The White Swan, Twickenham

A unique pub in a unique location; off a residential road directly overlooking – and with direct access to – the River Thames. A detached, open aired enclave provides succour in the summer; there are fireplaces providing warmth throughout the winter. In any case, the meagre size of this establishment could mean you'll struggle to find a seat, although there's always the pavement.
It's the age of the place that really impresses, and the impracticability of it all: seats in the way of each other; subterranean lavatories; tidal incursions that literally leave people stranded, perched upon wooden benches for the while it takes for the river to ebb away. 9/10

24 Nov 2014 20:54

The Coach and Horses, Isleworth

Formerly a pub of a more traditional bent (save for the Thai restaurant that was incorporated there), the process of gastrofication is almost complete – almost, because the area around the actual bar has ostensibly been left to the drinkers (and the garden too). The rest of the pub is defined by the food served here, the room towards the rear particularly so. Books occupy the shelves, as if people might go there to read them. A glazed cavaedium adjoins this staid edifice to the pub's core, its decor suggesting Morocco, or something Byzantium. The overall effect is of a hotel bar opening out into a restaurant, but with enough architectural curve balls to dampen the effect. If you can stomach the overbearing smell of meat, the place just about gets away with it. 7/10

24 Nov 2014 20:44

The Crown, St Margarets

Pre-gastrofication, this place was fumbling for an identify. The furniture was all wrong, punters were scarce, and those who did drink there were too interested in the football. Then in 2013 the place was heavily refurbished: walls were knocked through, furnishings improved, and the menu became king.
Drinking there now, I sometimes feel like I'm waiting to be seated, even at 9.00 on a Friday evening when all I want is a few quiet jars. One settles in eventually, although the redolence of the food served there – often fish – has been so strong on occasion that I have been forced to quickly leave.
Yet the service is generally good and the art-work hanging off the walls is a little more interesting than the stock rubbish you get in a lot of these more modern pubs, although they could do with dimming the lights; I suppose the customers need to see what they're eating... 6/10

24 Nov 2014 20:37