It was time again for London Drinker magazine delivery duties. So on a day off from work I headed down to the Union Tavern just a short walk from Westbourne Park station. Unfortunately the magazines weren't due in till the evening, so rather than waste the few hours I had set aside for magazine delivery, I opted to visit a few nearby pubs. I obviously started at the Union Tavern (W9 2BA) which is a Fullers owned pub which sits alongside the Grand Union Canal. The pub has recently undergone a refurbishment which has brought out the green tiles on the outside of the pub which were previously covered. The windows and doors have had all the paint peeled off and sanded down. I forgot to take a photo of new outside, so on my next visit I'll take and update this blog.
Once inside the bar is directly in front of you and the keg taps stand out. The taps used to be on the back wall but now stand on the bar in these huge fonts. Above the pump clip is a clear perspex glass which houses the beer. Through this you can see the colour of your beer. I'm not sure how these exactly work though understand the beer visible is pulled through and so is replenished, and goes empty when keg has run dry. I'm assuming the beer is still kept cool as the sun shining through would certainly warm it up. In total there are 12 keg taps and 5 hand pumps. The kegs options on my visit were Pride Unfiltered, Treason West Coast IPA, 21|03, Beatnik, Neck Oil, Frontier, Hepcat, Chiron, Kernel IPA, Crate Cider and Black Cab Stout (One tap was broken). On ales only 4 were on: Pride, Crate Golden, Signature Session and Guardsman. I opted for a pint of Beatnik which came in at £5.60 for a 3.8% beer.
On the left hand side of the pump there is bench seating running under the window with quite a few small tables available. To the right of the entrance there are some high long benches with stools to sit upon. The rest of the floor has either low tables with seats or more bench seats under the windows. The pub is shaped like a U but there is more room to the right. On the right hand side this is also a projector beaming onto the walls the beers currently available and upcoming events. You can if you want, walk down the stairs to the canal-side area where there are lots of picnic benches under a large canopy. During the hot weather this is where everyone disappears to, though having to climb up the stairs to order a round can be off putting.
I headed back towards Westbourne Park station for my next pub the Metropolitan (W11 1AB). The pub is named after the Metropolitan Railway Company who built the adjacent station. Strangely its now owned by Greene King but under their Metropolitan brand. The exterior of the building is amazing with the varying red tiles and the area above painted a blueish grey. The large arched windows at the front are definitely railway like. There is a large pavement area out front, though am not sure if they have permission to put tables out here for use. Stepping inside and you're faced with an horse shoe bar with a wood top and red painted front. The bar has three hand pumps with only two in service offering up Portobello Spring Ale or GK IPA. There is more choice keg wise with Estrella, Hells Unfiltered, London Pilsner, Amstel, Guinness, Aspalls Harry Sparrow, Beyond the Pale, West Coast Pale, Camden Pale and Hop House 13. I keep it sensible and order a half of the West Coast Pale by Redwell which comes in at £2.85. The beer is a straw pale ale with the standard American pale ale taste.
As it's just after lunchtime on a Tuesday I'm not surprised there is only one other person in the pub. On the right of the entrance are a few tables, whilst on the left are some american dinner style seats. There are bar stalls all around the bar, with a few small tables along the wall. The bar does take up majority of space but there is still lots of space between tables and bar to allow for standing and moving. There are tiled walls along with painted walls, and some shelving with inanimate objects. I believe there is a rear patio garden but I didn't explore this.
As this pub tour was unplanned I actually passed my next pub whilst looking for a cash machine, and back tracked to it afterwards. The next stop was the Cow (W2 5QH) which looks quite attractive from the outside, and has a self contained outdoor area which manages to match the pub's decor. Upon entering you are greeted with the colour red from the upholstery on the stools and seats to the lino flooring and even the drip trays.
The pub stretches back much further than you'd expect but becomes narrower the further back you go. At the front the place feels very much like a pub with the stools at the bar, the beer taps and the cushioned bench seating to the right. As you walk down the pub the bar suddenly turns into a kitchen with a fish display and the end part is set as a dinning area with photos on the wall and a fire place in the middle of the rear wall. A sunlight sits above this area providing light in summer and warmth in winter.
On the bar there were 4 hand pumps with only two in action dispensing either Pride of Boltmaker. The keg taps though were more interesting Guinness, Cow Lager (own beer), Pauline, Neck Oil, Hoegaarden, Hogans Cider and De Koninck. I went for the De Konick measure for which the barman said, it comes in this glass and then preceded to pour into a glass with a half pint measure. The head then reaches up might higher into the glass before receding and giving you a measure of maybe 350ml. Unusual measure but an amazing beer, however priced at £5.30!
The pub certainly starts to feel more like a restaurant with mirrors on the ceiling with daily specials written on them. There is some football memorabilia on the walls, but otherwise its either posters or strange murals. There is an upstairs to this pub, though am not sure what is up there, or even if its open for the public. There were only three other people in the pub, all of whom were only drinking. After leaving the pub I did attempt to go to The Westbourne over the road, but this was closed under 5pm.
I decided to walk towards Paddington and stop by the pub where I originally used to collect London Drinkers before it was closed for refurbishment. The Cleveland Arms (W2 6DT) had only just reopened and this could be seen by the workmen still fixing odds and ends, and walls looking like they still required painting or cleaning. The outside of the pub still looked very much the same, though the entrance door had moved to the right. Upon entering there is now a large horseshoe bar rather then a straight bar against the side wall. Not all the taps had pump clips on so I walked around the bar to check. In keg there was Reveller Orchard Pig, Guinness, 11|18, Velveteen, Peroni, Halcyon and Assassin. There were also four hand pumps, though only three were on with Proper Job, Landlord and Jaipur. I went for a pint of Velveteen (£5.50) which was advertised as a milk stout and had a sweet nose bitter taste. It didn't feel so milk stout but it was bloody good. I took my pint and wander to the rear of the pub due to the front only having only table with armchairs by the window which were occupied.
I was completely surprised by the rear of the pub as the room was so much bigger than previously. There are wood panels to the ceiling on some of the walls, with the rest having it till waist height. The decor, photo frames and furniture all blend perfectly in what feels like a study. The flooring throughout is wood and with more light coming into the rear through the new windows. The ceiling in the pub looks wonderful and you can tell time and attention to detail were involved.
There is also a downstairs seating area which is much larger and more open than upstairs, though this appears to be more setup as a dinning area, particularly as this is where the open kitchen is. Overall I would say the pub was managed to keep its important elements, feel more open and larger, even with the bar taking up more space. I can only say that these weren't the plans I understood originally laid down, but it has worked out for the better. The beer variety is still there and hopefully the regulars return.
Once inside the bar is directly in front of you and the keg taps stand out. The taps used to be on the back wall but now stand on the bar in these huge fonts. Above the pump clip is a clear perspex glass which houses the beer. Through this you can see the colour of your beer. I'm not sure how these exactly work though understand the beer visible is pulled through and so is replenished, and goes empty when keg has run dry. I'm assuming the beer is still kept cool as the sun shining through would certainly warm it up. In total there are 12 keg taps and 5 hand pumps. The kegs options on my visit were Pride Unfiltered, Treason West Coast IPA, 21|03, Beatnik, Neck Oil, Frontier, Hepcat, Chiron, Kernel IPA, Crate Cider and Black Cab Stout (One tap was broken). On ales only 4 were on: Pride, Crate Golden, Signature Session and Guardsman. I opted for a pint of Beatnik which came in at £5.60 for a 3.8% beer.On the left hand side of the pump there is bench seating running under the window with quite a few small tables available. To the right of the entrance there are some high long benches with stools to sit upon. The rest of the floor has either low tables with seats or more bench seats under the windows. The pub is shaped like a U but there is more room to the right. On the right hand side this is also a projector beaming onto the walls the beers currently available and upcoming events. You can if you want, walk down the stairs to the canal-side area where there are lots of picnic benches under a large canopy. During the hot weather this is where everyone disappears to, though having to climb up the stairs to order a round can be off putting.
I headed back towards Westbourne Park station for my next pub the Metropolitan (W11 1AB). The pub is named after the Metropolitan Railway Company who built the adjacent station. Strangely its now owned by Greene King but under their Metropolitan brand. The exterior of the building is amazing with the varying red tiles and the area above painted a blueish grey. The large arched windows at the front are definitely railway like. There is a large pavement area out front, though am not sure if they have permission to put tables out here for use. Stepping inside and you're faced with an horse shoe bar with a wood top and red painted front. The bar has three hand pumps with only two in service offering up Portobello Spring Ale or GK IPA. There is more choice keg wise with Estrella, Hells Unfiltered, London Pilsner, Amstel, Guinness, Aspalls Harry Sparrow, Beyond the Pale, West Coast Pale, Camden Pale and Hop House 13. I keep it sensible and order a half of the West Coast Pale by Redwell which comes in at £2.85. The beer is a straw pale ale with the standard American pale ale taste.
As it's just after lunchtime on a Tuesday I'm not surprised there is only one other person in the pub. On the right of the entrance are a few tables, whilst on the left are some american dinner style seats. There are bar stalls all around the bar, with a few small tables along the wall. The bar does take up majority of space but there is still lots of space between tables and bar to allow for standing and moving. There are tiled walls along with painted walls, and some shelving with inanimate objects. I believe there is a rear patio garden but I didn't explore this.
As this pub tour was unplanned I actually passed my next pub whilst looking for a cash machine, and back tracked to it afterwards. The next stop was the Cow (W2 5QH) which looks quite attractive from the outside, and has a self contained outdoor area which manages to match the pub's decor. Upon entering you are greeted with the colour red from the upholstery on the stools and seats to the lino flooring and even the drip trays.
The pub stretches back much further than you'd expect but becomes narrower the further back you go. At the front the place feels very much like a pub with the stools at the bar, the beer taps and the cushioned bench seating to the right. As you walk down the pub the bar suddenly turns into a kitchen with a fish display and the end part is set as a dinning area with photos on the wall and a fire place in the middle of the rear wall. A sunlight sits above this area providing light in summer and warmth in winter.
On the bar there were 4 hand pumps with only two in action dispensing either Pride of Boltmaker. The keg taps though were more interesting Guinness, Cow Lager (own beer), Pauline, Neck Oil, Hoegaarden, Hogans Cider and De Koninck. I went for the De Konick measure for which the barman said, it comes in this glass and then preceded to pour into a glass with a half pint measure. The head then reaches up might higher into the glass before receding and giving you a measure of maybe 350ml. Unusual measure but an amazing beer, however priced at £5.30!
The pub certainly starts to feel more like a restaurant with mirrors on the ceiling with daily specials written on them. There is some football memorabilia on the walls, but otherwise its either posters or strange murals. There is an upstairs to this pub, though am not sure what is up there, or even if its open for the public. There were only three other people in the pub, all of whom were only drinking. After leaving the pub I did attempt to go to The Westbourne over the road, but this was closed under 5pm.
I decided to walk towards Paddington and stop by the pub where I originally used to collect London Drinkers before it was closed for refurbishment. The Cleveland Arms (W2 6DT) had only just reopened and this could be seen by the workmen still fixing odds and ends, and walls looking like they still required painting or cleaning. The outside of the pub still looked very much the same, though the entrance door had moved to the right. Upon entering there is now a large horseshoe bar rather then a straight bar against the side wall. Not all the taps had pump clips on so I walked around the bar to check. In keg there was Reveller Orchard Pig, Guinness, 11|18, Velveteen, Peroni, Halcyon and Assassin. There were also four hand pumps, though only three were on with Proper Job, Landlord and Jaipur. I went for a pint of Velveteen (£5.50) which was advertised as a milk stout and had a sweet nose bitter taste. It didn't feel so milk stout but it was bloody good. I took my pint and wander to the rear of the pub due to the front only having only table with armchairs by the window which were occupied.
I was completely surprised by the rear of the pub as the room was so much bigger than previously. There are wood panels to the ceiling on some of the walls, with the rest having it till waist height. The decor, photo frames and furniture all blend perfectly in what feels like a study. The flooring throughout is wood and with more light coming into the rear through the new windows. The ceiling in the pub looks wonderful and you can tell time and attention to detail were involved.
There is also a downstairs seating area which is much larger and more open than upstairs, though this appears to be more setup as a dinning area, particularly as this is where the open kitchen is. Overall I would say the pub was managed to keep its important elements, feel more open and larger, even with the bar taking up more space. I can only say that these weren't the plans I understood originally laid down, but it has worked out for the better. The beer variety is still there and hopefully the regulars return.
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