The Crystal Palace Tavern, East Dulwich

East Dulwich has a sore lack of pubs that haven't turned into over-priced restaurants with a bar. CPT is a proper pub, with friendly staff and a good atmosphere. It has Sky Sports, seating outside and is a great place for a quiet pint. And unlike most places in the area, it doesn't seem to be overrun with massive buggies and screeching children!

Highly recommended.

5 Sep 2009 12:03

The Proud Gallery, Camden

What a massive disappointment from a venue with such potential. If Proud chose to be less up-itself then it could be a nice choice for a night out, but I had one of the worst evenings I've had in a very long time on my visit there.

My main objection to Proud is the way that it tries to gouge its customers - not just over-priced drinks, but that fact that on our visit there, *all* seating was reserved. We found one table in the corner that wasn't, just to be moved about an hour later by the door staff because 'somebody had paid extra to get a table'. Seriously? A venue where the only way to get a seat is to pay extra? Is Proud trying to model itself on Ryanair?

The stables were a nice feature, but again, every single booth was reserved and thus the only option is to stand in the corridor between them. The other rooms feel like sitting in a church hall (well, they would, if you weren't standing up).

All in all, I wondered how a bar that has two sterile rooms, unfriendly bar staff and considers seating to be a paid-for optional extra can charge an entrance fee and �3.50 for a selection of weak American beers. What a dire place, made worse by the fact that in the right hands it could have quite a lot of potential.

5 Sep 2009 11:57