The Castle, Harrow On The Hill

The best of the bunch in Harrow, although that really isn�t saying very much is it.

Good Fuller�s beer and great beer garden in the summer although arrive early because it packs out very quickly on a warm evening or weekend afternoon.

The food is OK, if a good bit over priced for what you get. The chips however are outstanding and beat a bag of crisps as an accompaniment to a few pints by a long stretch.

Service at The Castle can be a bit hit and miss. With the manager on duty it�s quick and courteous but I have know it to be slow and indifferent. How hard can it be to keep an eye on the customers waiting when serving a round and have some idea of who is next and been waiting the longest? All to often the closest waiting customer, not the customer on the other side of the bar that has been waiting 5 minutes, will get served. Annoying.

Other than that, I like The Castle. Free newspapers, warm fireplaces in the winter and the spectacle of watching the Harrow masters getting slowly pickled after a days effort teaching are all part of its appeal.

10 Jan 2007 13:34

The Bull's Head, Barnes

An interesting selection of reviews here for The Bull�s Head, it�s clearly a love it or hate it pub.

I have to put myself into the former category, although love it might be pushing it a bit far!

Firstly, there�s Dan. You either get it or you don�t but rather than being rude I�ve always thought that he�s dry, sarcastic and rather funny. He certainly knows how to look after his Youngs products and if he charges too much for euro fizz, perhaps that�s a good thing. Dan also maintains an enviable wine and champagne list if you�re ever looking to push the boat out � take a look, any connoisseur of fine wine will be mightily impressed by the cellar on offer.

The thai food on offer is cheap and cheerful and goes well with watching the football on a mid-week evening. The roast available on Sunday is not so great.

The �locals� are indeed a motley bunch but this is another part of the charm of the place. Everyone from dustman to arch duke can fit in at The Bull�s Head, it�s not in my experience a place for judgement but a place to enjoy beer and some live jazz (if that�s your thing)

Overall The Bull�s Head get a good rating from me. It�s unpretentious and honestly delivering what the majority of its customers want.

The fact that Dan the landlord will bellow at river walkers who come in to use the toilet and rattle the charity tin at them if they try to leave without buying a drink is a hilarious feature of the place!

10 Jan 2007 13:14