The Old Thameside Inn, London Bridge

Wow - have been here before, and service was never good, but was in here this evening (a quiet Wednesday), but when the bell rang at ten to eleven we were told that serving had finished. They excused themselves by saying that the clock behind the bar had already past eleven 'o' clock, and therefore they should stop serving - to which I pointed out their folly, and even offered the talking clock (endlessly repeating 11:52) to them despite their hand-waving.

I asked to get contact details for the landlord (possibly a 'Sarah') to ask in the morning why the clock was set incorrectly, and if their normal policy was to stop serving at or before 11, but was refused any information. I was then very rudely spoken to by a member of the kitchen staff, who said it was up to them when they damn well served us, and I had no right to complain about this (which perhaps suggests that the clock had been adjusted by staff in order to bunk off early).

Absolutely furious, I headed back to London Bridge, walking past Southwark Cathedral as the bells struck eleven. Giving a non-zero score only because the beer wasn't quite as badly kept as other places (but wasn't great), and the food was reasonable (but slow).

Ruined a good evening, would not choose to repeat.

6 Dec 2007 00:31