All Change

The area around Aldgate East and Leman Street in London has changed beyond all recognition since we acquired our flat there around 18 years ago. It is so well connected that it has become very fashionable and after many years of little change, in recent years new flats are springing up like crocuses in spring.  It shows no signs of abating. In that time pubs have come and gone, mostly, gone, taken over and demolished or turned into flats. If only some of them had stuck it out, as now the population is huge and growing and amenities are open all the time. Back in those distant days the area was as quiet as a mouse on a Sunday. No longer.

One new pub has opened this month. The Leman St Tavern directly on Leman St itself. Very unlovely from the outside, it is owned by Geronimo Inns, the Youngs offshoot and is the kind of classy affair that will attract the many suits that are kind of thick on the ground around these parts.  All wood, metal and glass, with delightful old railway prints on the wall, it is comfortable and the welcome is pretty genuine.  The menu looked good too. It was also great to see the handpumps are obvious and facing you as you walk in, not hidden round a corner, as is often the case. The beer was in pretty reasonable shape, with my Truman's Blindside being cool and reasonably conditioned. It wasn't however golden or hoppy as stated. Why do brewers have such a problem identifying colour? Light brown is not golden!  Price wise a whopping £4.50 a pint.  As an aside, the £4 cask beer is probably the norm in London now and the £5 barrier is likely to be broken soon I fear

Riding out all this newness has been the Dog and Truck which I wrote about here. We scurried round for a soothing pint of Harveys. Shockingly it was closed. The builders are in and the inside, with all its 1970s gloriousness has been torn apart. It is to be one of Enterprise Inns new managed houses, under the Bermondsey Pub Company (based in the West Midlands oddly) banner. This was devastating.  Now I know that refurbishment is long overdue and that likely we'll get something with decent beer, but another charming piece of the past has gone and we mourned it over slightly too warm pints in the Dispensary.

I'm willing to bet we'll pay something well north of £4 a pint too for the privilege.

I'll mention some prices in my next blog. Well one in particular, for which I am still getting therapy.  It also involves Truman's Beer which somehow I think, just doesn't suit me.