The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch

Nice old fashioned pub with small venue upstairs. Has some good bands.

The thing that stops me using this pub is the appalling beer. I only drink lager, and £4.50 for a pint of Amstel that I literally couldn't drink is a bit much. Either there is nobody at the pub who understands basic publican practice, or they are watering the beer down with lighter fluid and fairy liquid. And that's the lager - I hate to imagine what the ale is like.

26 Feb 2014 08:20

The Red Cow, Richmond

Seems to charge more for beer than other pubs in Richmond - even other Youngs pubs. Bar staff often too far up their own backsides to serve customers. Only time its worth coming here is in Summer when the Green and river are too busy.

26 Feb 2014 08:04

O'Neills, Richmond

It's hard to imagine how something as uniformally underwhelming as an O'Neills can go downhill, but the current ownership seems to have managed it.

Clearly staff and management couldn't give a toss judging by their general attitude. When its quiet, its the sort of bar where the staff see a customer coming and hide out the back, or shoot out from behind the bar to collect some non existent empties.

When busy (any more than two people at the bar) you can expect a wait of at least twenty minutes, while half the bar staff look busy doing nothing and the other half struggle with such brain taxing trials as finding a wine glass and pouring some wine into it, or taking a food order (for some reason even a basic order of burger and chips seems to involve a ten minute telephone discussion with the kitchen).

Count your change. I remember the old days in here when the staff regularly tried to "wet change" people. Now they aren't even subtle. Last time in I bought a pint with a twenty pound note and got less than a fiver change (if you are going to try to steal, at least take a round tenner so there's some doubt). I called the woman back, but she ignored me and then disappeared upstairs never to return. The remaining staff behind the bar also ignored for ten minutes. In the end I had to shout at the nearest staff member that I wanted to see the manager. Suddenly, the woman magically reappeared and gave me the right change (she didn't even question my claims or check the float, so she clearly knew what she'd done).

Otherwise, general neglect. The quiz machine has been out of order for about 6 weeks now - nobody seems to have noticed. There was been a broken pint glass on a shelf next to the fruitie for about 3 months - probably still there. Gents toilets are permanently flooded and either the cubicle doors get kicked in on a weekly basis or they just don't bother fixing them any more.

I don't bother trying to get in at weekends now, but apparently the live music has now been replaced by a DJ.

Unfortunately this place will survive because of the rugby trade, tourists, and people who don't know better. I'd guess that 90% of people who come here once don't return.

26 Feb 2014 07:53