Posts Tagged ‘Food’
Ripley Pub Tour
Aug 2nd, 2011 |
The village of Ripley in Surrey is quite close to where I live but it’s been over 20 years since I last had a drink there. Ripley has done well to keep its pubs compared to some other places and can boast 4 pubs within a couple of hundred yards of each other in the main street, with another two within half a mile.
But I was intrigued that none of the Ripley pubs have ever graced the pages of the Good Beer Guide in the editions I’ve got from the last ten years. Some of the pubs must be doing something right as they can be obviously busy at times when I’ve driven through the village.
So given a fine summer Thursday evening and a friend and two bikes we went exploring.
Ripley Pub Tour: Read the full post »
Brighton Sea Power
Feb 24th, 2011 |
Had an enjoyable trip to Brighton to see British Sea Power at Komedia – a venue in the North Laines area of Brighton. But of course it wouldn’t be a proper trip to Brighton without taking in some pubs. See an earlier post for a description of a Brighton pub crawl.
Brighton Sea Power: Read the full post »
Aldgate Pub Lunch Options 5 – Brown Bear
Sep 24th, 2009 |
The Brown Bear, Aldgate
The Brown Bear is situated down at the southern end of Leman Street E1, just by the railway bridge. At times since I’ve been working in the area it’s been a regular haunt and I’ve had some great times there. But pubs go down as well as up and fall out of use. I’m pleased to say though that the Brown Bear is in the ascendant again and is now a regular lunch time stop.
The Brown Bear has a horseshoe shaped bar that extends down the right hand side to a more secluded seating area at the back.
As you can (maybe) see from the photo of the outside, the pub was originally a Taylor Walker pub. I’m not clear who owns it at the moment but I do know that it offers good real ales from an ever-changing selection of guests. Only London Pride seems to be a constant, and on my last visit the O’Hanlons Yellowhammer was good. (It’s what I should have been drinking on my last visit to the Double Locks near Exeter).
The Brown Bear, Aldgate - Pad Thai and O'Hanlons Yellow Hammer
On the food side they have a standard pub-type menu with some specials on the board. But there are also many Thai dishes available as well – all priced at around £6 – £8. On my last visit I had a Pad Thai (see pic) which was delicious. There was also so much that I couldn’t finish it. In the past I’ve had burgers here and they’re good too.
Other posts tagged Aldgate
- Party at the Dispensary, Aldgate Nov 29th, 2009
- Aldgate Pub Lunch Options 4 – Hoop and Grapes Sep 11th, 2009
- Aldgate Lunchtime Options No3 – The Peacock Sep 2nd, 2009
- Aldgate Lunchtime Options No2 – The Dispensary Aug 17th, 2009
- Pride of Spitalfields, E1 Jul 2nd, 2009
Aldgate Pub Lunch Options 4 – Hoop and Grapes
Sep 11th, 2009 |
I’ve been coming to the Hoop & Grapes on and off for nearly 20 years. It’s situated on Aldgate Hight Street, just east of and opposite Aldgate tube station.
Hoop & Grapes, Aldgate
The Hoop & Grapes is a Nicholson’s pub so to a certain extent you know what you’re going to get. But I think that Nicholson’s is one of the better pub chains – compared to the All Bar One, Pitcher & Piano indentikit establishments. The interior is old and woody, mainly dark but with pools of light beneath the ceiling windows half way up and at the back. You’ll be amazed how big the pub is inside given the small frontage on Aldgate High St.
I always make sure to get there as early as possible to get a table when eating lunch as it can get quite busy – especially towards the end of the week.
Tasty gammon at the Hoop and Grapes, Aldgate
The food menu contains few surprises but the prices are pretty reasonable and lunchtime deals are available on some dishes. My enormous gammon steak with two eggs and chips was £5. The food always tastes good.
Beer-wise, the Hoop & Grapes usually carries four real ales. London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, and Sharp’s Doom Bar seem pretty constant and there is one guest. Usually the beers taste well kept but some colleagues have remarked on the odd dodgy pint.
The pub’s good in the evening too – once again getting busy quickly after work. Food is not available in the evenings though. They do ale tastings every Thursday nights.
Previous posts in this series
Aldgate Lunchtime Options No3 – The Peacock
Sep 2nd, 2009 |
Situated in Minories, the Peacock is a spacious, open one-room pub in a superb old art-deco building.
The Peacock, Aldgate
Even though it’s very close to where I work the Peacock had been completely off my radar until fairly recently, but a team social after work changed that.
Three to four real ales are generally available with Harvey’s Best and Ringwood Best being regulars. The beers always seem well kept.
Bizarrely for a lunchtime recommendation the Peacock does not actually sell food at all. But they are happy for you to bring in your own sandwiches or whatever, and many people do. So head up to Kelly’s, or the Pret nearby and then pop in here for a pint.
Food is available however for pre-booked social gatherings when you can use the games room upstairs – featuring a pool table and a couple of dart boards. There’s also a table football machine but you do need to give a bit of notice for that.
Previous posts in this series:
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