BITE user comments - clapham
Comments by clapham
The Steam Packet, Littlehampton
Strange things be a happening at this closed and boarded for two years pub. Looks like an external make over is taking place. Watch this space.
18 Aug 2009 10:12
Can anyone please tell me if the circus is still alive or has the big tent been lowered on this venue for the last time?.
24 Aug 2007 08:15
Come on guys sort this out, no Hophead for three days when other non dark star pubs have hophead nectar flowing through the pumps. We all know that the world loves your beers but please remember the little acorn that this mighty oak came from.
19 Aug 2007 10:19
This is a place to eat,drink is an after thought in this establishment. The only reason i frequent this restaurant is that it sells Timothy Taylor Landlord and on that alone i will give this house a 4.
22 Jul 2007 11:21
The Windmill on the Common, Clapham Common
At �3.45 for a pint of fizzy Stella someone please tell me of any pub out there that charges more,i doubt it.Coupled with that some pretty awful reviews i will leave you to make your own mind up of this place. Youngs R.I.P
12 Jul 2007 06:56
Was in here on Sunday for a charity driven evening culminating in a Robbie Williams tribute that went off great,an oldie world pub filled to bursting point with people enjoying themselves is always a recipe for a great evening.
Beer, Abbot,London pride and a fox and hounds own label on pump all very well kept,although i did ask for the sparkler to be removed as i went through the pumps.
The landlord is a "Bloody good bloke" who kept his crew of five and us well motivated throughout the long busy evening.
The only negative that has been mentioned by Worzel on 22 Aug still remains true.The minute we arrived the human foghorn a.k.a the landlady was bellowing and blowing and pointing,just because she could, she did mellow in the last quarter of the evening, this might of had something to do with her having trouble standing upright and holding onto her glass at the same time..!
On the whole, a great evening, great beer fantastic Landlord and staff and as for Foghorn, Get yourself a Job you like love.
29 May 2007 15:58
Visited over the weekend again and my feelings have not changed about this little gem, nicely tucked away just far enough from the droves of pretentious tacky places that exist around the common belt. well worth the search to find.
17 Apr 2007 11:13
The Duke Of Wellington, Shoreham by Sea
Visited over the weekend for the first time and although as already been commented on,in need of an interior makeover, this was more than made up for the array of pumps that produce the fantastic selection of well kept ales from themselves and others that dark star are now synonymous for.
The conversation was pleasant from both sides of the bar,and although there is much to be done before this pub reaches the heights of its sister in Brighton the signs are looking positive.
Keep up the good work Dark Star
6 Mar 2007 13:29
Anon,the circus only opens for afternoon sustenance on Fri,sat,and Sunday.
Although i tried to confirm this on the circus website but alas that has now ceased to be.
The site proudly states "Closed for construction" perhaps because of it's present up for sale status, this should read "Closed for Destruction" I sincerely hope not.
15 Feb 2007 07:08
Back in over the weekend,was on Espresso coffee ale from the wood,it will run out, i tried my best to empty the firkin thing..!
13 Feb 2007 13:02
The Windmill on the Common, Clapham Common
Was dragged in here over the weekend with a few so called friends and what a waste of space this place still remains It took me three attempts for the bar operative to understand what i was trying to order, how else can one order a pint of Ram and special?.
I managed to get my order eventually through pointing and gesticulating at the operative and eventually my friends began to understand why we should of punted on past this once great pub.
Do yourselves a favor and do as we didn't do and truck on through. with prices up again and now at �26.40 a gallon for wife beater,one can only wonder what this place can surprise us with in the future.
8 Jan 2007 13:08
I will whisper this very quietly,its time to light the blue touch-paper and retire, Critical Mass is back on for the xmas period,
22 Dec 2006 14:53
Visited this old haunt the other day to see if it was still the same old p.o.w circa 1980 that i remember.
It was always crammed to the gunnel's with London transport crews from the garage next door.
I should of read the recent reviews here especially David b who has got it described in one, before venturing.
The Pub has been destroyed by bar staff that don't give a shit, a landlord that has his little group of admirers all huddled together like a pack of frozen penguin's and a few punters dotted around nestling from the cold wet weather outside.
we finished our drinks and ventured outside, even with the rain and wind it felt warmer and less damp than the dump we had just left...!
11 Dec 2006 12:10
if Mr anon classes the Lager that is mainly produced in blighty as beer then he needs to get out a little more. The fridge here holds an abundance of treasures,OK the puritans among us would cry shame on them not being drawn through a barrel but hey. Sometimes popping out to Belgium for a quaff of Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort,or Westmalle is a little to far to travel even for the most dedicated of drinkers and thats where establishments like the Star and the Beer Circus come to our assistance.
No Mr Anon not all lager is beer and if you believe that it is then stick to your Carling,fosters and many others brewed(and i use that term loosely) under license here in the UK.
3 Nov 2006 11:06
The only thing warm in this establishment is the lager..! a truly dire place to spend ones time, here is me hoping that it would of been raised to the ground. Read the reviews and take advice accordingly.
11 Oct 2006 00:20
Oh dear "Simmel" what a bad start to your day,I for one can only apologise for Brighton not being open and standing to attention for your inaugural state visit way way way back in June,i will indeed be having a full public inquiry as to why your inability to read the closed sign on the door led you to "in your own words" poke your head through the door..!
I myself travel over 50 miles at times to visit this fine Establishment, i have never ever seen a bloke with a brush called surly,as always all the staff and customers i have ever spoke to have been sociable and pleasant,that complimented with the added bonus of the best tasting Dark star beer and many others, makes a day in Brighton worthwhile.
27 Sep 2006 11:15
I am with you on this one Stonch,this pub is a little gem, and as for Mr anon or any of his or her relatives on this site, if you cannot put your name to your beliefs then stick to your Mangers and Strongbow and leave the pubs glorious nectar for the grown ups..!
21 Aug 2006 18:13
Its a tourist pub, in season filled to the brim with gun ho yanks believing that this is what a quaint English traditional pub should be like, they are informed of this through the coach couriers and drivers who dine for free on the proceeds.
It truly is a dire establishment, the staff as commented on already have bad attitude, the ale is OK and as for the food, the only thing missing when they bring it out is the packet liner from the Tesco value range that you are about to chew down just before you take your leave of absence to the john to barf it all back, one good point is that it keeps the more sociable establishments in the area yank free, and on that note alone i give this grotto a two...!
18 Jul 2006 09:27
I believed that i had truly seen the worst that wetherspoons could throw at me after visiting the dump on the concourse at Victoria station, alas this was not so, i have now experienced an even worse place here in Brighton.
The staff have been beaten down and look totally demoralized,and have taken on that "i could not give monkeys bollock" attitude.
After waiting for ten minutes watching the ale being poured up and chucked over the bar as water would be at a third world holding center i thought i had a brain-wave and because this place is split over two levels i would be clever and try the upper floor.
on climbing the stairs i realized that the world and his brother had had the same idea as me only twenty minutes earlier.
Upstairs there was one poor tortured female taking drinks orders,taking food orders, taking abuse over the time it was taking to get served, taking food complaints over wrong orders and inedible food...!
I waited patiently for my turn and attempted to produce a sympathetic sort of uneasy smile and ordered eventually my pint of Abbott, only to be told the abbot was off upstairs,and that i would get a pint downstairs..! i felt myself joining in with the frenzy of complainers and i am sure at this point i observed this destroyed female place her hand in her pocket and attempted to give me a monkeys bollock..!
5 Jul 2006 18:05
Visited the Evening star the other evening, my intentions being to just muse for an hour or so until my train departed from Brighton station a mere 150 yards away ,a very ordinary pub from the outside hides one of the best kept secrets from within.
As you enter and approach the bar your eyes cannot begin to accept or believe the smorgasbord of liquid sustenance that the Dark star brewery has placed before us the customer.
The staff being Matt and Seamus take great interest into there profession, and it shows, i watched Matt pull a clean line as eager punters waited for Hophead to run into the hand pump,and wait they had to,for until the pair were certain all was well the sink got the first couple of pints,an action very rarely observed in most pubs of today.
Lets start with the Hophead,at 3.8 one would expect a rather ordinary bite and average flavors, but no, although a little dry the flavors are in abundance,just fantastic.
Next the India pale ale, i found this akin to a wheat beer almost tangy in flavor and at 4.7 full of push..!.
By now my recollections become somewhat foggy! a pint of ram tam was poured, very dark and wholesome,full of power and taste, and i finished with a pint of, SAS larger at around 5.0, aptly named for its ability to sneak up just before rendering you as i was by now pleasantly potted...!.
A friendly client based environment at only 150 yards from Brighton station, and although i managed to get lost making my way back to the train, its a pub that i visit on a much to regular occurrence, put this on your 100 things to do before you die list,for i die and go to heaven every time i visit.
5 Jul 2006 14:32
Another so called public house thats lost its way ,if the staff had the communicative skills that they use with one another and attempted to share them with us the paying customer then i could possibly venture inside again, i did say possibly.
The inside open plan drinking areas do little to stimulate the eye or indeed the heart,the only up lifting point of my visit was as i was walking toward the exit, talking heads piped up on the sound system with, "Road to nowhere" i smiled or perhaps it was just wind.
27 Jun 2006 14:55
Please correct me if i am wrong here but are people confusing both Prince of wales pubs? methinks Clapham old town and union road pubs are miles apart, and i am not talking mileage here.
19 Jun 2006 12:55
Agree with John M comments, a nice friendly proper pub with a nice mixture of people, a television that sits on a shelf and don't hang on a sodding wall, chairs that you sit on and not fall into, if i want a sofa i will go to my Nan's and partake in a sweet stout thank you very much,people with proper names like Jim, Greg or john frequent here, if your names have been changed by deed pole to Tristam or troy or if you have added an X or Z to your name, walk on by, for the bierdrome up the road awaits your patronage, as for myself and others, i will pull up a proper stool at a proper bar and consume proper ale at a proper perfect pub.
25 May 2006 14:27
another nothing to shout about bar set in the old town, the sort of bar that one would not take the walk across the common to visit, dark dingy interior, as described earlier all sorts of paraphernalia hanging from the dusty ceiling,gives one the feeling of being on the set of Steptoe and son, i mean a rickshaw dangling precariously above ones head, why?.
Hoegaarden was OK once we raised the bar girl from our side of the bar and out of her daily mirror.
to sum up, a pub to turn into if you are passing but don't wear the leather out of your shoes to visit.
25 May 2006 13:53
Sweet Jesus, if this establishment is now under new management then one could only cringe and imagine what it was like before the BBC arrived and transformed it into Tenko2 the sequel.
The decor is circa 1970 and not retro believe me,i looked around before ordering and thought it wise to have a pint of Guinness,well thats not entirely true, it would of been wiser to sound retreat and withdraw from this incarceration and re-group on higher ground..!
The Guinness duly arrived and i maneuvered my way past most of the old rickety chairs and stools and attempted to place my posterior on the green draylon covered bench seat, which incidentally was all torn, but i have to say,expertly repaired with long strips of black gaffa tape,at this point the seat began to eat me! i sank down to my tits,and must of looked like the bear with the cushion and the glasses with the protruding teeth on that comedy show?.
The black of my Guinness by this time must of had an argument with the white of the head and duly made its excuses and disappeared before my very eyes!.
After extracting my ass from the seat i decided to regain composure and make my exit via the toilets,i truly should not have bothered, the last guy to use the cubicle must of attempted to wipe his ass with a Fly-mo, i re-adjusted my clothes and with my head held low made my way back through the bar,just intime to see a barfly finishing off my Guinness minus its head!.
19 May 2006 12:13
It has closed, de-licensed and now has opened into a residential center.
8 May 2006 13:18
A pub that does what it says on the tin! good quality ales,the Bombardier was very good,very clean and crisp.
The venue is a large one, a bar that goes on forever and in the end joins up with its tail,lots of quirky places to sit, small snug,"yes a snug" large front bar with plasma screens with all the top football sky can offer,large back bar mainly food driven, steaks, all day breakfasts and the like, very clean throughout with the mandatory pictures of old Clapham.
At this point i have to disagree with some previous comments re the Eastern European bar staff, i have always found them very friendly and professional in their customer service, but i am more than a little bias because the girl in charge has a Strong resemblance to Davina McColl!and i have seen her put the footie boys in place when they get a little to boisterous.
On the whole a great pub, plenty of room for all, a nice mix of people,good beer,cheap prices,clean interior,and Davina watching over us all, that will do it for me every time!.
21 Apr 2006 12:55
Absolutely vile! the most unclean Establishment that i have ever had the bad luck to fall into. lets start at the beginning,the bar on our visit was filled to the brim with unwashed glasses. On ordering a pint it took three attempts of me returning my glass before i received one that was passably clean, just,i was told that the dishwasher had not been working properly for ages!.
The tables were indeed filthy, old crockery, empty glasses, sticky tacky tables throughout the pub.
And now on to the drink, as always good, Abbott great tasting and clean to the palette unlike the bar.
Its just a shame that that as in most of the wetherspoons that i have frequented the same picture always seems to be the normal,totally drained bar staff that are totally washed out, disinterested and look as though their clothes have been washed in the same dishwasher that refuses to clean the glasses correctly!.
Yes around �1.70 for Abbott,and �2.00 for fizzy Stella is remarkably cheap,if cheap rocks your boat then grab a few cans from the offi and sit on the seats outside the cathedral, even with the pigeons shitting on you,your less likely to come to any bacterial harm than if you Had of stayed in the Dolphin and Anchor.
14 Apr 2006 20:13
Wetherspoons, Victoria Station
The only upward lifting comment on this absolute Pig-swill of a pub is the escalator that rises into it!, and when you arrive you so so wish that the stairs had a reverse button you could use to take you down to ground level again and return you to your senses!
Slap bang in the middle of Victoria Station with views of train indicators and the world below you would assume,"wrongly" that it would be a flagship for the Wetherspoons empire?, forget flagship and imagine the rubbish barges that punt up and down the Thames on a daily basis taking their rubbish to people that don't want it,and thats the similarity Wetherspoons at the station takes all its rubbish and dumps it onto us the customer!rubbish decor,rubbish hospitality,rubbish food.
It truly is a place to avoid, and don't let the perception of cheep booze draw you onto these moving stairs of total degradation and isolation, for the prices are no different than some of the more uplifting and friendly pubs in the area.
4 Apr 2006 11:14
Ventured into the jubilee JOKE! the other weekend again!,wearing the usual paraphernalia that goes with this pub,carbonfibre stab vest,shin guards,and of course the optional,but equally essential Armored cricket box, thats my woman sorted!. i was carrying the only book you will ever need in any wetherspoons "1001 ways to communicate with a drunk" essential reading if one wants to continue as a living organism on our planet drinking here,unlike most of the amoeba that have lost the one cell they need,that use this place.
five minutes getting to the bar and my faith in wetherspoons was not disappointed,Neanderthal at the bar talking drunkenly loud full of expletives,stopped shouting looked at the floor and chundered,approx four dead dogs,a wildebeast,two pints of bile, and what looked like a clutch assembly from a Mk2 Cortina!, thank god the Wilton carpet was in place to soak most of it up or it would of made a terrible mess!.
The bar staff as in most wetherspoons look like they have just come back from an 18/30 vacation in Gwantanomo bay, drained and lifeless, long hours takes its toll on a human spirit.
As a positive,the Abbott ale was excellent,cask marked,as is all the beers in the chain, just hope Mr Tim Martin of wetherspoons takes the time to read through the comments on ALL his pubs, just like my book, it does not make very good reading!.
22 Feb 2006 17:30
Now i really should not be telling you about this little oasis of a pub in a sea of contemporary Ikea cloned establishments that have spored throughout the locality,but tell you i must.
First and foremost its a pub, yes a pub, food is on hand and although i have not sampled any,by the looks of the empty plates returning to the kitchen all is well.
being on my Guinness period i was not disappointed, head to the bottom of the glass and taste of clean pipes keeps one returning,rather to frequently!.
The pub gets a near 10 rating from myself because of the eclectic mix of people that choose to habit this little Paradise,if you feel that this little island is not for you, then sail pass my friend,and set course for mainland clapham just up the river, just remember what happened to captain Cooke!As for myself and my fellow natives we will remain here, and pray we are never rescued.
And just in case anyone is rather bemused who,or was, or even is Tim Bobin a full description is available in the gents toilets, alas after seven pints of Diesel my total attention in the toilet was taken up trying to keep my penis out of my zip.
22 Feb 2006 11:41
The sun never shines in this pretentious excuse for a pub! full of people with names such as tristram,Tarquin,and Algernon, attempting to reinact the day they almost made a killing on the stock market eighteen months previously!.
The combined smell of a thousand and one perfume's mixed with the feeble excuse for authentic thai food just about sum this place up, infact the only authentic thing about this place is the view across the old town through the window, thank god somethings never change.
20 Feb 2006 19:04
OH what have you done to this once fantastic local pub,yes i know you were raised to the ground in a fire, but if false beams, green Basie, and lots of plastic, and thats from the smiles of the staff are all you could manage then, perhaps you should of laid this old pub to rest,along with the old photos and warmth that is now so obviously missing from its tacky interior now.
20 Feb 2006 13:28
Oh dear what can the matter be,another fine pub has been washed down the lavatory,visited there a week ago Saturday, will never frequent there again!.
On entering the so called pub,i could sense all was not well, to the right hand side of the bar stands a large over powering stainless cooking facility with a human tossing noodles and other foods in a wok,did i mistake this pub for the local take away,no this is a pub because there is the bar with pumps on it.
Stood at the bar for about five minutes,with one of those air stewardess smiles attempting to raise some sort of response from the people over the other side of the counter, sorry bar,eventually my plaintive whimpering were answered a pint of flat Stella was pushed across the bar.
Now i know bubbles are not everything in a pint of Stella, but the odd one rising harmoniously up the glass meeting a few of its colleges just before breaking free of the non existent head would of been pleasant, alas it wasn't to be.
I asked the bar operative if she felt that the lack of carbon dioxide in the beer was indicative of the pub, the reply was "the gas must have run out" where upon that she disappeared down a foxhole and the sounds of metal against metal, hammer to brass rang out, only drained by the expletives when the sound of hammer to flesh took its place.
She appeared back into the bar via the foxhole with blood running down her arm, at this point my self feeling a little queasy, i drank my flat Stella and left, glancing over my shoulder just in time to see a box of blue plasters being opened and first aid being performed on the by now very pale bar operative.
I only wanted a quiet drink!!!
20 Feb 2006 12:55
The Labouring Man, Coldwaltham
Been to this pub a few times now, right out of the way, and thats the way the locals like it.
Small and quirky,and thats a positive attribute,choice of cask and food, although food is not served on a monday,but the landlord mustered up two ploughmans on the monday we visited just to keep us alive as we were truly starving.
On the whole a rewarding couple of hours spent with some nice people, pleasent conversation,and a true feeling of being welcome.
Give it a try,but dont tell to many people if you manage to find it, remember, it can be our little secret.
28 Sep 2005 15:01
Try to catch this pub when they have the DJ on,Dont know his name but he is a big,and i mean big baldy guy, and if you are into old school then he is the guy for you. the place gets stacked and the place does move.anyone know where else he gigs?
19 Sep 2005 13:49
The terrible previous history of this poor excuse for a ale house should not prevent you from opening the door into its heartfelt welcome now.
A new managment team awaits the thirsty traveler,and what a difference six months plus can make,now there are other people to talk to, i think they are known as customers,(never seen them here before).
A good selection of well kept ales,Trafalger,Arundel,and the pubs favorite tipple Betty Stokes,Kronenburg,Stella, to name but a few.
Food menu is varied and filling,Steaks,burgers,fish,and thats just scratched the surface of the food menu,for those that are hungry and brave enough, try the mixed grill, it goes on forever, and for under eight pounds it wont break the bank.
The pub is almost in the river Arun,from the bank views towards Arundel and beyond await you.
So come and give it a try, I for one will be sure you will return again and again, Arthur and Rose have worked hard to turn this place around, you owe it to yourself not to pass on this pub.
8 Sep 2005 10:59
The Windmill on the Common, Clapham Common
You would believe that this pub, being one of youngs flagships would be at the pinical of how one should run a ale house, and i did say should.
Where can you begin with an establishment that scores a meger 1 on just about every level of its operation,Bar staff,I use the term loosly,standing around in there droves full of conversation with other staff, but when you attempt to get some response with regards to some sort of service, you get the impression by the look on there faces that they have just been poked in the eye with a pencil,thats got a gas bill attached to it!.
The price of the fluid in the pub i believe is directly attached to the barrel price of O.P.E.C, hence the price remains high, and still rising!.
Food,just a quick example, ordered a simple stilton ploughmans, easy one would think, actually no,the cheese was dry,and when one dared to question the Latvian with the shirt two sizes to big in the collar,and four sizes to big on the arms,his reply was,the cheese is gooooood sirs, just your opinions
sirs,and that leads me nicely on to my opinion, go forth into this website and find a pub that will enjoy your patronage,make you feel welcome,and ultimately make you want to return again, and as for myself visiting here again,in the words of Black Adder,I would rather French kiss a scunk.
3 Sep 2005 00:38
Walking in to this pub was just like stepping into the Time Tunnel and going back to the 1940s,
A strange calm feeling surrounds as your eyes take in the wood and original mouldings of this quaint pub slap bang in the heart of the capital.
The food menu looked complete and interesting, although i did not indulge this time.starters plus main course for around a tenner ish.
Now to try to explain about the drinks for sale!!!!!
to be honest, i dont have a clue???,not a single branded name in sight,from the ale taps,through to the lager,then to the bottles,across to the top shelf, and finishing on the mixers,not known, strange names with pictures of men in leather larderhosen!!!.
You really only know your still in blighty because as said previously the jovial banter from the postal crowd that frequent this place,I will need another visit to really get the feel, for those of you that want a less than ordinary pub on your time travels make this a stopping point, Now talking of travels, how do i get back to 2005?.
1 Sep 2005 13:03
If you like a true pub then steer clear of this lame excuse for a workers co, op pub.
This place used to be known as the Boyer arms, a traditional victorian pub with the most amazing decore,then the bread and roses fell into it.
To the skip went the total interior to the bar, including the atmosphere and all of the hospitallity within it.
If warm flat beer, with the same sort of welcome rocks your boat,just before you sink into Dante's vision of Hell then this must be the place for you.
31 Aug 2005 17:07
Its cheep,and the food is edible,and although previous comments state otherwise, i have always found the bar staff to be ok.
I must admit that at times you have to wait to be served,two staff in such a large bar does seem a little mean, but on the whole an ok place with soft chairs, and some even softer characters, if you are prepared to look deeper than the skin.
31 Aug 2005 10:37
The Evening Star, Brighton
The only negative I have on this paradise is that it takes so long for one to get home after visiting. Last weekend it took me three hours via train to get to Eastbourne, not bad I suppose, when I was actually attempting to get to London Bridge!
8 Jul 2011 14:51