Cask And Glass

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.86/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

A Shepherd Neame's house b/w the Victoria and St. James's Park tube stations. It's a sort of "local pub" despite famous touristic spots nearby, frequented by locals and office-workers (mainly after work) alike. So a visit to this pub in the afternoon would be ideal to fully appreciate the quality of its ales and relaxing ambience.

A humble, 19th-century (I guess), three-storey building houses the pub only on the ground floor, hence the tiny, one-room layout--for some people it's quite cosy though. The interior: simply furnished, reddish/loud carpet, small curtained windows, black wood-panelled walls with plenty of shiny metal-framed photos+paintings dispersed all over the place, and an old wooden-carved piece like flowers in a vase, "found during restoration", on display... plus a fire place at one end of the pub, it looks rather like the original redisents' living room. With only 14 stools+chairs, 5 small tables and 2 extra wall-fitted side-tables for standing punters, no doubt it could get extremely busy in afterwork hours. The small corner bar is equipped with four handpumps, serving SN's full range of regulars (Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Kent's Best, and Master Brew)--all in great condition, witnessing the amount of efforts on the consistency of beer quality.

When I was there, at 3pm-ish on a sunny weekday, there were only two locals chatting at the bar, while the other drinkers bathed in the brilliant sunshine at the outdoor seatings. Having got a pint of SN's Kent's Best from the cheerful barmaid, I retreated to a corner to enjoy my perfect pint and do some quiet reading. Punters came and went, all having a bit of conversations with the two locals or the barmaid. Hence the kind of relaxing and semi-friendly feel I got throughout my stay there. I'd recommend a visit to this pub if wandering about in the Victoria station area, esp. on a sunny afternoon. It (and the nearby Buckingham Arms) could well make a great quick-refill-stop before going on to explore the Westminster/St. James's Park area.

06-19-2006 16:21:36 | More by wl0307