BITE user comments - swifthalf
Comments by swifthalf
Oh dear, looks like The Ivy House has closed. There's a sign outside advertising for new tenants so I won't fret - yet.
12 Feb 2011 15:53
Terrible, terrible, terrible.
The food was terrible.
The wine, terrible.
Service, terrible.
This is not a pub, nor a gastro pub, nor a restaurant.
Close it, start again, tell us when you're ready.
15 Mar 2008 17:20
The Toucan is an institution not just a pub so allowances should be made. OBVIOUSLY the Guinness here is good, but good Guinness is no longer a rarity in London.
It's true it can get cosy at peak times, and don't go expecting a bargain either.
The Toucan is a great pleasure though, for a mid afternoon pint and a whisky chaser. Or two. Then move on and let the tourists enjoy their Guinness without you boring them about clean pipes.
15 Mar 2008 16:51
A Good Soho Pub.
Get there early: grab a seat at the back and enjoy the ale and your coveted seat.
Get there late: prop up the bar and enjoy the ale and a pickled egg.
There's a pavement and an upstairs bit too.
What else could you need from a Good Soho Pub?
15 Mar 2008 16:11
Crikey. What a relief! Having popped round for a little pint of Pride and seen the place closed we assumed the inevitable "gastration"; but the Star is open again and the only change seems to be a faint aroma of floor polish. They've even kept the fake smoke stains on the walls. Still serving good ales, premium spirits and decent wines - and the best chips in any mews pub - the clientele are made up of local residents, embassy staff and the odd beer-pilgrim.
The perfect local.
15 Mar 2008 15:46
Not strictly a pub so I can see why some reviewers are so frosty. The cocktails are well above average though, and there isn't a better cockail bar in the area. Seats aren't too comfy which is only a problem if you arrive early enough to find somewhere sit. The DJ is ok and it's fun to watch merry folk dancing/lurching happily on the tiny dance floor. I've always found the staff to be friendly and when I once complained that a cocktail I'd been served was too sweet the barman reworked it until I was satisfied. Who could ask for more?
9 Jun 2007 16:10
Never too over crowded despite its tiny dimentions: perhaps the financially cripling prospect of buying round no. 2 has a culling effect. Great place to sit and read, or meet up for a chat after work, or invent stories about the other patrons. Claustrophobics needn't be put off as the pedestrian area out front has a few tables and is perfect for a bit of fresh air. The bar staff are charming and efficient too.
9 Jun 2007 15:40
The Rye Pub, Dining Room and Garden, Peckham Rye
Voted Best Pub Garden in Peckham (by my flatmate and a visiting pilot who'd just trodden in dog poo outside the station and needed a grassy area to wipe his shoes; I appologise on his behalf, but perhaps the dog owner should come forward too; I digress) and rightly so. A huge lawn surrounded by bedding plants, plenty of tables, each a good distance from one another. Good snack food too.
9 Jun 2007 15:05
Look out for the lovely little arts & crafts arm chairs. Glad to see they weren't chucked out in the refurb.
9 Jun 2007 14:41
A useful place to muse on how an establishment can be so artlessly yet painfully conceived, yet always full of happy chatty people. I think it's due to the pretty flowers in the barrow and because it's on that corner where you realise you got on the wrong bus.
9 Jun 2007 14:18
Not a traditional boozer on the surface but I did see a few old boys propping up the bar amongst the more obvious red cords and cashmere. The food is really outstanding: too good for this place to be dismissed as another gastopub. The beer's ok (I'd go elsewhere to indulge my real ale habit though). However, what set the place apart for me was the superb wine list, not just the usual rubbishy plonk but propper enjoyable fine wine, properly kept and served. And I spotted some really great whiskies behind the bar.
9 Jun 2007 13:29
The Latchmere, Battersea
This was once a great institution; so as I was in the area I went with friends for old times' sake. As I turned to my companions to say "what we having?" I realised they had already reversed out of the door.
The clue is in the cloyingly dreadful menu.
It's not what it was.
12 Feb 2011 16:10