BITE user comments - catbert
Comments by catbert
Now owned by Fuller's, as of this week I believe. Will be interesting to see how that works out.
16 Jul 2014 17:08
How is £3.90 expensive for a pint in London? Maybe if the only other pubs you go to are Spoons.
18 Apr 2014 13:48
The Bear and Staff, Leicester Square
"I asked for a carlsberg and got a carling...I wasnt a happy man"
Clearly a connoisseur then.
30 Mar 2014 05:27
The Alleyns Head, West Dulwich
You probably sat in the restaurant section, BS.
Place is ok, clean and comfortable. Service fine. Beer very dull though - the usual Young's/Doom Bar/Sambrooks dishwater most of the time.
22 Jan 2014 22:01
Rating now increased by several points as the beer selection has been in a different league recently.
There's still sometimes no one behind the bar though, and the Dulwich parents I suspect will never go away.
22 Jan 2014 21:56
Moribund, sadly. It's up for sake via Fuller's though, so if you've 40k and a business plan...
4 Jan 2014 22:52
The George and Devonshire, Chiswick
Nice staff, pleasant place, but for a pub right next to the Fuller's brewery the range of beers left a lot to be desired. Just two pumps on: one the seasonal, the other a watery pint of Pride.
4 Jan 2014 22:49
The interior is quite nice now, but apart from that this is a terrible pub. The range of beers is woeful and service can only be described as negligent - they have no interest in serving you.
Icing on the cake is the usual Dulwich chinless wonders who think a pub is a middle class nursery, so bring carloads of screaming little sh*ts who are left to race around the place unsupervised because, you know, little Freddy and Flossie are so creative and the important thing with such talented children is not to stifle their, you know, creative nature.
In short, not really a pub for decent human beings.
24 Dec 2013 00:42
The Blythe Hill Tavern, Forest Hill
Unlike prettymolly, I'm not a MASSIVE RACIST, and I enjoyed a good few beers here recently, including some rare ones, so a good rating from me.
Excellent service, btw. I barely had to raise an eyebrow and a fresh beer was in front of me. The smart dress was a nice touch too.
11 Nov 2013 02:35
Had heard a lot about this place so finally tried it. Hugely disappointing. Very "earthy" to say the least, or a bit of a dump to be more honest.
Sure, about a dozen handpumps selling...about a dozen crushingly dull session bitters and pale ales: barely anything over 4% unless you want a cider, which I certainly do not.
A huge missed opportunity, but I suppose given the location, always busy, so why try harder.
5 Jun 2013 23:05
Earthy, authentic feeling pub, one of very few in the area. Arguably the second best beer selection in London e.g. always stuff from Kernel, Arbor etc on tap. Free house, owned by the same family since the early 60s.
28 May 2013 01:50
DesVins Cafe and Wine Bar, St Pancras International Station
A slightly upmarket station bar. It's alright. Not a destination, but alright. Especially handy for when the Thameslink goes to pot. The keg Speckled Hen is surprisingly good. Haven't eaten there.
8 May 2013 01:43
The Black Cherry Bar, East Dulwich
Now the Draft House - excellent specialist beer bar. Best selection in London,
Overflowing toilets within inches of the kitchen, so would not eat here.
20 Mar 2013 23:22
OK pub. Tiny. Perhaps doesn't live up to its fame.
A handful of session bitters on the pumps, but nothing exciting.
Young barman seemed to know a fair bit about beer though.
27 Feb 2013 20:31
Nice enough. Quite authentic feel to the place despite the ill-advised wallpaper.
Eight handpumps serving about eight session bitters - bit of a missed opportunity.
Would return if in the area.
27 Feb 2013 20:27
Hilariously expensive.
Customers are almost exclusively boring insurance salesmen in suits who inexplicably develop loud, fake cockney accents the moment they enter a pub.
None of them wash their hands in the gents. That is not how this pub rolls.
Avoid if you have standards.
27 Feb 2013 20:22
The Grape and Grain, Crystal Palace
I don't mean that in a gay way. He was a good barman.
21 Feb 2013 02:58
The Grape and Grain, Crystal Palace
Popped back again for a swifty.
"London Fields Hackney Hopster". Can't help but say that in a Welsh accent.
Young gentleman at the bar was of a high calibre.
Lovely.
21 Feb 2013 02:56
SilkTork - in no way does this claim to be a family pub. Maybe there's a nursery or a TGI Friday in the area that would better suit your needs.
9 Feb 2013 17:19
"beercritic" seems to be obsessed with this pub, judging by the amount of comments s/he posts. Very strange behaviour.
9 Feb 2013 17:03
Didn't go downstairs, but the upstairs is cramped and grotty. It was staffed by one surly barman who tried to give me a pint that had been stood there god knows how long, and was doing nothing about the mentally unstable vagrant shouting at customers.
Needless to say, I shan't return.
3 Feb 2013 18:40
Terrific. Someone has put a lot of thought into the selection and presentation of the beers. Always nice to see Craig, too.
2 Feb 2013 14:07
The Grape and Grain, Crystal Palace
Finally popped in, was glad I did. Good range of beers, something like 12 pumps I think, although perhaps a few too many ordinary session bitters to be truly exciting. Settled on an interesting port stout, and was pleased with that.
Interior is clean and nice enough, if a little sterile.
Prices are absolutely reasonable. Not sure what the guy below was drinking pints of. Champagne?
2 Feb 2013 13:57
Awful, avoid.
The positive comments below are posted by the management.
4 Jan 2012 17:52
The Bear and Staff, Leicester Square
Good little pub, head n' shoulders above many in the area. Good beer. Fit barmaid too, when I was there.
3 Jan 2012 20:31
Sssshh everyone! Stop telling the plebs how good this pub is. Let's keep it for ourselves.
3 Oct 2011 01:52
A good, honest old-fashioned pub, though perhaps not in the best hands at the moment. I did like the lack of music though, a refreshing change.
22 Jul 2011 20:01
Sadly, "xaventaner" tried to co-opt me into his babbling pseudo-socialist rant, so I'm forced to respond.
- �4 a pint is par for the course for a premium beer in London. South London is no different. It's a shame but it's true
- the "music" (and I use the term quite loosely) problem has been addressed for the time being
- the waitresses do not dress as "lap dancers". Anyone who claims that has clearly not visited this establishment. I simply (and perhaps chauvinistically, I'll grant) commented on the fact that one waitress is naturally and breathtakingly beautiful. She dresses very modestly
- people of all races drink there, so we have another sign that "xaventaner" is not a regular visitor. Black, white, asian, posh, poor - I see them all and I don't care. The customers are all as objectionable as each other in this place, quite frankly
The rest of the commenter's rant is nonsensical gibberish. This bar is not perfect, but hey, at least "xaventaner" doesn't drink there.
12 May 2011 22:45
"Friendly, sometimes too friendly staff"
Crikey, only in London, eh. What kind of pretentious @rse complains about service being too friendly.
8 Apr 2011 15:20
It's hard to sum this establishment up in a sentence or two, not least since the place itself doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind about what it is. "Gangster rap with obscene lyrics played at deafening volume while legions of spoilt toddlers run around screaming" is the best I can do.
It's basically a creche that tries to be trendy at night.
A new manager is in place now, and the ear-splitting volume has been reduced, meaning you can actually sit in the conservatory without feeling nauseous. But I can't see the armies of obnoxious little Harries, Charlies and Alfies going away any time soon.
Excellent range of beer, if you like lager. The prettiest waitress I've ever seen working in London. Shoreditch-style idiots in flat caps and floppy hats, Sizeable gay clientele smoking and having lovers' tiffs in the garden. Dedicated children's play area with Cbeebies piped in. The occasional Brixtonian or vagrant from the surrounding council estate.
Dunno, can't work it out myself.
5 Apr 2011 02:30
Nice interior. Taken over by Wetherspoons late last year, for what its worth.
28 Feb 2011 22:46
The Crown and Greyhound, Dulwich
A once-great pub that never fails to disappoint these days. Staff hopeless, beer mediocre, clientele lamentable.
22 Feb 2011 01:20
Mixed feelings about this one. The reviews do seem a little harsh. It's very large, and very touristy as others have pointed out. But it's pleasant enough if you get it on a quiet day. The food has vastly improved over the last couple of years, and staff are pretty friendly, if a little short in numbers.
No idea what's up with the PA though - everything comes out an octave lower than it should be!
Still, I continue to pop in on my way past. Much preferable to any Wetherspoons I've visited.
14 Feb 2011 17:53
The Tulse Hill Tavern, Tulse Hill
Reopened with a new coat of paint. Pubs are thriving at the moment.
15 Jan 2015 15:55