London Pub Tour 46 - Barnsbury: White Swan, Brewhouse & Kitchen and Famous Cock Tavern

This was an unprepared London Pub Tour. My train route had delays so I got off at Highbury & Islington and decided to pop into a pub there and wait for the rush hour traffic to die down before getting my train home. I decided to pop into the Spoons - White Swan (N1 1RY) as it was only to be a quick drink whilst waiting for the trains to sort themselves out. This spoons is always popular with arsenal fans prior to and after the game so I wouldn't recommend visiting on a home match day. The pub takes the ground floor in an office block and to enter you walk up a few steps. The pub is very much to the spoons style with a large open plan floor stretching back quite some distance. The difference being that there is a mezzanine area with more seating which looks directly over the bar area. Underneath the mezzanine section there are low tables aimed more for the diners whilst the tables in front of the bar are all high tables with stools. The carpet is red with orange and black patterned leaves. Wood wavy blocks feature throughout on the walls, the bar and support columns. The pub certainly has that art deco feel to it, though the art on the wall looks like block patterns from Minecraft.

The queue at the bar was quite big and there wasn't an orderly service though I did get served by the nice assistant manager who was my name sake. As to be expected from a Spoons the normal keg range was available including Guinness, Shipyard, Carlsberg and Fosters. They also offered Asahi, Four Hour Session, Erdinger and Tuborg. Thankfully the Bud Light was off. There were 10 hand pumps which were serving Pride, GK IPA, Black Eel, Golden Host from Jennings, Via Ferrata, Ghost Ship. Abbott, Jamboree Elb, Doombar and Market Porter. I selected a pint of Four Hour Session from Hop Stuff Brewery which came in at £3.75. The beer is 4.2% abv and certainly wasn't hoppy in the way that I was expecting. The hops came with light floral taste and not the big hop hit I perhaps was expecting. Though the pub was busy there were plenty of tables free so I found one to drink my pint on. Whilst there I noticed there was quite a bit of natural light coming in for a spoons and realised there was a large floor to ceiling window opposite the bar and along the mezzanine staircase. Having the natural light really does bring more colour to the pub. Whilst sitting I noted that European Football was on tonight so texted a mate and decided to make an evening of it.

Now I've been to Highbury and Islington a few times but it's always to the same two pubs next to the station (the Famous Cock and the White Swan). I opened up WhatPub.com and decided to see what other places were nearby that I could visit. The one that stood out for me was the Brewhouse & Kitchen (N5 1JJ) which was directly across the square. When walking towards you see the large sign at the top of a building which you assume is the pub. As you enter the pub grounds you realise that the ground drops down to a lower level and into the large brewpub area and the stairs up to the hut like building are not where you're heading. I understand the upstairs does also have a bar and seating but on this day it wasn't deemed busy enough to be opened. The main downstairs area though was busy with quite a few people outside and all the tables inside taken or reserved. The pub had a very industrial look, with pipe work, exposed brick walls, vents, bottle lights hanging down on chains and more bottles used to make a tree of lights.

The bar is against the left hand side wall and offers up a selection of lagers from different breweries on the large copper pipes on the bar. There are also beers being dispensed from the taps on the rear wall. Sadly the own brewed lagers were all off but the house ales were on. A board on the rear displays what is available but is a bit confusing hence why it wasn't just me that enquirer about the house lager due to seeing it on the sign. For those who wish to know for a future visit, if there is a number next to it, its on, if its on the board and no number, its not. I guess I'm just used to signs showing what is on. There was a very large bottle selection. I'll just list everything that I could see available on keg and hand. So of the 8 hand pumps there were 2 off. The ales on were Trashed, Goal Scorer, Astronomer, Illustrator, Old Major and Orchard Pig Ginger Chili (I guess bag in box and not hand pump). On the keg there was Tongeelo Blond, Whistable Bay Black Oyster Stout, Aspall Suffolk, Sam Adams, Oranjeboom, Weihenstephan. There were some further keg beers on the back bar as see in the photo above. As I'd never come across the Whitstable Bay Black Oyster Stout, and the house lagers were off, I went for that. The beer was more creamy than their Double Stout but was of a similar good quality. It was to me a delightful beer and one I would have again.

As there were no seats I stood at an empty end of the bar and had my drink. The bar had a smooth stone top which was chipped in a few sections behind the bar. There were tiles around the bar floor but wood everywhere else. The cooper tanks for brewing were at the far end of the pub. Down the sides of the pub there were soft seating and tables, whilst the middle row houses high tables. The furniture was laid out where everyone had space, and I'm certain they could have added additional tables and seating if they wanted and still be spacious. There was an open kitchen area, and besides this there were a selection of boards games. Towards the front there was a large open raised fire pit, which wasn't on, but would certainly be a draw on a cold day. The pub was slightly dark as is normal with the element light bulbs some pubs use now days.

Sadly I was only able to stay for one as I had to rush across to the Famous Cock Tavern (N1 1RU) right next to Highbury & Islington station, to meet a mate to watch football with. As football was on the Cock was busy and no tables were free. But as the match had already kicked off there was no queue at the bar and I was easily able to order. There were 6 hand pumps with only three ales on - Landlord, Doombar and Atlantic. There was more choice in keg with Carling, Groslch, Sharps Orchard, Sharps Pilsner, Wolf Rock, Doombar, Budvar, Cheiftain, Blue Moon and Stowford Press. I got my pint of Wolf Rock and stood by one of the large centre pillars which had space to rest your pint. The beer was a sweet red ale which was fruity but not sessionable.

Down the middle of the pub were high tables, whilst on the side were booths. Towards the front it was just low tables and wood chairs. There were multiple screens in the pub, with a large projector towards the rear. The bar in this pub is actually towards the rear, probably because the closest entrance from the station is here. There is a covered beer garden out back, but at present due to construction work there are no tables out front of the pub. The bar is a dark wood and the floor has worn wood floorboards. There are some nice hanging lamps above the bar, and you almost don't notice the dark red paint on the walls and ceiling. This isn't a pub generally you would head to for a night out, and is more a pub for watching football or a quick pint whilst waiting to meet someone at the station.

After switching to the Pilsner and having a few pints, I actually went back to the Brewhouse and Kitchen. I managed to grab a table near the front door and had a pint of their ale. Goalscorer. It wasn't that great tasting but that could perhaps be my taste being affected by a mixture of drink by this stage. All in all it was nice to finally stray a little further in an area I do often stop by, but never explore. It's certainly an area that needs more exploring based on the Whatpub.com results.

London Pub Tour 14 - Waterloo: Waterloo Tap, The White Hart, The King's Arms, The Windmill Tavern and The Beer House

Since my last venture out between the Christmas and New Year period was disappointing, I opted to go out again once people were back at work on the Thursday just before New Year's. I kept it simple and headed to Waterloo and started at a new-ish venue, the Waterloo Tap (SE1 7ES).

The Waterloo tap was open in March 2016 by the owners of the Euston Tap (and the Bloomsbury Lanes) in a disused railway arch. The arch was previously not used, but Network Rail have been bringing a lot of railway arches back into use because of the money that can be earnt through rentals. The Waterloo tap is on the major pedestrian thoroughfare between South Bank and Waterloo station. The outside is simply glass through which you can see out the other side, as the venue isn't that large. Upon walking in the bar is to your left with taps on the wall behind the bar number from 1 through to 27 (I think). Above head height behind the bar are the chalk boards showing what each of those taps are serving.

Whenever you walk into a place like Taps or Craft you will inevitably discover that you've never had half these beers before, and some you never even knew about. This does then make it had to choose what will be your poison, so rather than use a complicated method of working out which might be a rare brew or rare for London, you just randomly find a percentage and go with it, which is how I ended up with a pint of Gun Smoked by Four Pure Brewing. It did indeed live up to it's name and be smokey. It was also quite dark and didn't let any light through. At 4.7% it was a solid drink to start with considering this was going to be a bit of a heavy night. I kept it Bermondsey based and choose a pint of 21|03 by Brew by Numbers. Now I didn't actually choose this one, but the bar man pulled two of these by accident so rather than waste beer I took it. This was higher at 5.2% and was a cloudy, bitter, citrus beer but nonetheless went down easily.

As you would expect from a railway arch, the roof of the pub is an arch. When looking at the back window, you don't get a view of anything, but you can see some of their used key-kegs and see what you missed out on. The toilets for the pub are on this back wall, and strangely the men's toilet has a lock for the customer to close the door even though it is a urinal inside. The Tap wasn't that busy but then this was an early start and no doubt it would get busy later. I left the Tap and walked on to the White Hart (SE1 8TJ) which is in the back streets of Waterloo but still a very popular pub.

The White Hart stands proudly and bright on this quiet street corner. Upon walking in through the front door you are facing straight on to the smaller side of the bar, where a display or some lagers and all the cask ales are displayed. On the left are tables running along the bar, and on the right is the longest side of the bar with more seating all the way down. There are extra beers available on the two other sides of the bar, though at first I wasn't aware of this so surveyed the ales and chose a pint of Cornish Trawler by Skinners. The beer felt very dry on the mouth and wasn't as refreshing as I expected. This put was certainly busier than the Tap, with all the seats taken, but only a few were standing at the further reaches of the bar, which is where I headed. I then noticed that alongside the London Lager, Camden Pale, Becks and Carling they also offered Franzisknner, Veltins, Meantime Pacific Red and Stigel. There was also a very good selection of Begian beers including the amazing Delirium. Considering I didn't want to jump straight to 9 or 10% I thought I'd give the Steigel a go, as I've never had that in the UK. But upon looking at the pump clip it turned out this wasn't Steigel this was Steigel Pilnser (They had used Stigel badge and just added a tape saying Pilsner), which I certainly wasn't going to say no to. I only ordered a half of the Stigel Pilsner (Pils) and really enjoyed it. Some wonderful raisin hints came through whilst drinking and I wished I had seen this prior to ordering the Skinners, The White Hart was now getting quite busy with the after work and pre-theatre crowd so I moved on to another busy back street Waterloo pub, The King's Arms (SE1 8TB).

This King's Arms is a wonderful looking pub on the outside that fits in with the surroundings. If you didn't know about it, you might just miss the place. The pub has quite a few doors and is separated into Lounge and Saloon. I couldn't honestly tell you which side I walked into as the pub was packed on both sides, so I just selected the one with the easiest access to the bar. Sadly the area of the bar I walked up to only had the more standard lagers you would expect to see. I enquired about the ale selection but turns out there are around 9 pumps so I opted for the easiest one to remember which was Ale of Kings which turned out to be made by Sharp's. Also on tap was Hark by Thornbridge, Adnams Bitter, Dark Star Pale Ale and Calif-oregon Amber. The Sharp's was a good choice at £4.50 being nice and crisp and the usual standard expected.

The side of the bar I was in started to empty out a little which gave me the chance to move around and look at the craft kegs on offer. There was Nouvelle Saison, Queen of Diamonds, Neck Oil and N 7.7. I was too tempted by the N 7.7 and the few I'd tucked away prior to this obviously didn't help my decision making, so I went and ordered a half. The N 7.7 (v1.0) 2016 by Hammerton Brewery was, as you've guessed, 7.7% ABV. A half pint cost £2.90 and this was a Double IPA with a massive hop and citrus punch. Whilst 'sipping' my 7.7% half pinter I had a chance for a better look round the pub. There was a dinning area in the rear that was quite empty, and the opposite side of the pub was straight and long, but felt like it held less than the area I'd been in. I also had a look in the fridges underneath and there were quite a few craft cans and bottles tucked away in there. I do keep saying I should visit this pub more, and I think I will, but perhaps at a less busy time so I can sit and enjoy it more.

It was next onwards to The Windmill Tavern (SE1 8LW) which was only a minute or two walk away, but takes you back out onto a high street. The Windmill Tavern is actually owned by the same company that owns the King's Arms however, the two pubs really couldn't feel any different. Whereas the King's Arms offered a varying selection of standard keg and ales, alongside a good selection of guest beers, the Windmill's offering was more tied to Fuller's with Montana Red, Frontier and Fullers IPA on Keg and on cask were Bengal Lancer, London Pride and Doombar. The pub also didn't have the more cosy feel of the King's Arms, it felt more a spit and saw dust style pub.

Pump clips facing inwards

The entrance to the pub was on a side stairway which leads you into the back bar. You can then walk through a door opening to reach the front bar which mainly consisted of short tables with short stools. To be honest I'm not sure if there was another entrance, but with my quick look in the front bar I didn't notice one. The rear bar was a long connected sofa on the back wall, with some tables. The bar separates the two areas but is very open allowing you to easily see the other side and out the front windows, along with letting the noise flow through. The pub wasn't packed as there remained seating, though I wouldn't say it wasn't busy. The pub serves Thai food which explained the smell. The strangest thing about the Windmill is the position of the ales. The pubs are attached against the partition between the two bars, with the pump clips facing inwards, so they're only visible from the opposite bar. I ended up selecting the Fullers IPA, which was my second time trying the beer, and I must admit it hadn't improved on second tasting.

After the disappointing pint at the Windmill I made my way back to Waterloo station and down the stairs from the platform to the Beer House (SE1 7LY). I had come to assume the Beer House pubs were owned by Greene King as all the ales they ever stock are Greene King, but when typing up this blog I learned they're in fact owned by a company called SSP. The Beer House offers a selection of standard and premium lagers, and it actually quite a good selection for a station pub compared to what is offered by the other station pubs Sloe Bar. I opted for a pint of Erdinger Weissbrau which comes in a 5.3%. The beer came in a beautiful pint glass which only made this final pint all the more better.

The Beer House itself was it's regularly self, not too busy, but lucky if you get a seat, which I managed to do. The pub has no natural light as its underground and the train screens were not working, which also meant, no phone signal. Thankfully the free WiFi was working which enabled me to check my train times. As a station pub in London this isn't a bad location to sit out any delays or have a swift half whilst waiting for your train. I just about managed to finish my very filling pint of Erdinger Weissbrau, before heading off to catch my train.

On reflection The Taps lived up to the expectation from it's bigger brother in Euston and provided a large selection of beers. But prior to the Taps there has been many other venues offering a varying selection of lagers and beers and this is something the White Hart and the King's Arms do well, and can be seen by the number of people always at these venues. The Windmill was disappointing mainly due to how well the King's Arms has been run by the same company, though I understand appealing to different clientele. And as a station pub in London, the Beer House this isn't a bad location to sit out any delays or have a swift half whilst waiting for your train.

London Pub Tour 11 - Pimlico: Marquis of Westminster, Grosvenor and King William IV

On this pub tour it was back to the Pimlico area to sweep up some of the pubs I'd yet to visit in my blog. My first stop was the Marquis of Westminster (SW1V 1RY) which is a corner pub on Belgrave Road and Warwick Way. The outside is painted a bright white and has benches available, which are directly facing the sun during the Summer Afternoon. As it was winter everyone was inside drinking.

Photo by Ewan Munro (Flickr)

The pub inside is actually much smaller than it looks. Part of the inside is taken up with a staircase heading upstairs, which was installed as part of a minor refurbishment in circa 2013. Due to the staircase placement the main wall narrows in on the main bar, and creates a small enclosure at the far end, which is a good place for small groups to drink in, otherwise it's wasted and you can become trapped/blocked off from the rest of the pub. The floor inside is all wood boards, and there are about 10 tables. The pub wasn't that busy and the majority of the customers were either tourists from the nearby hotels or suits from a job somewhere nearby. The Christmas music was on and there was plenty of tinsel decorated around the place.

There is a huge blackboard on the wall listing the food menu and wines. On the top of the bar they display pump clips of previous ales they've served. Alongside some of the more regular lagers there are Longhorn IPA, Lowenbrau and Adnams Dry Hop. On the ale front the Marquis always stocks a Taylor Walker, on this day it was Landlord. They also had Killcat Pale, Chelsea Blonde, Ghost Ship and Pure Ubu. I felt like taking it easy today so chose to go with a Kozel. I've had Kozel a few times but this one felt sweeter than normal.

The next pub I was visiting was just over half a mile away, situated on the busy Grosvenor Road which runs alongside the Thames. The pub used to be called the Spread Eagle (before my time), but evidently renamed to The Grosvenor after its location. The pub has a rear parking lot for those driving by in need of some sustenance, and their large blackboard situated outside showing their food offering must be to tempt them in. The outside of the pub is the beer garden with a few benches but is covered with an oasis of plants. The pub is larger than expected inside. When you first walk in there is a sofa seating area just to your right, with the bar ahead and to the left. The bar is a very large horseshoe bar that seems slightly wasted with all the beer taps on the front part only. Behind the sofa area there is a section with tables and chairs, whilst to the left and in the other half of the bar is a pool table area and some more seating.

There were four ales available (Doombar, Landlord, Cornish Coaster and Bombardier) with two pumps at the front with all the rest of the beers, and two pubs hidden down the far right end on their own, which I thought strange. Their lagers included Heineken, Fosters and 1664 but I settled on a pint of Warsteiner for £5.10. I sat in a small nook with a table facing into the pub but with a view also out the front window. The pub on the sofa seating side wasn't too busy, but by the pool table there was a work's Christmas drinks going on. The pub had good lighting throughout, mainly via a type of lantern, which provided a nice atmosphere. There were many large wooden ship models around the pub, along with pictures and old pub signs. I've drunk in the Grosvenor a few times but not regularly due to its location and proximity to transport. I certainly could see myself relaxing in the darker months in this pub but the main issue is that there are pubs that easily meet the same criteria which I would pass on my way here, meaning I have to actively seek out wanting to drink here, along with dragging others out the way as well.

I finished off my Warsteiner and made my way down the road to a hostel. This hostel is in and above a pub named King William IV (SW1V 3LG). I've honestly only been in this pub once before and it wasn't my scene then and 7 years later I still came away with the same conclusion. The pub inside is certainly more geared up to catering to the hostel stayers which I fully understand however, it lacks any true feel of a British pub and just feels more like a bar in a hostel in any country. It is totally possible to have a British pub feel and also be a hostel as this is something that Pub Love have managed at their venues.

The entrance to the pub is on the side and when walking through the bar is directly in front of you. To the right is the front of the pub facing the main road, but with such high windows you can't actually see out. There is some comfortable looking sofa seating running up the wall one side, whilst on the opposite side are some basic wooden tables for dinning. In-between these two areas, set against the wall, is a stage presumably for their open mic nights. The bar is large and wraps around from the front towards the back, where the pub becomes a bit more narrow but still has some seating.

The beer selection on tap was limited to Guinness, Heineken, Strongbow original or Dark Fruits and Fosters. The bottle selection was certainly better offering Affligem, Sharps' Pilsner and a selection of German beers. I bought a bottle of the Sharp's which was £3.50 for 330ml, a decent price. They also sold Tayto crisps which is another positive for me. I asked for a bag of salt and vinegar and the bar/hostel worker looked at me confused and came over with a salt shaker and bottle of vinegar. After both looking at each other weirdly I clarified saying a bag of Tayto's crisps, Salt and Vinegar flavour, which certainly cleared the thought from her mind that I wanted to add salt and vinegar to my beer. (Just had a quick look on Untappd to see if there was such a beer and there was only one result! - a homebrew beer, phew). I drank my pilsner which is nowhere near either my favourite pilsner of Sharp's drink.

After this I called it time, and made my way back to Victoria station. If only the Grosvenor Station hadn't closed over a 100 years ago, as this pub is conveniently located nearby. Thankfully for the lazy me there is bus route 24 that starts right outside and takes me to Victoria, so that'll do nicely.