The Antelope, Belgravia

Wonderful little Fuller's tied house just North of Sloane Square. This is one of those pubs which is a joy just to kick back and drink in. Full Fuller's range in excellent condition.

Like the majority of Fuller's pubs the Antelope isn't trying to be anything special. It is just a charming and much loved establishment with good beer, and this is the reason it works so well.

14 Feb 2011 18:13

The Pigs Ear, Chelsea

Have visited on a number of occasions now, and am not impressed. Bar staff are generally slow and arrogant, despite clearly knowing very little about the pub trade.

The unsurprisingly named Pig's Ear from the Uley Brewery in Gloucestershire, is sadly nothing more than a rather bland strong bitter that in no way justifies it's hefty price tag. The only other cask option being the uninspiring Deuchars IPA.

My advice is to take a stroll over Battersea Bridge and head directly for the Westbridge instead.

14 Feb 2011 17:48

The Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell

A couple of years ago The Crown was one of the best pubs in the area. High praise, considering the abundance of great boozers in Clerkenwell. On recent visits, however, it seems that standards of excellence have slipped ever so slightly. The eclectic range of bottled beers behind the bar has significantly diminished, whilst the cask offerings are also fairly prosaic. The bar staff have never been the most accommodating bunch, but this has been the case for as long as I�ve frequented the joint.

Don't get me wrong. I still like the pub, and it has a lot of things in its favour. It is at the heart of Clerkenwell Green, one the most historic areas of London. A young Stalin and Lenin were first rumoured to have meet here back in 1903. I don't buy into that, but it's nice to imagine them tucking into pints of Pilsner Urquell.

14 Feb 2011 16:59