London Pub Tour 37 - Victoria: Cask and Glass, The Colonies and Phoenix

Photo by Ewan Munro

So it's back to the Victoria area again where they're still plenty of pubs between the station and Westminster that I need to survey. My first port of call today was the Cask and Glass (SW1 5HN) which is close to St James's Station and Buckingham Palace. This pub is a Shep Neame pub on a street corner behind a small restaurant/shopping area in Victoria. The pub itself is tiny inside with the majority of the space being the large footpath outside which provides space for the drinkers to stand. As you walk in through the door the small bar is directly in front of you. To you left the pub becomes even more narrow and has soft cushion seating for about 6 people. To the right there is more seating but still probably a stretch at 15 people and some room for people to stand just to the side of the bar. Once you have 20 people in this pub it can be considered packed. The pub interior is dark wood with a carpet floor. The walls are filled with portraits and pictures and higher up the wall there are old Shep Neame Bottles and merchandise.

As a Shep Neame the lagers on offer were Guinness, Asahi, Oranjeboom, Whitstable  Bay Blonde and an Symonds Cider. There were 4 four hand pumps offering Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Master Brew, Spitfire and Hog Island. I hadn't come across Hog Island before so opted for a pint of that. Hog Island is brewed by No. 18 Yard Brewhouse which is a subsidiary of Shep Neame. This seems to be a common theme now with big breweries opening up small brewhouses without any mention of them name attached. The pint had a good lacing but didn't taste anything like an American Pale Ale as advertised and more like a British one. As the pub wasn't busy I was easily able to grab one of the cushioned sofa seats and there were 4 older guys just down the other side drinking. This pub is very much a fair weather pub and as the sun had gone in and it's wasn't looking like it would be busy. This is a nice pub to visit when it's not too busy, so generally between lunch and after work or on a bad weather day early in the week.

As I finished my pint the pub did start to become slightly busier and as expected it was because the sun had started to reappear. I left the pub and walked mere metres down the road to my next stop The Colonies (SW1E 6PR). This is again a Taylor Walker pub which had completed its conversion to a Greene King. The pub is suited in the middle of a street with housing either side, but unfortunately due to development the building to the side had been knocked down and was now a building site. This has an impact on the pub as the rear of the pub is a large tarmac space with lots of benches which connnects onto the road behind. The sun normally shines through but due to the building site, the sun was blocked. I can only assume it won't be long before they consider selling off part of this rear space as it is quite large. To give an idea, the length outside is actually larger outside than the pub inside.

Upon entering the pub the bar is to your right, and you might need to navigate any crowds that gather at the tables by the front door. The pub was very busy with what looked a work function. I'm assuming the work function had started a few hours back as the people seemed quite merry at this time and were already ordering shorts. The bar stretches along the side wall and had 5 hand pumps, of which only three were on offering Boltmaker, IPA and 1730. On the keg front there was Aspalls, Becks, Fosters and Guinness. I bought a pint of Boltmaker and packet of crisps and made my way back through the work party and up the steps onto the raised seating area to go out the back door. I easily found a table and sat and drank my pint whilst watching the elder barmaids looking at a bench near the rear end on which school kids were gathering. The due went over to the bench to ID all the kids who were from a local 6th form. Any without ID were told they were unable to stay on the premises and made to leave. It made for enjoyable viewing particularly attempting to guess which seemed underage and shocked at ones that supposedly weren't.

It started to get cold so I walked inside to finish the last part of my pint and return my glass to the bar. I then walk back past the Cask & Glass which was now rammed and the pavement outside full of bodies. I made my way a few hundred metres towards Buckingham Palace but stopping shy at the Phoenix (SW1E 5JA) which is at the rear of Victoria Shopping area. The Phoenix is a large pub run by Young's under their Geronimo's brand. The work crowds were in here as well and all the tables were taken. The pub was very spacious though with some semi circle booth seating on one wall and large tables along the other wall. It was busier than the colonies but as more open plan it feels more spacious. The bar is against the back wall in the far corner as you enter from the front. There were four hand pumps dishing out Doombar, Grandstand and Young's Bitter with the final pump being off. The keg offering included the likes of Estrella, Amstel, Heineken, Peroni, Guinness, London IPA, Hells, Camden Pale and Flatiron.

I selected a pint of Flatiron Red, which I've had before, but couldn't quite remember whether I liked it. The beer was okay, nothing special and I managed to drink it. There is a small outside patio area in the pub which was filled with smokers so I ended up staying inside standing near a post in the pub. The TV was on showing The Chase but with the sound off and music playing but the noise volume was quite high in hear and you couldn't properly hear the music because of this. The pub was decorated with green wood panelling and the area above was painted white. The floor was the standard wood flooring and the tables also wood. This was very much the textbook equivalent of a gastro pub. I even seen the bar staff walk out to table which already had a group sat on it and place down a reserved card for an hour's time, poor show indeed. I finished off my pint, used the facilities and made my way back out in the quieter London rush hour to head homeward.

London Pub Tour 36 - Heathrow: Three Bells and Five Tuns

So on this London Pub tour I've covering two of the landside pubs I visited in Heathrow. The first I visited was the Three Bells (TW6 1AD - T3) back near the middle of November last year. I had popped down to wave off some of the other half's family though they were heading in different directions and had different flight times. So in between the two flights we stopped off at the Three Bells for food and a drink. the pub itself feels quite hidden upstairs in T3 as it's right down the far end from security near the toilets. The pub itself looked very gastro from the outside and this should have been expected considering it was a Geronimo (aka Youngs). Through the large entrance opening (no doors) you can see a large horse shoe bar. on the right of the entrance is a soft seating area with a carpet floor, bookcases, flowers and an open fire. This is a very cosy seating area and as it's away from the main noise of the airport is good to relax. The whole pub has a vintage rustic look, with bookcases or wall features separating areas. The remainder of the pub is normal low or high tables with plenty of space between tables for all the bags.

The pub wasn't too busy and there were plenty of tables and sofas available. As I was eating a low table was justified. The food menu was quite limited and I ended up going for the buttermilk chicken burger. The beer selection was okay for an airport pub offering three hand pumps which at the time were Young's Bitter, Doombar and Bombardier. On keg there was Fosters, Guinness, Becks Vier, Aspalls Suffolk, Peroni, London Lager, London IPA, Camden Hells, Camden Pale and Heineken. I opted for a pint of Young's London IPA which I've found hit and miss with my tastes over time. Sadly this time it was more of a miss and it wasn't so refreshing as the last time I had it, nor did it suit the food so well. We received table service the whole time we were there and the service was faultless. There wasn't a long waiting time to receive the drinks or the food. I could certainly see myself perhaps opting to have a few bevs in here before boarding my flight rather than on the usually more chaotic departure side pubs. My phone was low and there were plenty of charging slots all around the pub, including multiple charging points on all the high tables.

My next visit to Heathrow dropping off family occurred in March and this time at Terminal 5. This was my first visit to Terminal 5 and as a piece of architecture it was beautiful but for landside shops it certainly was bare. Thankfully there was a pub the Five Tuns (TW6 2GA - T5) which so happened to be a Geronimo's. This pub was on the main concourse just a short walk from the security gates but there wasn't much passing traffic and T5 felt quiet. The pub again had a large open front but was a smaller pub than the Three Bells. The pub also lacked the more comfortable seating area that was in the Three Bells. A large horse show bar was straight ahead in the middle with bar stools available. Low tables were on both sides of the bar offering plenty of seating for diners. The tables were closer together and this was due to an area at the front being reserved for bag storage.

The service here wasn't as great and it took a while for drinks to be delivered and having to chase for items missed. I opted for the fish and chips though regretted that choice as I've realised I'm not a huge battered fried fish guy any more. Someone ordered the pie which look very small and more pastry than filling. The pub offered a similar range of beers on keg which included Amstel, Peroni, Guinness, London Lager, Heineken and Aspalls Suffolk. There were only two ales on which were a choice of Doombar or Young's Bitter. I opted for a pint of the Meantime Lager which went down very nicely on this hot day. After finishing my drink I did order another but this time from the bottle selection and as I was seeing off my other half's family I opted for Erdinger Alkoholfrei. As a 0% beer it was quite tasty but obviously lacking in the alcohol taste you would get from the regular Erdinger. When about half way through the beer I just so happened to turn around the bottle and notice the expiry date on the back which stated October 2012! The beer was 5 bloody years past its best before. I informed the waitress that the beer stated it was well past it's best before although it didn't taste off to me at all. She checked and confirmed the rest were past their best before as well so I'm guessing they hadn't sold any of these since opened the pub. I got it taken off the bill but did finish the rest of the beer as it didn't taste skunked at all.

So two different terminals with landside pubs run by the same company but two totally different experiences. The Three Bells was enjoyable and relaxing whilst the Five Tuns was, well poorly run. Lessons to note are at Terminal 5 head straight through to the air side pubs.

London Pub Tour 9 - Whitehall: Clarence, Old Shades, Silver Cross and Walker's of Whitehall

It was still the lead up to Christmas and I opted to head up to Whitehall and the offering of pubs there. From Embankment tube station I walked to my starting point, the Clarence (SW1A 2HP).

The Clarence is a Geronimo's, aka Young's pub, which stands out on the street corner due to imposing size. The pub is partial wood, there are lots of nice lights and it has a very clean look. There are green tiles on the wall by the large clock, I'm unsure if this was something orignal found during the refurbishment 5+yrs ago or whether its a bizzare design feature. The pub actually feels a lot like a Nicholson's. The back and front of the bar is filled with tables whilst the middle is stools and the bar service area.

The hand pumps are spread out amongst the bar with different ales on each on, so you have to ensure you look around before choosing. The kegs meanwhile are just repeated in each of the three units so no need to hunt around. The ales included the usual Youngs selection, some Adnams, and then Naked Ladies from Twickenham and Quartermaine from Wimbledon. I opted for the Quartermaine which came in at 5.8% and wasn't so easy to drink as a first pint. Perhaps I should have chose more wisely and went safe with a 4%er.

The bar wasn't too busy though the seating at the front had all been claimed and so I settled with a bar stall opposite the bar. I relaxed and took my time with the pint, not only because it was 5.8% but also because I didn't think they'd be any seats at the next few pubs due to it being post work. I left the Clarence and headed a few mere metres to my next pub, The Old Shades (SW1A 2BX).

When I walked into the Old Shades I realised I would have no trouble in finding a seat due to how empty it was. There were some customers in the small bay window at the front, and the bar staff, and that was about it. Unsurprisingly I got amazing quick service. There were some beers on that I hadn't tried before like Bishops Tipple and Edinburgh Castle (Seen but never been tempted). Alongside this they had the new pump clip design for Pedigree, which I don't feel is anywhere near as good as the old one. I however was drawn to the Shandon Stout by Franciscan Wells. The pint tasted very much like a Murphy's stout, which is a good compliment.

The pub is long and narrow and has wood panelling all around, and is actually about the same length as the Clarence but not as wide at the front. At the back is a dinning area which looked great with some sofa booth style seating, but was evidently deserted. The pub had plenty of seating and I selected my seat so I could get a good view of the Chandelier and stained glass dome window above the bar (Sadly as you might be able to tell from the photos on this blog, I do need to use a proper camera and not my phone camera, hence why no photos of the aforementioned chandelier). The front of the bar is tiled, which is quite different and impressive.

The pub didn't get any busier and it was at this stage I realised that it just wasn't going to be a busy night in the pubs, which is fine by me. I left the Old Shades and again made the very short walk to the Silver Cross (SW1A 2BX). The Silver Cross (A Taylor Walker) has two floors, both with bars, though the downstairs was sectioned off for a private party on this visit. The pub just on the upstairs area is certainly larger than either of the two previous pubs and was busier with around 50 people or more in the pub, but not felling packed. It has been claimed that the Silver Cross was the only legal brothel in the UK based on a royal licence that was granted which has never been revoked. Although I don't believe they operate using that licence any more!

At the bar I was surprised to see it wasn't too Greene King orientated on the ales. They had Guardsman, Trooper, Hackney IPA and Bentonville. I selected a pint of the Amber Ale by Hackney and took a stool on one of the high tables. It was at this point I noticed the mismatch of the flooring in the pub with some wood, carpet, till and slabs, however it all seemed to go well with the feel of the pub. The walls were just as mismatched with areas having mirrors, wood panels, photograph wallpaper and other pattern wallpaper. The music within the pub was slightly loud considering it wasn't busy though that wouldn't put me off visiting again.

I only remained for the one as I had a last visit I wanted to make to a pub that is in my eyes really a bar, and that I've never been impressed with, but felt I should at least visit. The pub is literally just round the corner from the Silver Cross, and even has a board advertising the fact. The place, Walker's of Whitehall (SW1A 2DD). Last time I was in this venue they had no real beer option at all so it did surprise me to see 5 ales on tap this time. Although tempted by the lovely Harvey's Best, I opted for something new, as I so often do, and selected the XT 3 by XT Brewing. The pint itself was really not great and I feel perhaps it was more to do with the venue rather than the beer itself, and at this point was rather glad I didn't let it spoil Harvey's for me.

The bar area is quite small and has a large high cushioned seating around one wall, with some tables available. I don't think you could fit more than 30 people in the space, and that would perhaps be a slightly uncomfortable number. The place had about 10 people and they all seemed to be drinking cocktails. There was a horrible soundtrack playing quite loudly of just dance/drum beats. Downstairs is a restaurant and the facilities, and where I departed after paying a visit to the boys room.

Considering all these pubs were opposite a spoons, they all manage to pull in customers and provide a decent and well maintained pint of ale (well, apart from one). They each offered something unique in the pub design and it's always good to see such a variety of pubs. I didn't pop into the spoons but will aim to cover that one another time.