The Cheshire Cheese, Tower Hill

Visiting Capacity: I have used this pub over several years after work to watch the football and take colleagues there for a jar or two.

Beer: Nice selection of bitters (rec: London Pride), lagers (Stella, Kronenbourg and even Amstel on draft), good selection of bottled bers (Corona, Leffe, Brahma etc) Guinness + EC and standard top shelf. Well looked after lines and clean glasses. Service is good, can get very busy and you may wait a small while. But then again thats a decent pub with plenty of customers.

Food: Great steaks since the kitchen has a charcoal grill. Standard pub chain menu with burgers etc, good for the tourists (rec: Fish & Chips).

Layout and Ambiance: At first glance the pub sems small when you walk in, rectangular (roughly). But once you have your pint and look about you notice several nice hidy holes (one fitted seating area to the right of the stairs, left hand side of the pub has raised tables and fitted seats & the right hand side has stand up area along the wall with high stalls if you need them. Good eating area in the middle full of tables.

Upstairs bar has almost full selection as downstairs, bar open at peak times, toilets upstairs as well, so no need to run between floors for beer or the loo.
Noisy at lunch and good buzz in the evening.

Entertainment: Downstairs - Setanta screen and large screen on walls, all sports shown with ful Prem coverage. Couple of bandits and a golf machine. Upstairs - Quiz type machine, two pool tables and a dart board. I even heard you can ask for chess or crib at the bar!

21 Dec 2006 10:34

The Walrus and Carpenter, Monument

Visiting Capacity: I have used this pub over several years as a hidy hole when I want a drink with friends and a chat.

Beer: Good selection of real ales, the usual lagers (Stella, Kronenbourg etc), Guinness + EC and standard top shelf. Well looked after lines and clean glasses.

Food: Always has been top notch, even before the refurb (22/11/06 opening day). Doorstep sarnies with roast meat of the day was always my favourite.

Layout and Ambiance: Before the refurb you had two distinct bars and had to leave the pub to get from one to the other. Now the pub is one big area, but it still feels like it has retained the feeling of two areas, which I like. Nice dark wood throughout and plenty of historic pictures. Upstairs bar is clean and tidy (haven't used it though).

Entertainment: TV in the front area showing whatever sport the punters want on at lunch (Cricket, Prem re-runs etc). Gaming machines include standard bandits and a golf machine.

21 Dec 2006 10:15

The Nelson, Wood Green

Been drinking in here for 6 years on and off. I used to stay into the evenings till around 8-9pm but I moved away and so just visit at lunchtime now.

No food, but then if I wanted grub I would eat breakfast! The staff are really friendly and you can have a good worldly conversation with any of them. Always a good sign when you have staff that are also Pysciatrists.

Place is really clean and the pool table is un-obstructed (always a bonus). Beer lines are really clean and the prices are decent as well.

Decent sized plasma TV's with sport advertised each month. Nice to see the Nelson on the up again now that it has a permanent manager (Bill). Decent fella with good Eastend attitude, down to earth and no trouble place. Well recommended. Also check out the toilets. Never seen pub toilets so clean, it looks like an operating theatre, bright white and makes you feel like your in a hotel, cracking!

2 Jun 2006 15:30