BITE user comments - mikegray
Comments by mikegray
My God! It has reopened as a pub! Is that an old picture? I remember the developers building a nasty nasty nasty lead flashed box on top as another flat and then having enforecemnt action slapped on them by the planners cos they didn't have permsiion for it! hence, I thought that nasty top floor had been got rid of...??
Again, another boozer in London that really could benefit from being friendly to the bike brigade. With no O/S space here, I'm unlikely to drop in when I'm on the bike cos I ain't leaving it on the railings, not on that junction! Pembury massive have them all away within seconds.
Let's hope the Pembury gets it together with the hackney cyclists, cos there's plenty of them and they all need somewhere to drink!
26 Mar 2006 18:07
consistent greatness alll round, but where's vince gone??!!!
11 Jan 2006 17:13
The Sekforde Arms, Clerkenwell
second pub in as many hours yesterday - great pint of shandy (!) and a warm welcome (and welcome respite fro the sun too). Made my day out and about in Clerkenwell doulby enjoyable. A must for all 'proper boozer' fanciers!
2 Sep 2005 17:01
Great boozer - I was there at lunchtime yesterday in teh sun, and despite being next to a huuuuuuuge hole in the ground, this is still a magical spot in Clerkenwell. And why should a pub full of posties be such a bad thing..? Mount PLeasant's RIGHT there, what do you expect?!
2 Sep 2005 16:56
If anyone's interested, the owners are looking to dispose of their interest in the pub. The planners at LBTH suggest the building has no architectural merit whatsoever, BUT they did turn down a planning app to demolish it, saying that for cultural reasons, they want to see it brought back into use, and that this particular little bit of Bethnal Green won't be subject to anonymous bland housing developments. Maybe the owners of the Florist might want to buy it...?!
6 Jul 2005 14:32
great boozer for climbers - food is ridiculously huge in portion, beer is ridiculously good (usually at least 3 guests on tap, often changing nightly). Can be hot, smoky and noisy though. Avoidthe crowds and grab a seat out back. And try not to gawp at the (very friendly) female barstaff!
10 Jun 2005 16:51
The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping
Visited the prospect again last night, having not been in for a couple of years. Despite the slightly suspect IPA frothiness, we had an excellent evening sitting on the upper terrace, mooning at passing tourist boats and generally soaking up the views as the sun disappeared over west London. Places like this are what makes me explore old London pubs. Fantastic
10 Jun 2005 16:46
OK,me and Dan in NYC on a cold, cold midweek afternnon. We need beer. We're in the financial dostrict. There's nothing here, except...... a sign saying "Jimm'y Bar" and an arrow pointing down the stairs into a basement. Which we followed. And to our delight we found what our yank friends call a 'dive bar'. I mean, OK, it's got no windows, it's empty and teh barman's drinking more then me and Dan put together, but that's cool. Jimmy (a second generation Irish dude with a tach and a penchant for foamy heads) was an excellent host, liberal with the advice and his impressions of UK tourists! They serve food, there's a pool table, and the beer's cheap - a refreshingly scuzzy place for this part of town. Why don't we have this kinda place in the City..?
31 May 2005 13:43
The Lamb and Flag, Covent Garden
I have to say that the drivers for visiting this one are its location and (presumably) its 'listing' by English Heritage. it looks like they haven't touched the interior or the outside of the place for donkeys. The bar staff are indeed rude (we got evil death stares and were told we could leave now if we wanted to finish our Twix which we had in our mouths when we entered the palce!)and the beer is a so-so mix of wishy washy foamy Archers, which my wiltshire counterparts would be embaressed to drink, and even soer-soer fizzy lager. And 1.05 change from a tenner for three pints of archer's ain't cheap! Having said all that, it has an atmosphere, a nice position and a very pleasant interior - good for the tourists, I guess....
17 May 2005 09:47
This is a lovely, unpretentious place to eat and drink. The area bears no relation to the boozer, (even though you can't buy a flat in KG for less than 200K). I love their meat. And the outside space is to die for! Lovely in the summer!
5 May 2005 16:02
The William rocks since the refurb and the Tapas menu is a fantastic idea! Food is superb!! The only let-down is the pale shades of wood sued in teh bar, feels a bit Pitcher/Slug-esque (sorry). Anyway, the place is superb, Tom you're doing a sterling job!
5 May 2005 15:58
The Top Of The Morning, Victoria Park
This is a terrible boozer for the uninitiated, but look past the gruff landlord and you'll appreciate the tired signage on the walls, the old old old urinals in the loos, the 16 foot ceilings and the beer garden right on the Hertford Union canal. You might even spot Jo Guest at the bar too....
5 May 2005 15:44
The Sebright Arms, Bethnal Green
An east end institution if all my Bow/Hackney oldtimer mates are to be believed! Fantastic place, bring the family, sing your heart out and dine in style! Long live the Sebright!
5 May 2005 15:39
Fantastic climber's/walkers/locals pub sitting right at the foot of Snowdon in the tiny village of Nant Peris in the Llanberis Pass. Hills and mountains are seen from every window, there's two bars (one for the locals, one for the visitors) a huge fire, a cosy dining room, huge flagstones on the floor, pool table (free if you ask Aled nicely), and a beer garden with views to die for. The food's inexpensive, prompt in the arrival and always tastes good, there's usually around three ales on tap (some locals, some guests), and a plentiful selection of climbing/fell-walking memorabilia spread over the walls, ceiling and floor. During the summer months this place is a honeypot for campers and walkers, in the off-seasons it's quiet and serves as the local meeting chambers for the locals (fantastic and just the way they like it). Ann is a wonderful host and this place always holds a special place in the heart of those who return to Snowdonia time and time again. They even have a campsite (well, a field), a bunkhouse and a cottage for rent!
5 May 2005 15:36
This is a real find this one, good ale on tap, pool table, lots of old street signage on the walls, a pleasant landlord and some comfy(ish) chesterfields. Plenty of local characters and a spot-on, cobbled alley location by the railwa lines. Don't be put off by the "Travellers by appointlent only" signs on the front door! This is exactly the kind of pub where everyone should drink!
13 Apr 2005 11:48
I'm afraid and sorry to say Pete that your attitude towards the gentry 'taking' Broadway Market is typical of the narrow-minded selfish attitudes of the gross majority of E8's middle classes. As it was, the C&M was a proper local boozer, serving the needs of the local residents, those residents who have absolutely no inclination to drink in the Dove or Littel Georgia. I have to be careful here because I don't want to offend or maginalise any section of community, but we all know what socio-ecomomic group we're talking about. So excuse me for asking, but in whose eyes was it 'horrible', and which local residents labeled it an 'eyesore'? Yet again, all our Hackney 'newcomers' miss the point, and offend those who have a real passion for a proper boozer - a pub is essentialy a room where you can sit and drink beer, and perhaps eat the occasional plate of food. I'm not saying gentrification is a bad thing, I'm just saying that there are other sections of our community who hold different beliefs and values, and who - dare I say it - probably didn't appreciate the loss of a typical east end watering hole, which had the same faces in the same seats day in, day out... The Cat & Mutton is to Broadway Market what the Pitcher & Piano was to Clerkenwell, and that's long since closed down... New rating of 1; more big hairdo's passing through the door last tuesaday night. Last passing thought - how many shops in Bway Mkt actually serve the needs of the local populace, and how many sell crap to fill our otherwise shallow lives, crap which we don't actually need..?
13 Apr 2005 11:39
a thursday evening generated some marvellous anticipation for my first visit here and I wasn't disappointed, with at least half a dozen ales on tap, the local workers, the local nutters and footy on the tv (quiet I must add)... Go here, nuff said.
11 Mar 2005 09:30
Does the name refer to the group stood at the bar with rubbish meat for hair? Pubs should have 'no arses out the top of your jeans in here thanks' signs above the door. According to a family friend this was an enjoyable place to be about 20 years ago. Walk straight past and head for any other boozer instead, like 'Public Life', hah!
14 Jan 2005 15:42
What's happened to this pub??!!!!! When I lived here it was full of bar stools and tables, and of course the infamous pool table. Now it's yet ANOTHER dull, bare-bricked pseudo-manhattan 'bar', with big flowers, big hairdos and even bigger prices. This is so NOT what Broadway Market needs. Where have all the godd pubs gone. PUBS, as in a public house serving beer...? Gastro, my ar*e. Sorry trendy hacnkey-ites! (Rating of 2 as it serves alcohol.)
14 Jan 2005 15:20
The Pub on the Park, London Fields
Seems sad that not-so-very-long-ago this was perhaps the least assuming, best pub in London. Anyone with a memory and an interest in fringe-location drinking houses will remember the pre-facelift POTP, now all that seems to remain is the structure and the bar, even the old 'London Fields' station signage has vanished from behing the bar. I'm not one to stand in the way of progress (DKelly'll tell you), but a leather sofa in the POTP is akin to an Eames chair in the Wetherspoons on Bishopsgate! Roll on the summer is all I will say (at least the Summer Ale/Pride is still great!)
4 Jan 2005 11:51
Visited the establishment with mr kelly on the eve of the 27th (?) December last year and found this to be one of the most enjoyable public house experiences of recent years. Having finally bitten the bullet and moved from my home of 6 years in east London to an N7 postcode, I was terrified of not finding a decent 'tidy', respectable boozer, and I am glad Greg recommended this one! I'll be back, again and again and again....!
4 Jan 2005 11:31
The Londesborough, Stoke Newington
Errrrr, Bristol would never have anything lie this cos Bristolians have taste. And fewer buggies...
8 Jun 2006 23:48