Lord Clyde, Canonbury

Nice old style pub. Airy with lots of tables and plenty of original features.

Only 2 beers on tap, and the Sussex Best which I drank was excellent. Food was very good, we had the roast and I was stuffed.

They have a beer garden which looks a terrific sun trap and the staf were very friendly and helpful.

The place perhaps lacks a certain spark but as I visited on a Sunday I could do with going there on a Thurs/Fri/Sat night to get a real grasp of its atmosphere.

Recommended, but it's unlikely to be the sort of place that'll blow you away.

27 Apr 2012 13:31

CASK Pub and Kitchen, Pimlico

Firstly and most importantly, the menu of beer and cider available at this establishment is excellent, second to none. There were 9 real ales on tap when I arrived although this was swiftly reduced to 6 and remained that way until closing. Some nice pints the best of which was Crouch Vale's Yakima Gold, top drawer stuff.

But the pub confuses me, it has a bit of an identity problem. It's neither a pub, bar or restaurant, yet in another fashion is all of them rolled into one. The decor and lighting feels incongruous with the establishment's goal of providing a varied selection of quality ales and ciders. That isn't to say it's not nice, it's perfectly decent. Fresh, clean and airy but for me it's a long way from a natural fit for this kind of imbibing.

The food although pricey (�11 for a burger and chips) was actually very good and fully satisfied my appetite. The staff were friendly enough although the bar felt a little small for the produce on show and the number of people queuing.

I would certainly recommend this place to people living locally and looking for a beer/cider emporium but for someone who had to travel some distance to get there I wouldn't regularly make the trip. There are plenty of other pubs that offer a better 'pub experience' elsewhere (The Southampton Arms or The Gunmakers in North London for example).

27 Apr 2012 13:23

Ryan's Bar, Stoke Newington

A decent place. Huge beer garden out the back which is a big sell for sure. Can imagine it's rammed in the summer.

2 ales on tap (Deuchars and Blooming Ale). We tried the Deuchars which although tasted reasonable, looked dreadful. No head and slightly murky. Well past its best.

Barman seemed to be working hard but was a little strange with his drinks. I asked for one white wine and one white wine and soda. He started by pouring out 2 full measures of white wine into 2 wine glasses. I said, 'one was a white wine and soda'. He replied, 'yes 2 white wines, one with soda'. I said erm, not exactly. We exchanged a few strange looks with each other and in the end I just let him get on with it. He proceeded to add a small dash/top of soda to one of the the wines. 'That's not a white wine and soda' I said. He smiled and looked confused.

He seemed to know his way around a bar so I can't explain the drink he thinks he served me. Very odd. Friendly enough however.

We ate there with a mixture of thai and classic pub grub. Pretty good generally although the food (and drinks) weren't particularly cheap.

A few big screens in the bar and certainly a decent atmosphere (Grand National was on).

Not sure what I feel about this place. Would happily drop in for a pint or two but probably wouldn't stay all night. Not sure I'd go out of my way to call in either. However, the beer garden is a big draw.

17 Apr 2012 10:38