London Pub Tour 28 - South Kensington: Hoop & Toy and Zetland Arms

On this London Pub Tour I made the short tube journey from Victoria to the museum district in South Kensington. Just outside the station there is the Hoop & Toy (SW7 2HQ). This pub has the standard Taylor Walker look with the pub name on a gold background and encased in a plastic, for weather proofing, above the whole length of the pub. The outside has nothing stand out feature wise and the interior likewise. The pub itself has the feel of an estate pub built after the war built into the ground floor of a building and with quite a low roof. Surprisingly though the pub is about a century older.

The pub is open plan with some support pillars throughout. Upon entering, the bar is on the wall directly opposite and stretches along the majority of it. The pub has plenty of seating with all seats around tables, though some of these tables are quite small and close together, providing not much space. The pub is quite dark inside due to the low ceiling and as the light is only able to enter from the front entrance as the side area of this corner pub is bricks and side doors. The pub was busy with mainly tourists that must have been coming back from visiting the nearby museums and having a late lunch / early dinner. On the far side a large group had pulled some of the tables together so they could sit as one. There were screens with sports on and some gaming machines, which were all the more visible due to the glow of light in the dimly light pub. The pub had a wooden walk way from the front door to the bar, which then ran alongside the bar. The remainder of the pub was carpet, which with the low ceiling is beneficial for soaking in noises when busy.

At the bar we had the option of four ales which were GK IPA, London Glory, Scrumdown from Sambrooks and Grubber the GK Seasonal. On the taps we had Guiness, Peroni, Over Easy, Amstel, Fosters, Hells, Camden Pale, Stella, 1664, Punk IPA, Sambrooks IPA and Aspalls. I ended up selecting the one beer I had yet to taste before which was the Scrumdown from Sambrooks. The pint cost £4.70 which is reasonable for a tourist area. The beer poured dark with a red hue. It had a sweet taste to it and no bitterness. This was a good Irish Red Ale which was just missing the creamy head you expect from the style. After the lone pint I moved on to the next nearest pub which is the Zetland Arms (SW7 3EX) which also happens to be a GK pub.

This pub from the outside immediately looked much better. Again a corner pub, but much larger and more importantly both sides had window letting in that much required natural light.  When entering from Old Brompton Road the entrance is on the corner. The pub looked small from this entrance but is much bigger than you expect, plus it extends back further than you can see. From this entrance your diagonally facing the bar. Down the right hand side are some tables with sofa seating one side and chairs the other. Down the left is the same style seating until some high tables at the end by the toilets. A work crowd was blocking the bar area up right by the door so I squeeze past them further down the bar, it was at this stage I noticed that there is a large rear section which has numerous high tables plus some large round sofa seating on the back wall. The pub was all wood flooring except for tiles directly alongside the bar. The bar runs in a loop through all sections and some beers different beers are hidden down the far end which I learn afterwards.

On offer at this pub was again 4 hand pumps offering up Twickenham's Red Head, the own label 1730, Green King IPA and the aforementioned Sambrooks Scrumdown. On tap there was an ever larger selection offering up the mainstream beers such as Guinness, Peroni, Stella and 1664, alongside the Sambrooks Pale, Hop House, Hazy Hog, Hogstar, East Coast, Vedett and Little Tenderness (to name a few). I selected a pint of Hogstar by Hogs Back for £5.30. It's a beer I've had before but normally later on in the night so not quite remembered whether I enjoyed it or not. The beer I would say is average, it has a slight hop aroma with a bitter taste to the beer. After finishing my pint I had no hesitation in ordering a second beer and this time the one I had failed to spot on the bar area round the corner. This of course was Little Tenderness by the Little beer Corporation. The pint cost £5.80 and came in a branded glass with the tag line Drink a Little Beer. This was an amber looking beer which had a roasted dark malty taste to it. There was also a slight smokey taste which was different and nice. I certainly liked that beer and would be keeping my eyes out for any other beers by the Little beer Corp.

I ended my little pub tour here only managing to knock two pubs off my list but slowly covering move of the central west area of London. I had visited neither of these pubs before, though passed them many times. If in the area again, I would certainly walk that little extra distance from the station to the Zetland Arms for a pub that has a better feel.

London Pub Tour 27 - Knightsbridge: Bunch of Grapes, Tattersalls Tavern and Paxton's Head

I decided to pay a visit to Knightsbridge and pop in the last set of pubs outstanding from the area on my London pub tour. My first stop was down Brompton Road in the direction heading away from Hyde Park and past Harrods, it was The Bunch of Grapes (SW3 1LA). This corner pub on the very busy tourist area was surprisingly not full of tourists. The pub was packed with no seats to spare with drinkers everywhere and only the occasional diner. There was a separate upstairs dinning area which I didn't checkout so perhaps all the tourists were up there...

The pub has a large rectangle bar in the centre which takes up quite a look of the space in the pub. Seating with tables are all around the sides of the bar, with some room for additional tables at the rear where the pub opens up slightly and where I stood to drink. There were some nice old paritions with glass between some tables, and parts where the outside of the bar points inwards. There was a limited bottle selection and the ales on offer were all GK (Glory, Abbot, IPA and the seasonal Grubber) repeating across the 8 hand pumps, so I plucked instead for a lager. There was a selection to choose from (San Miguel, Guinness, Hop House, Stella, Staropramen, Fosters, Peroni and Hells) but I ended up getting the Hells at £5.60.

The Hells was the usual standard and did go down a treat after a busy week at work. As the pub was packed I didn't hang around too long and made my way out the rear exit and back up past Harrods to my next stop Tattersalls Tavern (SW1X 7QA). The pub itself is just off a main road and is built into what feels like a modern office block. It certainly feels like a modern pub being an open plan pub on one floor. There were quite a lot of people outside drinking though although its a small one way road it was busy along with the surrounding buildings being close and blocking out light, which is one of the main reasons for drinking outside.

The bar is along the back wall and facing out into the open plan layout, though I feel that the amount of space here was about equal ro the Bunch of Grapes, as the space had been used better. There are two rows of tables which were all occupied, and sadly left only standing room in the pub. Most of the people were tourists and were eating though a few regulars were in after work, I found this out during my 5 minute wait to be served whilst they served people they knew ahead of those actual there first at the bar. The pub itself offered four ales which were London Glory, Grubber, 1730 and Doombar. On the keg front they had Hop House, London Pilsner, Stella, Heineken, Amstel, Over Easy, 1664, Fosters, Kopparberg and Aspalls. I obviously went for the Over Easy which I hadn't tried before. Over Easy is brewed by Craft Academy (aka Greene King) and is only 3.8%. Considering the beer was only 3.8% I was a bit surprised by the £5.30 price tag. The beer had a good hoppiness to it along with a nice aroma, but had a dry after taste.

There was quite loud music blaring out across the pub, which felt weird for a mainly tourists with their families having dinner. I did though notice a sign saying downstairs dinning area, so perhaps that is where most people were seated and it was quieter. There wasn't really much else stand out about this pub as it just felt characterless with its open plan floor, no nooks to discover or interesting articles on the walls. I made the very short walk through the pedestrian walkway to the next and final stop Paxton's Head (SW1X 7PA). The pub is situated right on the busy Knightsbridge and opposite One Hyde Park. The pub sign outside the Paxton was in the same format and styling as the Bunch of Grapes. The outside of the pub looks quite standard but upon walking through the main door I was surprised at the interior. The pub was like what the Bunch of Grapes should have been. The pub was spacious and had a large oval bar, the two side walls of the pub were decorated with glass mirrors and wood.

On the bar the pub was offering up 5 ales: Grubber, Doombar, Bombardier, IPA and Glory. The kegs this time were Guinness, Peroni, Hop House, Fosters and 1664. I had actually asked for Grubber but the barman mishead and poured Doombar, but there were no complaints from me on this, so I took the Doombar. I think this perhaps was a good call as I'm not a Greene King fan and their seasonal ales aren't generally much better than the all year ones. Whilst awaiting my beer I did see a tourist come up and ask for a beer then point at the cider. The bar staff did well and informed them it was cider and made from apples, which I don't think was the drink he was looking for and he quickly changed his mind.

The pub wasn't too busy and as I wandered round I noticed there was a downstairs area, so thought I'd check it out. To get downstairs you walk down a half spiral staircase. Downstairs has its own small bar, though this wasn't in use, but I did wonder if some of the stock on display was empty or not. There is a pool table and screens placed around, which had sky sports news on. The walls are exposed bricks, and there are quite a number of tables all around the outside. I ended up staying downstairs in the quiet (only 2 other customers, although just as I was leaving a group booking arrived) and finishing off my pint. It also helped that the toilets are downstairs, so made for one less trip back down and up the stairs.

Overall the Paxton Head was my favoured pub due to decoration and style, which I hadn't expected. The Grapes is a standard pub though probably better to visit outside of both tourist dinner time and Friday after work parties. The Tattersalls though is probably not an establishment I would actively seek to return to as there wasn't any particular draw there either in location, beer, the actual pub interior or exterior.

Pimlico Closed Pubs

There aren't too many pubs left in the Pimlico area for me to chronicle on this blog. Though one thing to note is the particular lack of pubs in the western area of Pimlico. From The White Ferry down to The Marquis of Westminster, through to the Gallery, there is a clear division of the North and East side having pubs, to the South and West having no pubs (Well maybe one). A lot have closed over the years and some of the pubs that have closed are clearly still recognisable when walking around the streets.

On the map below the Pimlico area is in a shade of pink and surrounded by a red line. The green line displays the North and East split against the South and West. The pint glasses depict an open pub whilst the red stars show closed pubs which are still recognisable as a pub and I had gone on to describe below. There have been more pubs than this listed in the Pimlico area however, all the other pubs have been destroyed.

1. The Greyhound (51 Hugh St, SW1V 4HP)
This is a recent closure. This pub had closed in 1999 and been left vacant. In 2011 the pub was re-opened but an independent, but sadly in Summer 2016 it closed once again and this time it won't be re-opening as a pub but instead as a restaurant called 'Omar's Place'. When this pub was open I did occasionally pop in. They always had a sharps ale on, along with seasonal selections. It certainly felt more a backstreet boozer than one which was more open to the office crowds nearby. They had their regulars but it felt the food side never took off. I'm not too sure as to why the closure, it could be related to costs or just the owner wanted some more time to themselves as running a pub is time consuming.

The building very much looks like a pub and the owners certainly spent a large sum on getting the appearance up to standard. The Greyhound is etched into the glass window and they even have the lamp on the corner. It will be interesting to see if the new owners keep the windows or do anything with the appearance, as it does cry out 'pub'.


2. The Clarendon (52 Cambridge St, SW1V 4QQ)
I only visited this place once as a pub, and it was very Gastro and busy. We swung by here after having a few at Cask Pub and kitchen and managed to get a sofa and a lager. It's since changed to a restaurant where the chefs take your order then cook your food, then again to its current incarnation a cafe.

The Clarendon would have been a very large pub, and this large style seems to be the norm for the majority of the closed pubs in Pimlico. I can only assume that either the top floors were not owned by the pub or the Clarendon was perhaps an Inn. Right at the top of the building you can see the name of establishment written.

3. Denbigh Arms (3 Denbigh Pl, SW1V 2HB)
This pub was built in 1850 and much like the Clarendon is a large pub standing high above the other houses. I believe it was originally a Watney pub, and the venue closed in 1998. This has turned into a private dwelling but still stands out from the houses around it, giving off the suggestion it wasn't originally a house.

4. The Dolphin (114 Denbigh St, SW1V 2EX)
This is a place that was long closed as pub before I started legally drinking in them (2001). The building stands out on the road as unlike the other pubs its not a grand building but only three storeys. The pub sign 'The Dolphin' can be clearly and visibly seen just under the 2nd floor, and on the ground floor the two doors on either side still have Saloon Bar on their windows.

5. The Devonshire Arms (46 Moreton St, SW1V 2PB)
This pub is just tucked off the main road and among a row of local shops. It was a backstreet local but closed around 1998. It again is a large building, taller than its surroundings, and this ex-pub has a clearly visible name on the brickwork saying 'The Devonshire Arms'. It is now trading as s Pizza Express though you can still clearly conceive this building being a pub. Even as a Pizza Express you can see they've hung their sign where the pub sign originally hung,

6. Balmoral Castle (Churchhill Gardens Rd, SW1V 3AJ)
This is a slender pub that was on the Churchill Garden Estate. The pub was originally opened in 1855 and the Churchill Garden estate was built around it after the war. The pub closed in 2004 as the leasee handed back their lease to the Council who owned the building. The council failed to lease out or do anything with the building. By 2006 the building required repairs but the council rather than repair the building or make any decision on it decided to stick up scaffolding around it. The pub and its signs still stand, abandoned, whilst the council continue to pay for the scaffolding to prevent the building from collapsing. Unfortunately they've recently put some additional wood boarding covering the bottom floor so its not possible to get a good look at the outside of the pub as you used to be able to.

Beers to note - February 2017

I'm a bit late in posting this as I had the in-laws over for two weeks which meant I haven't had time to write up. In February I managed to sample 51 different beers. Some were good (Which will be listed below) whilst others were not to my taste. One beer in particular that I had bought and was expecting good things from but which turned out to be the first beer in ages I was unable to complete and pour away was Flat White from ABC. I honestly tried to drink the beer but it was just tasting like coffee and wasn't enjoyable, and I struggled, even with it only being 330ml from a can. Thankfully I enjoyed the below beers a bit more, but we all have different tastes so I've no doubt others will have found the Flat White right up their street.


Brugse Zot (De Halve Maan) - 6.0% | Bottle 330ml
After a hard days work this was a nice beer to tuck into. It was a nice straw colour and have a fruity aroma and taste. At 6.0% though I'm leaving the other bottle for another time.




Bengal Lancer (Fullers) - 5.0% | Cask Pint
Lancer is one of my favourite Fullers ale. It's not too hoppy and has a nice malt flavour coming through. Although I believe its no longer a seasonal, I normally only see it on cask in the winter period. The bottle version though is readily available in London and comes in at a higher 5.3% ABV.






Davy's Old Wallops (Charles Wells) - 4.2% | Cask Pint
This was in my December beers to note and it's back here again. The beer was once again in fine form and easy to sup. It was made all the more enjoyable by the basement setting and the metal pewter it was served in.

Malt Brown (Harveys) - 4.8% | Keg Pint
My first Harveys keg beer and I was very impressed. This brown ale had the right sweeteness balance to it and went down a treat. I didn't realise it was coming in at 4.8% but I certainly think you could have a few of these in a night.







Chimay Blue Grande Reserve (Bieres de Chimay) - 9.0% | Bottle 330ml
I do like the Chimay beers and this was certainly a good one. Yes you can feel the percentage but it's not a burning or over powering taste. This one was so enjoyable I actually had another after, which I would suggest is not a good choice if the wife is expecting you home by a certain time.



Hertford Castle (McMullens) - 5.0% | Bottle 500ml
This is the first McMullen's beer I've had in a while that I could drink all night. I like McMullen's but have gone off their beer as the taste is just not right. This bottle version of Hertford Castle though was spot on. It was a nice sweet Pale Ale. I hope I can come across this on Cask soon.





Scrum Down (Sambrook's) - 4.0% | Cask Pint
A very decent Irish red ale from Sambrook's. It may be seasonal for the rugby but it had a nice sweetness to it with no bitterness. The only thing letting it down was the head retention but that could be more pub specific than brew related.






Little Tenderness (The Little Beer Corporation) - 5.4% | Keg Pint
First time I've come across this brewery. Beer had a roasted dark malty beer taste to it even though an amber. Slightly Smokey as well. Nice and different.











Barbarossa (Ilkley) - 5.0% | Keg Half Pint
Another red ale in the list. This one used Australian and New Zealand hops, but for me there wasn't a massive hop hit (Which is a good thing) and everything was nicely balanced.

London Pub Tour 26 - Belgravia: Nags Head, Wilton Arms, Star Tavern and Gloucester

During a quiet day at work I opted to have a lunch time tipple and so made my way up to Belgravia. My first stop is a pub that I admire for both its quirkiness and all the memorabilia adorning the walls. This pub is the Nags Head (SW1X 8ED) which is an independent pub and also has the name of the owner Kevin Moran on the outside. Every time I've popped in the landlord has been there, and during non-busy periods he sits and and strikes up conversation with the customers. The pub is on a residential mews, though I understand most houses are for investment and not lived in. As an independent pub the owner has their choice of beer and he likes to stock Adnams, which is why outside of Guinness and Carlsberg the other beers are all Adnams (Jack Brand Dry Hopped Lager, Broadside, Lighthouse, Ghost Ship and Bitter).

The pub has a downstairs bar area, which is why some hand pumps have more than one beer badge attached, because the tap for that beer is downstairs. I didn't pop downstairs on this visit but there is a large flag attached to the ceiling with lots of posters and art work on the walls. Downstairs has more tables though is slightly harder to get served in. The ground floor bar is not that large and there are only a few tables against the walls with some bench seating on the wall side and small stalls on the other. There bar itself is very low, and the bar staff are actually lower down behind the bar. For those wishing to sit at the bar there are some very tiny, low down stalls.

As stated in my opening paragraph, the pub is filled with memorabilia all over and it is a mix of sports, celebrities that previously visited, war, planes, film and more. On the war upon entering there is a 3D viewing machine, which is one of those old seaside photographing flicking machines showing some old school erotic material. The pub is strictly no mobiles and encourages conversation. there are hooks all over for people to hang their coats and bags so that people don't take up seats with their items. I could spend many an hour browsing through the items and photographs in this pub.

Whilst I checked out some of the books and photographs I drank a pint of Broadside. Slightly steep at £5 but this is an expensive and touristy part of town. I haven't had Broadside in ages and it tasted miles better than I remembered and went down a treat. I followed this up with a pint of the Dry Hopped lager at £5.50, which wasn't as good as the Broadside but still went down well.

Whilst I was this far up in Belgravia I thought it best to pop a few doors down to The Wilton Arms (SW1X 8ED) which is a Shepherd's Neame. Both this and the previous pub have flower boxes which brighten up the area during the spring and summer. When entering the Wilton Arms you are side on to the rectangle bar. There are tables with seating following all around the outside wall, with some in self-contained booths (separated by bookcases or glass screens). There were quite a few people in the pub but they were all sat down eating. Just past the bar are some steps down to a small lower area where there are additional tables. The whole pub is carpeted and has red vinyl ceiling, harking back to pubs of old.

There were three hand pumps but only two were on offering up either Masterbrew or Spitfire. On tap there was Guinness, Oranjeboom, Ashai, Fosters, Symmonds cider and San Miguel. I went for my trusted lager of Ashai at £5.50 which unfortunately tasted different. I'm not sure whether this was due to the dry hopped lager I'd just had previously, but the pint wasn't that enjoyable. After putting the pint away I made my way back to work.

After work I was still in the mood for a few more drinks so I headed back towards Belgravia and to the Star Tavern (SW1X 8HT) a Fuller's pub on a cobbled mews. The Star Tavern is famous for being the pub where the great train robbery was supposedly planned. Now days as a Fuller's it more aimed at an upmarket crowd from the businesses nearby. Walking up the steps and through the door, the small bar is to your right. The bar is a square (mini horse shoe) with a little space down each side, with bar stools. Directly opposite to the bar is the dinning area with about 10 tables. There is also a private dinning area upstairs. This isn't a large pub and was already very busy with an after work party so was down to standing room in the dinning area, though the bar stalls on either side of the bar were free, so I grabbed myself one.

The pub had 5 hand pumps but only 4 were on, offering up Pride, ESB, Oliver's Island and a guest ale from Windsor brewery, Canberra. On tap there was the usual showing of Fuller's own beers such a Frontier, Wild River and Fuller's IPA, along with mainstream beers such as Amstel, Guinness and Peroni. I went for a pint of the guest ale, Canberra, which was a dark bitter that wasn't offensive or pretending to be anything it wasn't, just like the pub. I had a look at some of the portraits on the walls whilst drinking my Canberra. I didn't stay for another as I had one last pub to knock off on my list, The Gloucester (SW1X 9QR).

The Gloucester is a Taylor Walker pub located along the busy Sloane Street which houses many upmarket shops. There are two entrances into the pub. The first, and most used, is the entrance out onto Sloane Street with the second being through the rear of the pub into Harriet Walk. When entering from Sloane Street the front door is between two bay windows. The bay sits just to your left, but you are advised to walk the whole length of the bar as some beers are only on taps towards the rear. I sadly didn't do this so failed to notice Titanic Vanilla and chocolate stout was available. The other ales on offer were 1730, London Glory and IPA. Lager wise they offered up Stella, Peroni, Blue Moon and amstel, along with Guiness and Aspall Cider. I ordered a pint of Blue Moon which was served with the obligatory orange slice.

The front of the bar was full so I made my way to the dinning seating at the rear that was available for drinkers to us. The front of the pub is quite restricted in size due to stairs leading up to the toilets and a small dinning area, and the supporting walls of the pub. There are some small booth sections on the side, and there are bar stalls along the bar, but the majority of seating is either the rear or the two bay windows. There was a group of workers from Harrods having an after work celebratory drink, but the remainder of the pub were tourists.

The rear seating/dinning area was carpet covered whilst the rest of the pub was a wood floor. The pub stretches back quite far and the bar runs for the majority of this, though I think trying to get service at the far end is less likely then towards the front. Overall the pub upon walking in fills cramped due to position of the bar and the supporting walls. With this pint I called it a night and made my way to the tube station.

London Pub Tour 25 - Stockwell: Phoenix and Feeleys

On this pub tour I had a pub in mind that I wanted to go to which I hadn't been to before. Once again I was going slightly out of the way to go to a Harveys. This Harvey's is The Phoneix (SW9 9AR) which was a 10min walk from Stockwell station.

The pub stands on the corner of the main road, and as I arrived some light snow was beginning to fall. I entered through the corner door and immediately noticed how empty the pub was. This gave me a chance to look round and explore. The bar is on the back wall facing out onto the main road. It stretches round a corner into a small area with some tables. The main bar area had one large table directly in front of the bar with smaller tables against the outside walls. There were rugs placed under some of there tables and the odd poof placed around. There was a more comfy seating area through the arch were there was an open fire place and on the walls were some stag and deer heads.

I went to the bar and only two of the four hands pumps were on, offering up Old Ale and Sussex Best. On tap there was Blue Moon, Amstel, Birra Moretti, Heineken and Guinness. I also noticed out of the corner of my eye two Harvey keg beers on tap these were Malt Brown and Gold Bier. I had heard Harvey's had created some keg beers so I thought I best try them. I went for the Malt Brown first, which took a while to pour as it was quite active, but came out looking good. This was a lovely sweet brown ale with an excellent toffee taste. Whilst drinking I noticed they offered Growlers to take home and also a reward card scheme.

So next up was the Gold Bier. I had to wait for them to change the keg on this one, then it poured nicely, none of the issues like with the Malt Brown. The Gold Bier was refreshing and light but certainly wasn't snow/sleet weather, and it definitely wasn't as good as the Malt Brown. Both the keg beers cost £4.10 for a pint which is very reasonable for London prices. Before leaving I bought two cans of Harvey's Sussex Best (Yes, cans!) as I wanted to send this on to a friend abroad, as he was missing his Harvey's.

I left the Phoenix and the snow had stopped falling. I made my way northwards along Union Road to a pub that I'd passed many times but never considered going in. Feeleys (SW8 2RF) is an independent traditional Irish pub. It's set back from the road with some cars parked in the driveway in front. As you enter you will notice the pub feels smaller inside than expected but this is mainly due to the walls/layout and lack of lighting. The bar is a large horseshoe that goes through the three divided sections of the pub. On the bar were some disused hand pumps, along with a selection of standard mainstream beers (Not much choice so I can list them all: Guinness, Guinness Extra Cold, 1664, Strongbow, John Smith and Fosters). I  opted for a pint of 1664 at £3.90, as I wasn't in the mood for a Guinness.

Photo by Ewan Munro

The bar had a wood floor all the way around. The standard sofa seating was against the walls with small tables and some additional chairs available. Some bar stalls, which were in use, at the bar. I remained in the main bar where the entrance is, as the next section had a large group of ladies and some kids. There was a friendly dog wondering around, though not sure if it was a pub dog or a customers. Everyone seemed to know each other as them came and went. An old man came in and asked two of the guys on stalls at the bar if they knew who we were. They said nope, and I chipped in with some friendly banter, but got no response. And this is where the pub majorly fails for me. It's fine having a locals or regulars pub, but before anyone becomes one they must enter as a stranger for the first time. I'm very open to going into pubs as an outsider and don't expect to be welcomed with open arms and make new friends or even get into conversations with regulars. That this regular seen some new faces and started asking if people knew who we were is a sign of a pub that is not welcoming and will struggle with time. After this a lady came in selling fake DVDs and the customers started browsing through them. I finished my pint off quickly and left.

Sadly Feeleys was disappointing, not because of beer selection, as I'm certain this would make a nice place to watch the 6 nations with the TV screens, the Guinness and hopefully a crowd, but because of the whole outsider or new person fear. Thankfully the Harvey's pub was great and I'm glad I was there for two. I certainly want to revisit the Harvey's and hopefully they will have the other two hand pumps in action with some more fine Harvey's ale.

London Pub Tour 24 - Strand: Champagne Charlie's (Revisit), Coal Hole and Savoy Tup

A Wednesday after work I decided to make a quick pop over to central (Strand) and tick off a couple more pubs on my London Pub Tour. My first stop though was a revisit to Champagne Charlie's (WC2R 0BA) which I had visited previously, and for my very first time, in London Pub Tour 6. For those of you who haven't (or don't wish to) read my previous visit, I shall give a brief description of Champagne Charlie's. The pub is just off the pedestrian walkway between Charing Cross station and Embankment. The entrance is just a door way downstairs into a cellar bar. The pub is actually quite spacious and serves two ales alongside a few lagers.

Last time I visited around the same time, and again the pub wasn't busy with only 3 other customers in there drinking. The same beers were available as the previous visit (Meantime, London Pale Ale, Old Wallop and Whitstable Bay). As the Old Wallop went down so well last time, particularly with the tankard, I opted for it again, and it didn't disappoint. Served once again in a tankard with a nice head and good flavour, it went down well. I sat in the seating area just to the left upon entering, which gave a view down the corner and a better view of all the seating on offer. Whilst drinking nobody else popped down, and this pub has certainly gone on my list for a nice place to enjoy a quiet read and pint on a early evening.

After finishing up I went back to the surface and down the Strand to the Coal Hole (WC2R 0DW). The Coal Hole is a Nicholson's pub facing onto the main road amongst theatres and restaurants. The pub itself is built into the Savoy hotel complex, but isn't part of nor does it have a direct link to the hotel. The exterior has been kept in good condition and certainly fits with the lights of the surrounding theatres. Inside the pub was heaving. Fighting my way through to the bar I seen the usual lager offers from Nicholson's of Peroni, Meantime Pale Ale, Camden Hells, Carling and others. On the ale front they had Pride, Nicholson's Pale Ale, White Ale and Musselburgh Broke. As I'd never seen the Musselburgh Broke by Knops Beer Company, it was clearly the beer I went for. This was a nice dark Scottish ale that wasn't complex in flavours, and was just simple and easy to glup.

The inside of the Coal Hole is actually very nice, and is certainly more enjoyably when less busy, though this is a very popular pub. This is a small upper level in the pub with some nice paintings but also a view across the pub and of the hanging lights. Sadly this is the most popular area so is difficult to get seating there even on non-busy days. The bar is large but even on busy days like this it's not enough to cope with the competing demands of thirsty customers. As it was so busy and noisy I wolfed down my pint and made my escape onto the Savoy Tup (WC2R 0BA).

I've not actually been to the Savoy Tup previously and never actually seen the frontage to it. The pub is just off the Strand and only a short walk from the Coal Hole. The pub was also busy but not heaving and I was able to find a resting point to put down my drink. The drink selection was varied though only two out of the four hand pumps on, but offering up Hophead and Talisman by Pilgrim. On keg they offered Angelo Poretti, Becks Vier, Riegele, Erdinger and San Miguel. Though I instead was drawn to the the can beers I could see from Backyard Brewing. I ended up selecting The Lawn Mower which came in at 4.8%. It was a pilsner beer with hints of grass clippings taste, which I guess is the reasoning for calling it Lawn Mower, though it was so subtle it didn't impact upon what was a good tasting pilsner.

The Savoy Tup was decorated quite traditional, and had a dinning room and the toilets upstairs. The clientele were mainly suits but the atmosphere didn't come across like many others that way (The Guineas for example). Sadly my quick whistle stop tour of two new pubs and a revisit was over as my phone rang and I had to be on my merry way. The Coal Hole is certainly recommended during less busy times, and the Tup will be one I would revisit for some of the beers I seen there.