The Knights Templar - London

Visited 26th October 2011.

July 2010 was the last time I visited this place and it was closed. Hence the revisit! Fortunately this time it's open and as it's still raining I step quite smartly inside. It's quite a grand place indoors and I find out later that that the loos are a slightly unusual design as well. I like the high ornate ceilings but while I'm sitting perched on my stool drinking my large latte I was thinking how much more comfortable I had been tucked away in my booth in the previous pub. I'm definitely starting to get the impression that I'm not a 'grand' kind of person. I didn't stay long, I kept feeling I was about to fall off my stool and I'd only had a coffee. Time to get wet again and head for home, but there is still a lot of London to visit so I know I'll be back.

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The Goldengrove - London, Stratford

Visited 26th October 2011.

Day two of my mini-break. Today I thought I would go and visit the new Westfield centre in Stratford. It has been all over the news and my old company had done some work there so I want to go and take a look. As it turned out I very quickly got bored looking round a shopping centre (no surprise there) and turned my attention to looking for the nearest unvisited Wetherspoons. Which turned out to be well within walking distance, it could almost have been planned... It was raining so I was a little damp by the time I arrived. First impressions of the pub were quite favourable. I ordered a breakfast bloomer and a large latte, not quite ready for a beer as I was still recovering from to many Buffalo's yesterday. It was nice and quiet in my booth and by the time I had finished breakfast, read my book a little and finished steaming myself dry I felt ready to take on anything. This turned out to be a little optimistic as I got soaked again walking back to the tube station. I was only planning on visiting two pubs today and I was quite looking forward to visiting the next one as the last time I tried to check it out it was closed!

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The Pommelers Rest - London

Visited 25th October 2011.

From 'The Liberty Bounds' we walked along the river bank, past 'The Tower of London' and over 'Tower Bridge'. It was starting to get a little cold near to the river but our destination wasn't to far over the bridge and we were soon inside getting warm. Getting warm with the help of several double Buffalo and Pepsi'. We stayed a while and would have probably stayed a while longer but tomorrow was a work day (for my companions at least) and we still had to get a tube home. My friends were kind enough to allow me to stay overnight with them which is very handy as it will let me get an early start. I have planned to go and see the newly opened Westfields in Stratford.

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The Liberty Bounds - London

Visited 25th October 2011.

Following a slight detour, OK, a longish detour via 'The White Horse' somewhere near Liverpool Street station we finally made it to 'The Liberty Bounds' with its pleasant view of 'The Tower of London'. We found a table, got our number and a placed our orders. As it was steak club night I had the 8oz sirloin with a portion of scampi on the side and a pint of IPA. The other two did not have my passion for steak club and ordered from the normal menu. The food was pretty good and we lingered a while, long enough for coffees and a chance to rest our feet at any rate. The pub had a very relaxed atmosphere and as it turned out definitely had my vote as 'spoons of the day.

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The Masque Haunt - London

Visited 25th October 2011.

We ended up taking the tube from Angel to Old Street, it was only one stop but we weren't sure how far it was to walk, or what direction to take. I did have a copy of the 'J D Wetherspoon London Pub Guide' with me but although 'The Masque Haunt' was on it, 'The Angel' wasn't. We were starting to get a little peckish but decided to wait for the next pub before ordering food, instead we settled for double Buffalo and Pepsi for the guys and a pint of Carlsberg for the lady (no "Glass of white wine/fruit-based drink" for this lady). The pub was dark, with lots of wood paneling and was surprisingly large, it went back a long way which we hadn't realised when we first entered. Our fourth pub of the day was to be 'The Liberty Bounds' but you know how it is, best laid plans and all that. A slight detour made its way on to the agenda...

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The White Lion of Mortimer - London, Stroud Green nr Finsbury Park

Visited 3rd October 2010.
 
Something a little different today. A friend of ours who is a keen dog fan is doing a charity walk for Dogs Trust and needs a hand getting the mutt mans best friend across London to Finsbury Park. Myself and Mrs S. truth be told are not really used to getting up early but on this occasion the alarm clock works and we managed to get our friend and four legged partner to the park just in time for registration. Now the fun starts. For a tiny person our friend turns out to be very quick and sets of at a cracking pace. Now I tend to amble along, Mrs S. is even slower. There is no way we are going to be able to keep up and it is only a matter of minutes before she is a mere speck in the distance. We complete one circuit of the park and then decide to take a shortcut across the middle and "catch up". We do and manage to spot our friend and let her know that we will just wander around until she has completed her four laps (10Km). And then we sneak of to the pub which is only half a mile down the road. By the time we reach the 'spoons we are both soaked through and not just from the rain. I quickly order a pint of Woodforde's Wheery and a Pepsi then join Mrs S. who has collapsed at a table by the window. We start to take stock of our surroundings which turn out to be decorated in a slightly unusual manner, everything is panelled and appeared to be painted in a very light colour. To be honest we were still drying out and getting our breaths back to take a lot of notice. Complements to Emma, who served us very efficiently. Drinks were drunk and we set off back to the park and met up with our friend. Our absence had gone unnoticed although we did come clean about our off site excursion. Yes... a very different way for us to spend a morning.
For anybody interested in a spot of sponsored dog walking check out http://www.waggywalks.org.uk/


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The Ice Wharf - London, Camden

Visited 5th September 2010.

Yesterday some friends of ours in 'the Smoke' invited us to a BBQ - how can we possibly say no to that!. It was a great evening with lots of beer, superb food and entertaining company. Having fed and watered us they then gave us a bed for the night, at a stroke saving us from the vagaries of late night public transport. Which brings us to today. The girls want to go shopping and one of the liveliest places for that is Camden, so we take the bus as much of the underground is not working. As it turns out the journey takes forever as there seem to be road works and detours at almost every junction. Eventually we arrive and that's it - the girls are off and the guys get to stand and wait. After a hurried conference the guys decide to wait in the local 'spoons before we are given bags of shopping to 'look after'. The Ice Wharf turns out to be situated next to the lock so we have a picturesque view and as it is a sunny afternoon we are able to indulge in a little people watching. Eventually the girls arrive and we have a few more drinks before setting off to have a look round the Stables Market. If you have never visited Camden markets they are well worth a look as is The Ice Wharf which has a character the fits in well with the vibe of the whole area. Far to soon we had to leave our London friends and head for home which amazingly turns out to be completely uneventful, despite many lines and stations being closed or partially closed. Everything went our way and we didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes for any of our tubes or train. On the whole well worth a visit.

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The Metropolitan Bar - London, Marylebone

Visited 17th July 2010.

We find ourselves with some unexpected time on our hands so a quick look at the Wetherspoon directory informs us that there is a 'spoons directly between us and Paddington next to the Baker Street tube station. It turns out to be very easy to find and we are soon sat at a table drinking pints of Green Jackets and admiring the fancy lights and ceiling. For me, surprisingly, this was the Wetherspoons of the day (and the beer was fine too). One thing about this hobby is that you are never quite sure when you are going to find a little gem.
We eventually made it back to Paddington and guiltily stood eating yet another burger whilst waiting for our train. Note to self... Stop eating so many burgers... Ha! Like that's going to happen. An hour and a half later, foot sore and weary, we made it indoors and to bed. Great day!

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The Sir John Oldcastle - London, Farringdon

Visited 17th July 2010.

As is usual when I visit London I don't always stick exclusively to Wetherspoons pubs so the next pub on our my list was somewhere slightly different. Well, different for Mrs S. who had never visited a pole dancing establishment before today. The walk to 'The Griffin' produced a small drama as we thought we were about to view an accident as a man who was a little way off from us was almost knocked down by a police car with its blue light flashing. As we got closer we realised that the man was actually on the pavement and that the police car had mounted the path and that two officers had rapidly emerged from the car and were attempted to detain the very bewildered looking man. We stood and watched for a few seconds but then thought we would get out of the way as there suddenly seemed to be a plethora of police vehicles arriving. I wonder what that was all about!

Shank's pony eventually took us passed 'The Sir John Oldcastle' and eventually on to the surprised tones of a doorman informing Mrs S. that there were fully nude ladies inside. And he was quite right, there were. Not sure why but after a pint and four dances Mrs S. announced that she was ready for pudding so it was time to make our exit and walk back to Sir John's. I liked the place, the staff were attentive, our puddings arrived quickly and were not overcooked and we ended up staying slightly longer then planned. This was unfortunate as by the time we left and had walked to our next destination, 'The Knights Templar', it was closed!


Oh dear, we will have to make a return visit to the Holborn area...

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Penderel's Oak - London, Holborn

Visited 17th July 2010.

We know there will be a lot of walking today, but fortunately it's not to far to our next planned watering hole. Again it's big and airy inside, so big in fact that it takes us several minutes to find where Mrs S. has found for us to sit and so my friend and I spend several myopic moments wandering around, drinks in hand, looking for her. Wonder of wonders they have Buffalo Trace and I have my customary double and happily sit drinking it watching a "blues and two" fire engine trying to perform a five point turn outside. It finishes its maneuver and disappears from sight (but not sound) and is swiftly followed by a second. We finish our drinks and upon exiting the pub see that the two fire engines are parked up no more than a couple of doors away attending to some smoke wafting from a small shop. In true English tradition we totally ignore what's going on and set off for our third pub of the day.

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The Shakespear's Head - London, Holborn

Visited 17th July 2010.

It's Saturday and we have arranged to meet up with a friend and take a trip into the Smoke. We arranged to meet at 11am. At 11.50 he still hadn't appeared so a quick phone call to make sure that he was OK and hadn't overslept revealed that he had a slight headache from the previous night and had indeed overslept. We were slightly later than expected setting off. By the time we arrived at our first 'spoons of the day we were more than a touch peckish and immediately placed our orders for our beer and burgers. I also tried a pint of Bearskillfull - nice. Mrs S. was disappointed her burger took much longer to arrive than ours but at least a waitress did come and apologise and let us know (although not why). The pub itself we liked, dark panelling and plenty of space. A proper, "traditional" Wetherspoons. We have a sort of loosely formed plan involving several more drinks in the area and feel the need to move on... So we do!

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The Willow Walk - London, Victoria

Visited 26th March 2010.

We left Victoria station, walked round the corner and arrived at The Willow Walk. Don't be put off by the photographs. These were taken as we left and were of the rear entrance which was not nearly as enticing as the front. Once inside it was quite pleasant and we sat and enjoyed our double Buffalo's before deciding to go and get something to eat. I guess we could have had a burger where we were but in keeping with the spirit of the day we thought we should get some exercise and see a little more of the city. Now, I'm not really built for walking so it came as something of a shock when my companion insisted we should eat at one of our previous haunts, the Montagu Pyke. Across the park, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, we saw them all and it was with a feeling of sweaty relief when we actually did settle down to eat. The food was OK but rushed as we were now running late. We had to be back at Paddington to meet another friend at seven. The busses failed us so it was on to the underground and we finally made it only ten minutes late. As I'm normally twenty minutes late for most things I regarded this as being early, or at the very least, on time! We managed another couple of drinks at a pub outside Paddington station (why is there no Wetherspoon pub at Paddington?) before it was time to head for home and a chance to rest my aching feet. Footbath anyone?

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Wetherspoons - London, Victoria

Visited 26th March 2010.

I have a day off work today and the plan is to take the train into London and meet up with a friend for a beer. Not so much planning went into this so we ended up meeting at Paddington trying to decide where to go next. Out comes the trusty Wetherspoon directory and we decide to visit Victoria where we should be able to easily tick two pubs off the list. As we were already at Paddington we could have jumped on the Circle Line and gone direct but how much of the city do you see underground. A walk (fine) and a bus ride (tortuous) and a walk in the rain (wet) and we find ourselves in Victoria station looking to quench our thirst. What can I say, we found it, had a quick drink and left. Nothing actually wrong, clean, service was good but totally uninspiring. Even to the point where nobody could be bothered to think of a name for it. Time to move on.

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The Montagu Pyke - London, West End

Visited 18th December 2009.

After leaving The Moon Under Water we walked a short way down the road to The Montagu Pike for a spot of lunch. Buffalo and curry, magnificent, just the way to spend an afternoon. A fair sized building with entrances on two roads. I liked it despite it not being dark and panelled. The waitress was cheery and charming and it was nice and warm. No snow outside but it was very cold. I hadn't realised but the building was the last home of the Marquee Club, a pretty famous music club. I remember an album being released when it closed full of music from bands that had played there. I remember it because I actually went out and bought it.
To prove that we are not slaves to the Wetherspoon brand we left the Montagu Pike and had a quick couple of pints in Waxy O'Conners, Soho. From there it was onto the tube to Liverpool Street and a brisk walk to The White Horse for beer and (gentleman's) entertainment and from there to Browns (just down the road) for more beer and more (gentleman's) entertainment. In fact my only moan for the whole day was the journey home. First Great Weston must know that people want to go home after a night out so why not put a few more carriages in service. The 11.48 was so full that about 40-50 people, myself included, were totally unable to get on and being stuck at Paddington waiting for the next train (at 12.34) is not my idea of a good time!

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The Moon Under Water - London, Leicester Square

Visited 18th December 2009.

I've booked a day off work to pop into 'the smoke'. The plan is to meet up with a friend and visit a couple of Wetherspoon pubs and then take in a few of the sites. Unbelievable, it's not raining! I wake up and find there's five inches of snow instead. A cold thirty minute hike gets me to train station where I'm surprised to find the trains are still running, as is the underground (well most of it anyway). We have arranged to meet up in Leicester Square. As I'm early I have a quick 'Christmas Kiss' while I'm waiting and sit and read the latest Wetherspoon News. My friend arrives and we start on the Buffalo Trace. We like the pub but it's very busy and the noise from the temporary fairground outside provides the excuse to move on.

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The Tyburn - London, Marble Arch

Visited 2nd December 2009.

Work sends me to London once again, so where to this time? I decide to do a little more sight seeing and visit Marble Arch and what do you know, there's a Wetherspoon just around the corner. By the time I get there I am drenched! It's raining... a lot. I discover that it is difficult to persuade total strangers to stand in the rain and take my photo so after some contortion work I manage to photograph myself and the pub. And did I mention it's still raining...
Inside it's bright and warm and dry - just what I need. The food I order arrives quickly and surprisingly looks like the menu photograph. I say surprisingly because in my experience the food on the plate rarely looks like the food in the photo. I'm including all restaurants and pubs here and not just Wetherspoons. So all in all a very pleasant visit. Did I mention the rain?

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The Railway - London, Putney

Visited 3rd October 2009.

Our last Wetherspoons today and for my money the best of the bunch. Downstairs was busy so we went upstairs where it was also busy but we did manage to find an empty table to sit at. Drip, drip and now we know why. The seat was soaking wet where a leak somewhere was causing water to run down the wall, over a painting and onto the seat that Mrs Sinner had chose to sit on. What a wheeze! A pub with character and an Australian barman with loads of character made this a great visit.
Just for a change we're now off to O'Neills back in Shepherds Bush for a very large slice of chocolate cake and coffee, woohoo!

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The Oyster Rooms - London, Fulham

Visited 3rd October 2009.

Our second pub today that is inside a shopping centre. Clean and bright but with a limited ale selection. So limited in fact that I was forced to go for a double Buffalo Trace.
Nothing to do with Wetherspoons but while taking the photos a security guard asked me not to take any more while he was present . However he was completely unable to give me a reason why. I complied with his request but as the shopping centre itself was completely "camera'd" up I felt a certain double standard was operating. I try to be careful while taking my photos. I don't want to upset anyone by intruding upon their privacy, after all we should be able to have a drink without being molested by the paparazzi. But... maybe it's something about the friendliness of Wetherspoon patrons that makes them jump in front of the camera, it's happened on several occasions now!

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The Plough & Harrow - London, Hammersmith

Visited 3rd October 2009.

Hammersmith tries to redeem itself with The Plough & Harrow and if you like large, bright, modern pubs then it largely succeeds. I thought I would try the Marcle Hill still cider as it felt like the right sort of drink for the pub. Ultimately I was disappointed with both, nothing wrong with the cider or the pub, just not to my taste.

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The William Morris - London, Hammersmith

Visited 3rd October 2009.

Our London adventure continues. Let me get one thing straight, just so you're clear. This blog was never intended to be a guide or critique of Wetherspoon pubs. That would be far to grand. It is basically a reminder of where I have been so I don't accidentally visit any twice. I may jot down a little information on parking, or what I drank because if I do decide to revisit one I don't want to spend hours looking for a space or find they have no beer!
But, this one I will definitely avoid. Which is a shame as the pub itself is fine, large and with a dark interior theme which I like. The girl who served us at the bar was pleasant and service was relatively quick. So where did it all go wrong. Two things really. The loos and the food. I (and I know I'm not alone this) will often judge a place on it's loos. Wetherspoon pubs have very good loos but why would whoever put the paper in the stalls put all of the toilet rolls on the floor. They didn't do it in the ladies so why do it in the gents where it's almost certainly going to become unusable!
Secondly, the food. We were all hungry so ordered as soon as we arrived. One of the things I like about Wetherspoon is the consistency of the food quality. It has been pretty much the same in all of the pubs visited so far. You order a burger, you know what you are going to get. Not at the William Morris. I was very hungry and ordered a Gourmet Burger with an extra burger. Both burgers were burnt, very burnt, charcoaled even. The cheese sauce was missing entirely as was a rasher of bacon (the menu states bacon slices - plural). Everywhere else I've eaten I've always received two slices of bacon... consistency you see. And did I mention the burgers were burnt!!! I got chatting to a chap who said he was in there most days and that he wouldn't touch the food they served and especially not the breakfasts. I must also mention the steak and kidney pudding on the new menu. It looks very nice. A member of our little dinning group ordered one. When it arrived it had about half a tea spoon of gravy in it and a lot of air. She sent it back and had a curry instead. To be fair on this it may be that we were unlucky on the pudding and just got a duff one. We will be trying out the steak and kidney pudding again but definitely not at the William Morris.

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