The Three Furnaces, Madeley

I like The Three Furnaces! I went there nearly every week late last year, watching my friend Dave perform in 'Furnace Factor' - similar to the X Factor, and where the singer who won, won �500, and someone who voted for him to GET to the final would win a free meal for themselves and their family, and limo service to the pub, on the final night - and I really enjoyed it! It's quite far out, but I caught the 44 from Hadley to Madeley there, and walked up, and I liked it! The staff are really friendly, and the wine's quite cheap, at about �3.95. They even sell cake, but that's quite ridiculously priced at around �2 a slice. It's quite small inside, but it's nice, and the only flaw I can see is that it can be quite cold. Linda Limelight, the local transvestite's, brilliant too, and they always have good events nights, full of music like Abba, for the gay crowd. Gay pubs are always the best! The music's so cheesy, you can't help but do a jig. I love The Three Furnaces. They do even sell food, and you can get a Sunday dinner for around �5, but I've not yet tried it. Visit!

10 Feb 2009 13:13

The Crown and Anchor, Covent Garden

I visited the Crown and Anchor on Saturday, and went inside thinking it would be a typical London pub. I'd just come off an incredibly delayed train journey, and then caught the tube from London Euston to Covent Garden, and needless to say, I was tired, and needed some food to refresh me! I needed my energy for an audition I was going to, just down the road, literally, at the London Film School, and therefore, I thought the Crown and Anchor would be the perfect refreshment stop.
I walked in, and it seemed quite pokey and small, but the typical of a London pub. Even the man, who no doubt was a nice, pleasant man when not a raving alcoholic at just past 12pm - at the bar, ranting and raving about being imprisoned in Strangeways in Manchester, but now living in Hackney - added to that glorious London feel, and I love London. I looked at the menu, and it seemed suitably lengthy (especially as gastropub's now tend to have immensly concise and restrictive menu's, which do nothing for my appetite. I like choice!), with a good selection of starters and mains, but no pudding, which was quite disappointing. I like a pudding. Anyway, I ordered the Steak and Guinness pie, which apparently came with chips and vegetables, for �6.95, but stipulated to the girl at the bar that I wanted double vegetables and no chips, instead of chips. I'm quite terrified of potato. She was lovely, but evidently vacant, as the meal came within fifteen minutes, with chips, perhaps one or two brussell sprouts, and something vaguely resembling pastry. I was expecting a PIE - as in, in a dish, with a crust, and with meat on the inside, oozing with it's Guinness enhancement - but instead, I got what looked like a tin of stewed steak on the plate, and an actual piece of puff pastry. The plate was freezing, as generally was the food, and it was all doused heavily with black pepper. I informed the girl that I'd wanted double vegetables and not chips, but she said I could have the chips anyway, and when I actually tried them, they were the hottest part of the meal. The steak was tough, tasteless, and in quite a greasy sauce, and the puff pastry much the same. The brusell sprouts were hard, the carrots cold, and the seasoning incessantly over powering.
And no pudding!
A pudding would've been hotter, and I need something to fill my tummy on these cold days.
Plus, numerous times throughout my 'meal', the Hackney alcoholic kept coming over, and talking about fish. He even managed to spit on me, in his recollections of sea life.

I've rated this pub 5 simply because I love Covent Garden, and the decor is typical of London pubs. Other than that, the food's dreadful, and there's no pudding. The resident drunk tops it all off. I wouldn't go hear again, especially as two hours later, I found myself in the toilets in quite a hurry, at The British Museum. Pleasant.

10 Feb 2009 13:08

Britannia, Euston Station

Me and my Mum (what a horrific way to start a review!) went to this pub last night, at around 7pm, after coming in from a Walthamstow flatviewing share and arriving at Euston, pondering whether to view something else or catch the train home. I felt bloody ill and wanted something proper like a pub lunch to eat, so my Mum suggested the Britannia, saying she'd been taken their by her sister once, and it was really nice. Hm. It was alright, I suppose. I had the three bean chilli, which is around �6 and is 'express', so it has to come within 15 minutes or else you get it free (so it's frozen, basically), and it was meekly warm, and quite watery (so it's frozen again, basically). It filled a hole, but I really dont understand why they dont heat the balti dishes for the chilli. Or the meal. My Mum had the Aberdeen Angus Megaburger with chips and salad, and she didnt touch most of it. The chips, she said, were beautiful, but the burger smelt of 'cow'. Those actually are her words. 'Cow'. However, the apple and blackberry crumble with two scoops of vanilla ice-cream, which came in a washing-up bowl sized dish, was quite divine, and hotter than the actual main meal.
It's quite small inside, and there's not many seats. The music's quite overly loud. Still, I liked the pudding, and the balcony's quite nice. The staff do happen to speak english, by the way.
Would I go again?
Puddings say yes.

15 Aug 2008 12:49