. The pub wasn't overdone with Christmas decorations and was perhaps going with the theme of Christmas-lite.

I left Cask and walked 2 minutes down the road to the Pride of Pimlico (SW1V 2QA). Much like Cask this pub is built into the same 1950's development and has always been a pub. This is much more of a local boozer and is particularly popular with the Irish. This pub honestly smells and reminds me of an Irish pub I used to go to as a kid, which is now sadly closed. The pub serves only keg with the selection offered of John Smith, Guinness, Guinness Golden, Carlsberg, Stella, Fosters and Peroni. There is some Rekorderlig Cider bottles available for those with a sweet tooth, but most importantly they sell Tayto crisps!

The pub is very spacious with seating all around the two front bay windows. They seating at the front and rear bar (although the whole pub is one room, there are two bar serving areas). There is a pool table that has plenty of space to play on, and not be stuck up against a wall like in so many other pubs. Then there is a middle aisle between the front and rear bar, which mainly guys sit on and watching the horse racing on the TV. The pub was quite busy with everyone taking the seats against the bars and bay window area nearest to the front bar. I would guess there were around 30 people, which was more than were in Cask. I bought a pint of Stella and a bag of Tayto's and relaxed in the friendly and comfortable environment.

After finishing off my pint I headed a further two minutes down the road to The Gallery (SW1V 3AS) which is situated right next to an entrance to Pimlico tube station. This pub was very quiet with only about 8 customers on the ground floor area. The pub has a lot of seating with a little raised area on the ground floor. There's also s an upstairs balcony seating area, which I've only ever sat once in. The bar is staffed by Aussi's (always has been, at least for the last 6yrs) and we all know Aussi's and beer go well together.

There were 5 hand pumps serving up London Glory (Greene King), Pure Gold (Purity), Boon Doggle (Ringwood), Iron Duke (Cottage Brewery) and Landlord (Timothy Taylor). Alongside this were 7 kegs offering Leff, Budvar, 1664, Guinness, Peroni, Staropramen and Becks. Sadly the Budvar was off so I opted for a Becks. The Gallery can be busy at lunch time with tourist heading to the Tate Gallery nearby and after work with teachers from the nearby school. I've had food here previoulsy, a burger, but I didn't think it was too great. Beer wise I had opted for the becks as I've had all the ales on offer before and since I'd already started on lager, had decided to keep to it.

After finishing off my pint it was a short stride to the tube station and off homeward bound.

London Pub Tour 3 - Westminster: Constitution, Prince of Wales, Queens Arms & Jugged Hare

I opted to visit some pubs in Victoria that I've been to quite a few times before before but have neglected for a while. The first stop was at the Constitution (SW1V 2LP), which has only recently re-opened after a refurbishment. On the outside the picnic benches had been replace with wooden tables but all looked the same. When walking inside I could immediately see the changes that had taken place although the pub still felt very much the same. The carpet has been pulled up and wood flooring is now throughout, along with wood panelling on the walls. New tables and chairs though very much similar dark colours as before. There was a new tall central communal table, which wasn't plain and was actually very beautiful. I'm unable to recollect whether the ship models have been removed from the top of the walls. The major change was the beers on tap and food menu change. The pub is now under new owners and they have given it a slight bump up market but not too massively.

This pub used to be the only place I knew of in the area that served Worthington Smoothflow though this has been removed. The regulars are still here and I assume haven't been priced out, and they continue to sell some mainstream lagers such as Fosters and Carlsberg, though have added some craft or premium lagers into the mix which didn't exist before. They still had three ale pumps though these were dispensing Doom, Speckled and Greene King IPA. I opted for a bottle of the Orchard Pig, Truffler at £4.70 for the 500ml bottle. It was a run of the mill cider for me, nothing to turn me off but nothing stand out to make me choose this over other brands.

I next headed towards the station to the Prince of Wales (SW1V 1DW). This is a small corner pub with a few benches outside on a busy restaurant street. The pub was very busy and all seats were taken, though to be fair the pub can only probably seat 30 people. I managed to find a space, which so happened to be in the corner near the entrance door, right next to the bar. This pub always has a nice selection of ales to choose from (6 taps) and on this occasion they had Doombar, Pride, Landlord, ESB, Poppy and Over The Bar. Now I'm always tempted by an ESB or Landlord but the Over The Bar was from Otter, and I wasn't going to pass up this as I like their beers and hadn't had this one before. The pint came to £4.40 and it didn't disappoint, and went down a treat.

The pub became busier still, though not sure how, and although I would have liked to try another, I departed and made my way round the corner to the Queens Arms (SW1V 1QT). The Queens Arms is a grand corner pub, that is in perfect condition and good to look at. Now the Queens Arms is not a pub I would generally go to as it is definitely more geared up to being an eatery than a drinkery though on this visit it was actually quite quiet. Not all the tables were full and the bar had a few people standing and drinking at it. There were 5 hand pumps with only 4 in action serving Under Current, Stiff Upper Lip, Ubu and a Sambrooks. Though I had never had Under Current before I felt more in the mood for a lager and this place serves the premium and mainstream craft ones. Looking through I could see Camden Hells, Camden Pils, Amstel, London Stout and a Mondo Brewery beer. I opted for a pint of Pale Ale by Truman's Brewery at £5.10. I've had a few of the Truman's ales but haven't really considered them great so thought I'd give their lager a try. Sadly I felt this too was lacking in the 'wow' or 'I could have another of those' areas. The crowd in the Queens Arms was very young and upmarket and that isn't quite my style. Though the pub does look good inside and offered a few nice bottles, I wasn't going to hang around after my one.

My final stop was the Jugged Hare (SW1V 1DX) which is a Fuller's Ale & Pie pub, which just means a simpler menu choice. The building is an old bank though doesn't stand out too much. Walking into the pub and it feels a nice size. Then you notice there is further seating out the back and an upstairs balcony seating area. One feature I always love is the very large painting on the wall. It's such a busy painting with so much going on in the scene and you always spot something new. The bar had the usual selection of Fullers ales including Seafarers and their seasonal Fire Cracker. They had the Fullers IPA, Honey Dew and Birra Moretti on tap. I had a look at their bottle fridge and immediately seen what I was going to have. I knew that they sold it here, but I'm never quite sure whether today was going to be the day I opted to purchase it.

I decided to go all out and buy a bottle of the Fullers Imperial Stout Limited Edition for £7 something. The Italian barmaid was very friendly and chatty as she served the customers. I poured the silkly black stout into my brandy-esque glass and savoured the smell, before going in for a glup. It was a beautiful texture and good taste. I honestly can't think of a better beer type than an imperial stout, though the only downfall is always the percentage. I thought the bottle would be somewhere along the lines of the Golden Pride, at 8.4% however I was a bit taken back to see it was 10.7%, but hey whats 2% between friends. I sat back and supped the beer ensuring I didn't rush such a beautiful beer as this.