The Castle, Camberwell

meh

9 Oct 2007 10:57

The Black Cherry Bar, East Dulwich

Actually, this is a review for the Bishop next door, but seeing as BITE wont let me post it without being approved by amod ( very odd ) , Ill post it here for the time being

The Bishop

"Yummy Mummy � that�s a phrase that make you grind your teeth and mutter vague obscenities at people on public transport isn�t it. I suspect that YM is on e quite happily tossed around by the �YM� themselves, even if they are far on the wrong side of 30, having lost their best years in climbing the greasy pole of corporate success. You never hear of single mothers on peckham estates being described as YM do you ?

Scummy mummy anyone ?

Hmmmmm

Anyway, the Bishop, If you like your YM hot n ready, the you will feel right at home here in the afternoons, where legions of buggies and their precious loads battle for space on the distressed oak beam flooring. The ramshackle mismatched tables and chairs will be piled high in bar food and swimming in drinks for mothers and children alike.

I witnessed a child barely broaching 2, snugly asleep in his buggy, proudly clutching what looked like his favourite book.� My first 1000 words in German�

I barely know 1000 words in English.

The interior is surprisingly spacious ( GCH Not tested ), with a bar big enough to make paying for drinks relatively hassle free � and they serve your change on a silver ( coloured ) platter. Nice touch. OK range of beers, including ubiquitous real ales and a decent range of bottles. The depth of the pub and the layout mean its quite easy to get nestled in and enjoy the evening. It does however, get rather busy at the weekends, with punters spilling onto the street, much to the chagrin of the local residents .

It�s missing something though. Not sure what � there�s nothing to get irked about, the staff are pleasant, beer good, service and foot quite acceptable, But that�s where it ends. Its neither a destination to aim for, nor a local to feel quite comfortable in � maybe the intrinsically transient nature of the evening crowd- early- mid 20�s renters and first time buyers don�t really cement the place.

The most memorable and oft commented feature of the Bishop is that it�s got a sleek dog that lurks inside. A weimaraner to boot � a hunting dog that�s doesn�t hunt any more, stuck in the seething melee of SE London.

Quite apt for the Bishop in some ways."

3 Oct 2007 17:04

The Patch, East Dulwich

How much for a Baltika ?

�4.50 !

I could get this in Kaliningrad for a about 4 pee.

Baltika prices aside, this isnt too bad a place. far enough up the lane to keep the verbose media types with their ironic haircuts and crocs, but not trendy enought to lure the estate agents in their cheap suits and bogus square toed shoes

Its certainly memorable, with the canary yellow paint job and upper LL position, just a lurch from the brutal grey concrete of the soon to be demolished East Dulwich cop shop.

Its more of a local than most, its location keeping it off the usual LL gastropub/winebar crawl route.

Its big enough inside to hold a few bodies, espcially when theyre showing Chelsea or another London Club, live on the big screen.

a gregarious mix of ABC types.Give it a go.

3 Oct 2007 13:25