Avril and I decided that it would be quite a nice idea to bring Marco, an Italian house guest, to London to see some things that he might not be familiar with as well as to drink some beer in some nice pubs. We probably ended up doing more of the latter than the former which is why these events are being reported here.
We had booked an hotel at Fenchurch Street station and as part of the deal, a couple of jugs of Pimms were to be thrown in so to galvanise ourselves for the afternoon and evening ahead, we decided to partake of these just after arrival. The hotel was the Mint, and the bar we used for this beverage was the Fenchurch Lounge. As one might expect, this was an extremely plush hotel bar with nice minimalist fittings etc. Although we had Pimms, I did spot that there was a rather good array of beers on, such as Caledonian 80/-, albeit on pissflow. Despite it being a rather wet day, we also decided that it would be nice to give our guest a rooftop view of London, and in doing so we stayed in the hotel and went to the Skylounge where of course we had to have a drink. This was rather expensive but the views were breathtaking. Beer-wise it was not so good and we had to make do with bottles. For some reason I had a cider.
A late lunch was called for and so we made our way, by tube, to the JW Steakhouse at the Grosvenor Hotel on Park Lane. As one might expect, the prices in here are not cheap and a couple of nice Meantime IPAs, burgers, spinach dips and chips and a JD and coke set us back half of our total budget for the evening, but the exercise was at least worthwhile for such splendid solids. The outside seating area was closed so we had to make do in the dining room/ bar, which was actually magnificent.
Guy Richie's pub is always a source of amusement and it is just around the corner from Park Lane so we took a curious Marco for a drink there. This is about the third time that we have been there so not much new to report. As might be expected, the beer is very expensive, but is also well kept, and the surroundings are a nice place to sit and relax, and the clientele does not seem overly posh. There is also a very nice secluded and exclusive private dining room which can be seen by those going upstairs to use the gents'.
A bit more of a tube ride was called for, from Green Park to Holborn where we walked the short distance to the Cittie of Yorke. By now the offices were beginning to tip out so it was getting busier but we managed to get a good seat and marvel at the interior of the pub as well as the prices. Unfortunately we were unable to get one of those really nice snug booths, but still good nonetheless. The Sam Smiths may be competitively priced for a reason - the budget offering, Old Brewery Bitter, was not very nice at all. By this time Richard Bradshaw had navigated his way up from Croydon and was able to partake of some lager (although the Ayingerbrau with the little man in the pump seemed unavailable). A round was had to bring everyone up to speed and then it was time to leave.
Inevitably the next pub, especially if one has a visitor, is going to be the Princess Louise. Marco and Rich were not quite so enamoured by this one, perhaps because it was packed, but we still managed to enjoy the surroundings. The prices were just as low, but the Sam Smiths offerings didn't seem to taste much better.
A rather large change of pace was then deemed to be required and so a walk westwards followed to the cocktail bar known as Frevds which has a branch at Covent Garden. Short work was made of some expensive but superior tasting cocktails at this cellar venue before it was time to leave. I had an authentic Venetian Spritz which impressed Marco. The gents' however leave a lot to be desired.
A further walk was then taken to the Carnaby Street area, by which time I was in quite desperate need of a toilet with bar facilities attached. The call was answered by the nearby Old Coffee House. Brodie's beers were available in quantity and at reasonable prices for the area. For some reason I plumped for something rather weak in the shape of Citra at about 3%. I hated it because it tasted of lemon, but at least I was somewhere that a toilet could be used. For some reason we chose to have pints too. The pub itself was quite nice and lively but not packed, and I hope to have the opportunity to return, and have something else.
Marco liked the Phoenix on Cavendish Square where we managed to get a nice seat and have some chips. There were about 4 beers on including Doom Bar and Pride, and the pub had a very smart feel without being pretentious. Another worth a repeat visit. Our last pub was the Dover Castle near Regents Park, one of Sam Smith's finest, with traditional wooden interior, and very quiet at the time of our visit and so we stayed for a few - probably too many - and drunk our way around some of the brewery's more obscure offerings which I might add are not as cheap as the bog standard bitters, and filled my bladder up to an awkward level for our tube back to Tower Hill. Still, some backstreet pubs for a foreign guest are always a good idea!
Dan Lovegrove
dan@doctor-lovegrove.com
Last updated 14th July 2012.