More About London

Let's make one thing clear. London has a fabulously diverse selection of pubs and, yes, it has to be said, some ropey cask beer.  Now that's out of the way, let's concentrate on the praise - with the odd, minor criticism to liven things up.

On a cold Wednesday evening, we started as always in the Aldgate Tap. I've a bit of a soft spot for the various Taps in the Bloomsbury Leisure empire and even though this one is completely devoid of any real character, it being an architect designed lump of steel and glass, sort of plonked in a London square. Its nearness to Aldgate Tube station though, makes it a handy pit stop for those Londoners that still roll up at offices and who tend, thankfully, to spend most of their visit outside in the square, leaving the pub to wusses like me who prefer to see the bar from where I'm drinking and to avoid both smoke and cold. The pub - or is it a bar? - is adjacent to a very old church, St Botolph's, a survivor of the Great Fire of London, so it goes back a fair bit and provides a bit of contrast, as Aldgate Square is a recent invention.

There are two cask beer lines here, and they are served free flow through a wall of steel behind the bar. I always think that the beer suffers a tad when served this way, but here, while not the peak of cask conditioning, it is usually in decent nick and rewardingly in London, under a fiver a pint.  The manager, John, is a great lad and always happy to chat. The staff are efficient and friendly, so we like it and enjoy it too for people watching. The London office crew in the wild is always worth a look and an earwig. They really are a genre apart and a throwback to teatime drinking, which happens less often elsewhere. 

A short wander away, right under the Gherkin, you’ll find Craft - a pub that, on paper, should be an absolute gem. Soft lighting, exposed brick, big windows, loads of breweriana - ticks all the right boxes. Except… the cask beer, which, more often than not, is over-vented and flat as a pancake. My usual tactic here? Try the cask, pick the least bad one, then immediately wash it away with a pint of London Black. Works every time. That said, it’s a lovely spot - just proceed with caution when ordering the real stuff.

So two pubs in one small area of EC3. Somewhat surprisingly, I feel, as mentioned above, you can trust the cask more in the one that isn't called Craft, than the one that is, though that certainly wins as a pub. 

(I'll draw a veil over the appalling beer in Fullers Trinity Bell next door to Cask. You could have poached an egg in the beer and it was flat as a pancake. Just the sort of stuff that puts people off cask forever, and not at all what you expect from Fullers managed house.)

The next day - Nunhead - Why?  Honestly, because we kept seeing the 78 bus going there and thought , why not? And you know what? Great decision. The ride itself was a treat, with top-deck views as we rolled over Tower Bridge, down the Old Kent Road, through the madness of Peckham Rye’s high street, and then… Nunhead. Which, it turns out, isn’t exactly buzzing. We checked out the local bakery (nice), butcher (also nice), fishmonger (smelly), and spotted two pubs. The Shepherd Neame boozer didn't appeal - well - its Shep's innit so - not this time for the Man of Kent. So we headed into The Old Nun’s Head, more or less across the road.

It was pretty deserted  mid-afternoon, but we were greeted warmly by the young barman (who confirmed no cask at the Shep's pub, so a good call) and after a taste of a local beer - awful - we settled for a Northern beer, Vocation Bread and Butter, which was fine, but needed a few more drinkers to liven it up. The pub itself was a mix of old and quirky new, and as the barman started laying out reserved signs on almost every table, it was clear this place gets packed in the evening - probably when the beer is at its best too.  All in all we liked it, so it is recommended.

A short stroll through fairly villagey backstreets, and we popped out just by the Angel Oak, a fine old roadside boozer which promised - according to WhatPub - four cask beers and delivered absolutely none.  Yes, I've advised the local CAMRA branch.  Big windows again - they really work, I'd say.  Other than us and a few local young women, a couple with babies, the pub was empty but somehow the warmth, the low chat and the lack of any music, made this a strangely enjoyable visit. We sipped our tasteless keg craft (Kona Big Wave I think) and simply enjoyed this large, but cosy bar, with attractive tables, low seats and fine views of the common and busy road outside.  Despite the beer, we left with a degree of reluctance.

Last up on this jaunt, the White Horse on Peckham Rye.  This is a fine old ex Charrington house, which is pretty well unspoilt inside, with much original wood panelling, a public bar in front and a well appointed (in 1970 style) lounge at the rear. A very warm welcome from the barmaid, who advised me it was happy hour, and provided me with a decent quality pint of Five Points Pale. Locals nodded and one even spoke to us. It was a journey into the past and an enjoyable one at that as we watched people, just enjoying the pub, some hardy souls even sitting outside.It would have been rude not to have a second, so we did, before nipping round the corner and the 78 back to SE1.

Summing up the trip to Nunhead, we really enjoyed the three fairly random pubs we visited. OK, the beer didn't really reach top standards, though I reckon both with real ale would have done so with a little more turnover and quality control. The Angel Oak struck me as the type of pub that would have greatly benefitted from a couple - no more - of decent cask ales. But then again, it is a Greene King House. 

So, no disasters in Nunhead, Disappointment in EC3 and going back to Nunhead/Peckham, a fab afternoon out and three very different pubs, which all appealed in their own way. 

Top tip if you is very old like me. Jump on a bus and see where it takes you. It is free after all. Even if it isn't, it is a great way to see London.

 Shortly after, I watched a Tweedy Pubs report on the 37 lost pubs of the Old Kent Road. Only two remain. Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road!  Tweedy Pubs is well recommended.

Blogger wouldn't let me place my photo of the White Horse without distorting everything else, so there is a link instead.