Fox, Kingslandback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
After a swift visit to the reasonably impressive White Hart in Whitechapel (not listed on here, but I'll request it to be added), I braved the replacement bus service up the Kingsland Road to the Fox. This seemed a fairly upmarket pub. There were lots of people drinking outside and I skirted round a couple of bouncers and entered. Inside was strange, in that everybody apart from those at the bar were seated. I suspect tables had been booked to watch the England rugby match and maybe I shouldn't have been able to just walk in. But nevertheless, I hovered around the bar area and enjoyed only my second cider of the day. Ciders were Gwynt y Ddraig Happy Daze & Sandford Orchards Shaky Bridge. Ales were Redemption Big Chief, Dark Star Hophead, Kent Pale & Burning Sky Aurora & Plateau. There appeared to be a good range of craft beers and a decent bottle selection too. It was difficult to judge the place with the rugby on. But it certainly seemed quite a trendy establishment and one I wouldn't mind trying again one day.
|
Great beer selection. Lots of choice.
But we are talking about another pub that is clearly aimed at the new Hoxton inhabitant.
Very trendy to the point of being pouncy. Any pub that serves anm Halloumi Burger with an olive tapenade, needs to look at itself.
Get past that the beer was good and averagely priced.
|
3 bad pints in an hour - surely some kind of record? First up was a pint of Kronenbourg full of weird looking sediment (I only noticed when I got near the bottom, next a cloudy pint of San Miguel that tasted of detergent and left an oily film in my mouth, that was replaced by a completely flat Kronenbourg. I'll stick to bottles next time, or drink elsewhere. A shame as the food looked good and the leather armchairs would be a good place to while away a quiet Sunday.
|
This place is truly dreadful. I have now given it two chances since I moved in down the road (and since it became my local). The first time I visited, I was made to feel totally awkward for walking up to the bar (since they don't make it obvious that it's mostly table service). The inexpert bar people all clustered around each other without really understanding what they were doing. The only "ale" was bottled Newcastle Brown for which they asked a mere �4.50. Bear in mind this is a mediocre, wannabe-gastropub (as the tatty A4 printouts adorning the windows tell everyone) on Kingsland Road well off the beaten Shoreditch track. I drowned my shock in the brown stuff, surrounded, as I was, by other local experimenters who were dining on the overpriced food.
The second time I visited, I was told that it was happy hour. The "happiness" involved me being expected to pay �2.75 for a Leffe (as opposed to the usual �3.75). This is Kingsland Road, for crying out loud. The barmaid let about 1/8th of it overflow without so much as an apology. Once again, I glugged away my displeasure and left.
Don't visit this place unless you are intending to vandalise it.
Cates - 22 Mar 2007 15:38 |
I think the staff have calmed down since the original review in February below and seem very pleasant and attentive without being obtrusive. I visited this place for the first time on Sunday for a late lunch with a party of 12. The food was lovely and better than other organic gastropubs I've been to in the past. In addition, the prices are on par for a good gastro pub but considering this is organic, I thought it was excellent value for money. The menu is varied with a good but not too long selection of dishes and bearing in mind most people in our party ordered different dishes, they all turned up together piping hot. The brunch menu looks great as well so we might pop along a bit earlier in the day next time.
Jax06 - 22 May 2006 13:59 |
I think this pub-restaurant was just opened about 5 months ago. When I first went there for dinner I was really surprised to find such a nice place in this area. I can only recommend to give it a visit as they serve delicious food (organic) and a great selection of fine wines. And last but not least, the staff is also really friendly and not uptight as we all know it from similar high quality resaturants!...:-)
anonymous - 4 May 2006 16:59 |
This pub recently opened in the desert that is the middle bit of Kingsland Road. They've gone for gastro, and the food is good - but when I went they were a bit keen. The landlord was very nice but was trying to hard to impress and the staff kept coming up and telling us impressive things about the food (organic). This place will be lovely if they calm down a bit.
|
|
