rglondon | Entries tagged with city

Evening all :)

This week's featured article is Hack and Hop, a small City pub that impressed our reviewers with its extensive selection of quality ales and sharing platters. Truly it is a pub of distinction!

Speaking of platters, down Croydon way, Seima's Tea Room situated in the Centrale branch of House of Fraser serves a cracking loose-leaf tea and sanger platter.

Another Cronx cafe with updates is a bit of a Blur, to ~~steal~~ callback Kat's introduction to the Parklife Cafe on the edge of Lloyd Park. On this visit, bruschetta with a German twist was well received, accompanied with a generous slug of tea.

We've one reported closure this week - The Polish Kitchen in Cheshunt has been replaced by a pizza and pasta restaurant called Zio's.

mrs_leroy_brown

Good evening ya'll!

If you're looking for advice on where to seek out Japanese noodles in the City, "udon" well in reading this update. Koya serves up udon in a variety of temperatures in a rich and salty broth. Expect solid competence in a modern setting, with efficient service.

Two new articles have been added: Ma La, a Sichuan restaurant in Westminster which can accommodate small and large groups, though you might benefit from scattering across smaller tables if you want to reach the lazy susan. There's also Planet of the Beans, a child-friendly cafe in Selsdon serving an interesting interpretation of eggs royale.

Updates have been made to Ealing Park Tavern, where a pint of lime and soda is £2 and the mains are tasty, albeit on on the small side. Updates have also been made to The Speaker, a small pub in Westminster with a good selection of beers that passed the RGL drinkable taste test.

If you're looking for Stanfords, an excellent map shop in Covent Garden, note it's moved around the corner from Long Acre to Mercer Walk.

That's it for a fortnight as we prepare for and recover from Croydon Fun Weekend :)

katstevens

Evening readers!

This week's featured article is for Roti Joupa, a Trinidadian takeaway near Clapham North tube. I don't tend to venture to Clapham much (unless I've got on the wrong Overground train at Canada Water without realising), but I might make an exception for somewhere that sells macaroni pie. I enjoy macaroni, I enjoy pie, I also enjoy tamarind sauce - perhaps one day I will even enjoy Clapham?

Regular readers will recall last week's spoiler alert concerning a jaunt to Bromley ('the place where broom grows'), resulting in new pages for Sanxia, a Sichuan/Hubei Chinese restaurant, and the Star and Garter pub. There's also updates for the Red Lion, the Barrel & Horn, and Indian restaurant/hotel Tamasha, which has ~~mucky pictures in the loos~~ "ancient Indian artwork of an adult nature". One can only hope it's up to the standard of the infamous decor of Cafe Bangla (aka the Princess Di place) on Brick Lane.

How might one get to Bromley, I hear you ask? The direct path is unlikely to involve Cannon Street, but if you find yourself in said station you could visit the Sir John Hawkshaw Wetherspoons or nearby Japanese restaurant Koya. But where *can* you get to from Cannon Street? Douze points to whoever said Sidcup ('a flat topped hill'), where there are three pub updates, for the Hackney Carriage microbrewery, the Alma and the Hill Top Tap.

Right at the top of Green Lanes in Winchmore Hill, there's a new page for the Little Green Dragon pub, and an update for Turkish restaurant Big Seff. There's also a new page for the Temple Brew House bar and microbrewery, just off the Strand.

Finally we come back to Trigger's Bromley, where the Cineworld is temporarily closed, while it transforms chrysalis-style into a Picturehouse.

katstevens

Evening RGLers! This week's featured article is for Simpson's, a venerable old pub in the City which is even older than Jonathan the tortoise. It's closed on weekends but makes up for it by opening early for breakfast during the week - worth a visit if you're after a fry-up in EC3.

A trio of new pages to report: Maria and Aldo's Coffee Bar in Beckenham, a pleasant local cafe with a vintage feel; De-Lites, a small Bengali cafe/takeaway near Shadwell station, and Crystal Palace Market, which is not a market at all, but a busy gastropub-style restaurant and bar. Apparently they do oysters! (I did not try the oysters.)

Finally, in lift refurbishment news, the lifts have now been refurbished at Lambeth North tube, and it's fully reopened.

The blog is taking a short break next week - we'll be back in a fortnight!

katstevens

Happy January everyone! This week's featured article is for Nusa Kitchen by Liverpool Street station. If you're looking for a quick lunchtime soup stop, you're in luck! If you're not looking for lunchtime soup however, your options will be limited - unless you are in the market for breakfast soup! (I mean, porridge is technically a soup, right?)

Two new articles on RGL this week: firstly, the rather dimly-lit Flat Iron steak house in Covent Garden, which has good value/quality ratio of steak, but meagre portions compared to somewhere like the Hawksmoor. Secondly we have the Candid Café in Angel, which ironically seems a rather good clandestine meeting spot, tucked away off the beaten track, above an arts space. Alas it stops one letter short of being the best of all possible cafés - keep cultivating that garden!

katstevens

Evening all!

This week's featured article is for Ram's in Kenton, a vegetarian Indian restaurant and sweet shop with a decent all-you-can-eat buffet. Unlimited bread! There are also two new pages on RGL: Cactus Grill in Wallington serves Mexican/American food with a lunchtime meal deal, and Hap Lee in Norbury does the usual Anglo-Chinese cuisine (maybe skip the aubergine).

There's an update for the Orange Room in Mile End, just around the corner from a house where approximately half the population of Livejournal has lived at one point or another, including this author. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a local Lebanese mezze place at the time - but now there is!

Several pub closures to report: the Hatchet near Mansion House, the Chequers in Hendon, and the Greenwich Pensioner in... wait for it... Poplar! (Come on, why would you think a Greenwich Pensioner might be in Greenwich?) The Victoria Stakes in Muswell Hill is also temporarily shut following a fire, but the Good Samaritan in Whitechapel has reopened: very handy for a pre- or post-Tayyabs pint.

ewan

Welcome to a new week on RGL!

This week's featured article is Bus, CR0 2BQ. It is a greasy spoon cafe in a bus, up Selhurst way. It's child friendly. Also it's on a bus.

Four new articles are as follows: The Long Room in Tooting, a pub with relatively cheap food; Saravanaa Bhavan in Harrow, a branch of a vegetarian Indian chain, thankfully not too anglicised; Jen Cafe in Chinatown, specialising in hand-made dumplings, a quick turnaround operation with better meat than veg options; and Nusa Kitchen near Liverpool Street station, a fine soup-focused takeaway corridor.

Finally, one reported closure is Oui Monsieur in Stoke Newington, a short-lived French bar/restaurant.

ewan

Hello, welcome back after a brief hiatus. It is that time of year for the Good Beer Guide updates! (Non-GBG-related changes will be in next week's update.)

Our featured article is therefore Category Good Beer Guide 2017. Here is a link to the CAMRA website if you want to see what it looks like and/or buy a copy.

There are many new entries to our database:
* The Beehive in Tottenham (a very nice pub I should have added years ago);
* Brewhouse and Kitchen by Angel station;
* The Broken Drum in Blackfen near Sidcup;
* The Four Thieves, a former Antic pub in Battersea;
* The Hare and Hounds in Greenford;
* J.J. Moon's, a Spoons in Kingsbury;
* The King's Arms, another lovely pub I should have added years ago (it's in Bethnal Green);
* The King and Co. in Clapham;
* The King's Stores in Spitalfields near Liverpool Street;
* The Long Pond in Eltham (see main image above);
* The Penny Farthing in Crayford;
* The People's Park Tavern in South Hackney (a large place);
* The Phoenix in the City of London (Throgmorton Street if you must know);
* The Railway Arms in Oxhey (hey! I hear you say, is that even in London? well no, but it's by Zone 8 Bushey station);
* The Rifleman in Epsom;
* The Shaftesbury Tavern in Upper Holloway;
* The Ship in Gidea Park;
* The Upminster Taproom;
* The Wibbas Down Inn, a Spoons in Wimbledon;
* The Woolwich Equitable.

There's also a stub entry for The Radius Arms in Whyteleafe, which wasn't visited in time to get a full write-up.

A noteable re-entry is the lovely Chesham Arms, which was under threat a few years back, but has reopened and is lovely.

Finally, one that actually entered the GBG last year, but we missed it: The Woodman in Woodmansterne.

Pubs pubs pubs pubs. Go to a pub?

katstevens

Bushwacker Wholefoods, Hammersmith, London W6

Evening all! A bumper week to catch up after the Bank Holiday.

This week's featured article is for Bushwacker Wholefoods in Hammersmith, which stocks a whole range of vegetarian groceries including Taifun tofu (I wonder if they have curry and pineapple flavour?

New new new! Craft Tooting is a small craft beer shop by Tooting Broadway station. Further up towards Wimbledon Park we have more beer at the By The Horns Brewery Tap, while the Pear Tree pub in Purley has little jars of beer in front of the pumps so you can see what colour it is (I love it when pubs do this). Not quite so new but existing under a different name: The Aleksander in St Margaret's is now The Alba.

The page for Lion Inn in Thornton Heath has had an update, as have ones for the Sugahill cafe in Sydenham and Imperial China on Chinatown's Lisle Street (which seems to be *the* place to meet your blind date?). Places *not* to meet your blind date, unless you want to hang around outside a now-closed pub: the Red Herring pub near St Paul's, and the Devonshire House Wetherspoons in Crouch End.

Finally, pre-gig Brixton favourite the Trinity Arms is temporarily shut for a refurb. It's planned to reopen in August, hopefully in plenty of time for any attendees of 'Progress Wrestling: Chapter 36 - We're Gonna Need a Bigger Room Again' wanting a pre-bout pint of Ordinary.

ewan

Draft list at Beer Rebellion, Peckham, London SE15

Hello, welcome back to a new week, which sees RGL updated with the Good Beer Guide entries for 2016! Hurrah and hurroo.

So herewith a list of all the new pubby articles. If you don't know the area, why not check out the entry? Lots of good drinking ideas!

* The Adam and Eve in Homerton;
* The Aleksander in St Margarets;
* The Antelope in Surbiton;
* The Baring Hall Hotel in Grove Park;
* Beer Rebellion in Peckham;
* The Bell Inn in East Molesey;
* The Black Heart in Camden Town;
* The Bull on Shooter's Hill;
* The Catford Constitutional Club in... oh, guess;
* The Cat's Back in Wandsworth;
* The Champion in Bayswater;
* The Chesham Brewery Shop in the far end of the earth;
* Craft Beer Co. in Clapham;
* Draft House Seething on the Lane of that name near Tower Hill;
* The Durell Arms in Fulham;
* The Great Exhibition in East Dulwich;
* The Grosvenor in Hanwell;
* The Job Centre in Deptford;
* The Junction in Battersea (by Clapham Junction station);
* The Lion and Unicorn in Kentish Town;
* The Lyric in Soho;
* The Mute Swan in East Molesey;
* One Inn the Wood in Petts Wood;
* The Prince of Wales in East Molesey;
* The Wallington Arms in Wallington;
* The White Hart in Stepney, near Whitechapel station;
* The White Swan in Twickenham; and
* Woody's in Kingston.

katstevens

Evening all!

This week's featured article is for Cafe Below, a cafe in the crypt of St Mary Le Bow church in Cheapside. It may be underground but it's still around 28 metres above sea level (according to this altitude finding tool). An unusual spot worth investigating for lunch in the City, with decent veggie options.

We've got a handful of new articles too: the Hackbridge Cafe is an above-average greasy spoon in the eponymous South West London suburb; Viet Rest in Deptford has a fish tank, and does a great glutinous rice with pork (among other Vietnamese treats); Tram Stop is a small, child-friendly cafe in Addiscombe, with a good view of the passing trams.

Finally, The Bookworm bookshop in Carshalton has closed.

katstevens

Morning everyone!

This week's featured article is for Banh Mi Hoi-An, E8 1BP, slap bang in the middle of Hackney on Graham Road. It may be small but the banh mi baguettes are fresh and the spiciness level is just right - excellent value if you're in the area.

There's a new article for Martin's Place, a small bistro on Uxbridge's Windsor Street which also does good value food at lunchtime. Perhaps best to avoid the omelettes though. We also have updates to the articles for the White House Wetherspoons in Stockley Park and the Cafe Below, located in the crypt of St Mary Le Bow church on Cheapside. Apparently St Mary Le Bow used to be haunted due to all the black masses being held there in the 12th century (tsk!), but after it burned down in the Great Fire of London (and was subsequently rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren), the curse was lifted and the ghosts scarpered! So you can safely enjoy a nice vegetarian meal in the crypt without having spooky chains rattled at you.

Finally, Thai Rapide on Clerkenwell Road has closed, and is now a kebab place called Chifafa.

ewan

Hello all! We've got a full update this week, as we're catching up with various changes to pubs from London Drinker magazine.

Old Tom's Bar, Leadenhall Market, London EC3

The featured article this week is a little dive bar under the Lamb Tavern in Leadenhall Market, namely Old Tom's Bar, EC3V 1LR. They have ales from the Young's range and a short list of food options. Get away from the bustle.

One new article is The Star at Night, a coffee house by day in Soho but at night a gin bar. Many gins! Drink gin! (It's not a candidate for a good photo of the establishment until they finish the Crossrail works though.)

There's a temporary closure to mark for The Railway in West Hampstead, until March next year.

The following pubs have all closed since we last visited:
* The Newton Arms out back of Covent Garden, near Holborn;
* The Old Loyal Britons in Greenwich;
* The Elephant on Fenchurch Street;
* The Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich Village (though this is due to reopen in 2016);
* The Oakhill in Beckenham;
* Glow Lounge in Clapham;
* The Gate bar on Newington Green; and
* The Florence off Upper Street in Islington.

Finally a few renamings:
* Finch's in Moorgate (was The Master Gunner);
* The Pleasure Boat in Alperton (now The Boat);
* The Express Tavern by Kew Bridge (now The Express Ale and Cider House); and
* The Thatched House by Ravenscourt Park station in Hammersmith (now The Butcher's Hook).

ewan

Hello, it's that time of year, time for the new Good Beer Guide and all the new pubs it brings. The category page for this book is therefore, of course, the featured article.

Before we get into that, there's one new unrelated article, which is Banh Mi Hoi-An in London's trendy Hackney, which will do you a decent noodle salad.

Now this leaves us with all the new pubs for this year, so brace yourselves:

* The Aeronaut in Acton (also a brewpub!);
* The Argyle in Clerkenwell (Hatton Garden area);
* The Black Horse in High Barnet (also a brewpub!);
* The Clarence in Mayfair;
* The Constitution in Pimlico;
* Craft Beer Co. in Brixton (ell, can't complain about the beer selection I guess);
* The Crooked Billet in Upper Clapton;
* The Crown in St Margaret's, Twickenham;
* The Elephant and Castle in Kensington;
* The Flying Pig in East Dulwich;
* The George in South Woodford;
* The Grapes in Sutton;
* The Grove in Ealing;
* The Hops and Glory in Canonbury (Essex Road);
* The Hour Glass in Brompton;
* The Huntsman and Hounds in Upminster;
* The King's Head in Tooting;
* The Leyton Technical in Leyton;
* The Lighthouse in Battersea;
* London Fields Brewery Tap Room by the park of that name in Hackney (really a brewery);
* The Lord Aberconway by Liverpool Street;
* The Misty Moon in High Barnet (ex-Spoons, obviously);
* Oaka at the Mansion House in Kennington (the Oakham Ales pub);
* The Old Bell on Fleet Street;
* The Old Loyal Britons in Greenwich;
* Old Tom's Bar under the Lamb Tavern in Leadenhall Market;
* The Pig and Whistle in Southfields;
* The Prince of Wales in Clapham;
* The Railway Bell in New Barnet;
* The Royal George by Euston Station;
* The Shortlands Tavern in Bromley;
* The Sporting Page in Chelsea;
* The Station Hotel in Hither Green;
* The White Lion in Warlingham;
* Williams Ale and Cider House in Spitalfields; and
* Woodin's Shades around the corner on Bishopshate, by Liverpool Street Station.

There are also two stub entries which will be filled out by Kake in the next week or two:
* The Door Hinge in Welling (a micro-pub!); and
* The Hare and Billet in Blackheath.

ewan

Welcome back, and for this week's update your featured article is the wonderfully named Bongo East, IG11 8RW. It's an unflashy Ghanaian bar and restaurant in Barking, with a nice line in spicy fufu and a tempting kelewele. Seems like it might need a few more customers, so why not pop in next time you visit Barking?

My colleague Kat has added an article about Back on Track Coffee in Marylebone which is a coffee shop with a model train twist and a punning name to match. We also have a Chinese restaurant in Bloomsbury, China City, but you might be better off avoiding it for dimsum.

I've also added a bunch of pubs: The Hack and Hop, near Blackfriars; The Draft House on Goodge Street (or "Draft House Charlotte" as the website calls it); and Mother Kelly's "tap room and bottle shop" in Bethnal Green. All three do great beers, in slightly different ways.

There's an update to Hampstead Heath Station (it's accessible!), and a temporary closure at The Half Moon in Herne Hill. Closed more permanently is The Prince of Wales in Battersea, which I certainly have memories of. Finally, a possible closure is Manus Palm Grove in Stratford, pending further information, but it hasn't been open for a while it seems.

ewan

This week's featured article is The Star and Garter, W1F 7NX. It's not trendy and it doesn't have a huge range of beers, but it's a comforting and cosy single room pub in Soho which has been very useful on many occasions.

Permanent closures reported this past week have been The City Retreat, a pub in Holborn, and Tadim Cafe in Camberwell.

Finally, the old Wargrave Arms at the edge of Marylebone has been renamed as The Lord Wargrave.

katstevens

Hullo RGLers!

This week's featured article is the Clapton Hart, E5 8EG, a newly-refurbished Antic pub opposite Clapton Pond. As well as eight handpumps featuring plenty of local beers, you get a lovely view of all the 38 buses turning around at the end of their route!

There are three closures to report: Goldfish City, a Chinese restaurant in EC2; the Bloated Mallard pub in Teddington, and Manchurian Legends in Chinatown (now a Cantonese barbecue).

No new articles this week unfortunately - perhaps a pub or restaurant has just opened near you? Why not tell us about it in the comments and we'll put on our Investigating Hats and go check it out!

ewan

This week's featured article is an excellent pub in Leytonstone, The Red Lion, E11 3AA. Lots of good ales and beers, and tasty food. Heartily recommended.

Three new articles are: The Crown and Anchor, a new "craft beer" pub in north Brixton from the people behind The Jolly Butchers in Stoke Newington; The Hatchet, a Greene King pub by Mansion House station largely catering to vertical-drinking City workers; and Store Street Espresso, a well-regarded coffee shop in Bloomsbury.

Three reported permanent closures are: The Ivy House pub in Nunhead; The Northumberland Arms pub on Goodge Street (set to become a Draft House pub in July); and Amano, a cafe not far from London Bridge.

ewan

Duke of Wellington, De Beauvoir Town, N1

This week's featured article is The Duke of Wellington, N1 4BL, an excellent real ale pub with food at the edges of De Beauvoir Town, a short walk from the Dalston stations.

New additions are: Best Kebab, a good kebab shop in Walworth; and Bar Boulud, an American celebrity chef's brasserie in a Knightsbridge hotel.

There's an update to the stub entry for The Ship, a Good Beer Guide pub around the back of Fenchurch Street station.

Temporary closures reported are: The Rye, a gastropub on the southern tip of Peckham Rye Common, which is being refurbished following its summer residency by the Meatwagon (who are taking up a permanent restaurant site in Marylebone W1); and The Shaftesbury Arms, a Young's pub in Richmond, also closed for refurbishment.

Reopening after temporary closure is La Fermata, an Italian trattoria on Tower Bridge Road in Bermondsey.

Permanent closures are: Moshi Moshi, the sushi bar in the Canary Wharf Waitrose; and Sea Breeze Fish Bar, a fish and chip shop in Walworth.

ewan

Sorry for the gap in service, as

kake has been rather busy. However, I'm helping out and will run through the weekly updates.

The featured article this week is The Railway Bell, TW12 2AP, a Good Beer Guide pub in Hampton.

Since the last update the following pages have been added: The Railway Tavern Ale House, a reopened pub just near Dalston Kingsland with six ales and Thai food; The Breadroom, a cafe in Brixton Market; The White Swan, a Wetherspoon's at Highbury Corner; The Kentish Canteen, a cafe in Kentish Town; Ye Olde Swan, a Greene King pub, and The Red Lion, a slightly better pub, both in Thames Ditton (technically in Surrey); Pizza Napolitana, a takeaway in Croydon; Restaurante Santafereno, a Colombian restaurant in Brixton Village; Moyo-Ma, a Nigerian restaurant in Walworth; Tap East, a microbrewery and bar in Westfield Stratford City (E20); Cook Il Kwan, a Korean restaurant in New Malden; and The Anthologist, a bar in the City. Phew!

Reported closures are: Positively 4th Street, a New York-style bar near Euston; The Queen Dowager, a Young's pub in Teddington; Somers Town Coffee House, a gastropub between the British Library and Euston; and Avella's Cafe, a sandwich shop just off the top of Regent Street.

Future updates should be a little shorter, as we'll try to keep them regular.