Simon's reviews
Review of Ben Crouchs Tavern
16 May 08, 13:40
Certificate 12a 
I went here a few years ago and it had great novelty value all decked out like Dr Frankenstein's lab and the trip the toilet would be accompanied with the rattling of chainsaws, terrifying death screams and creaking doors!
Went there recently and I'm afraid it'd lost it's charm and the toilet 'sound effects' had been replaced by the standard toilet attendant expecting a tip for passing you the soap!
Basically in movie rating terms, two years ago would have atttacted a solid '18', although it has since been savagely edited for TV and is now a family friendly '12a'
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Review of The Endurance
16 May 08, 09:44
Great Jukebox! 
Off the beatern track in the depths of Soho The Endurance is a decent sized bar that serves a plentiful array of beers (etc). Has a kinda student union, indie feel to it; you could imagine going through to a scuzzy smoke filled backroom and watching a struggling band belting out a few demo's... The Endurance is also one of the few decent pubs in London that has a good, up to date jukebox!
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Review of The Selkirk
14 May 08, 11:40
A Jewel in the Tooting Crown
The Selkirk is a must for good food; the Sunday roast it legendary and comes with a host of trimmings, although the sardines are genius (and a recent addition to the menu) and arrive all chargrilled and crispy, like you've just caught them by the river and rustled them up yourself!
It has a decent beer garden and an impressive range of lagers including the entire Artois family
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Review of The Garrick Arms
09 May 08, 12:17
The Local 
Ideally placed for after work drinks and not a bad starting point for Friday night adventures.
A mixed bag of work colleagues, theatre goers and tourists mainly populate the bar and as it's an after work haunt it can be pretty packed from 6pm for a few hours...
Some high prices on their more continental draught lagers, but overall a pretty solid public house!
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Review of The Porterhouse
06 May 08, 09:04
Nautical but nice...
The Porterhouse is an absolute monster of a pub, that makes you feel like you're in some kind of psychedelic submarine after a few drinks with it's nautical themed interior...
The range of beers is pretty impressive, but is gets SO busy post 6ish that it becomes a bit much and a real endurance test to get served at the bar!
The downstairs area is pretty cool, and they play some decent old indie tunes, but the place isn't what it used to be a few years ago...
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Review of Il Chicco
24 Apr 08, 13:09
Bada Bing!
A nice traditional family run Italian coffee place. The location isn't ideal (stuck at the bottom of the CI Tower, next to the train station) but they do nice, good quality coffee that doesn't arrive by the pint! (like most chains).
The staff are always friendly and up for a chat, and there's usually an iPod plugged in playing nice chilled out jazz etc.
Oh, and the milkshakes aren't half bad either!
Recommended...
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Review of The Duke Of Devonshire
24 Apr 08, 08:58
A refurb isn't always a wise move...
This used to be my local. A group of us would head down The Duke (of old) for an evening, then come 9pm we would secretly eye the twitching of the red velvet curtain that was the gateway to "the back room" that would then serve drinks till the early hours.
The back room was dark, filthy and brilliant! It had a cheap pound shop glitter ball hanging from the ceiling, crusty old flickering candles on all of the few tables it housed and they used to play some great music... It also had limited space, so it had a pang of exclusivity if you were lucky enough to gain entry!
Since the refurb, the whole place is open till the early hours and it has definetly lost its charm. It's all modernised and souless...
The only thing it has going for it is a great beer garden, but that's not enough to lure me back...
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Review of De Hems
22 Apr 08, 17:33
Thank Frulli for De Hems!
I love this bar, although it is very popular and gets really busy on an evening. It's well located on the periphery of Soho and their selection of Dutch beers is very impressive.
We usually frequent the top floor, although the trek to the toilets in the basement can be annoying once you've been there a few hours!
A great venue for a few cheeky drinks after work (although I am yet to sample their food!)
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Review of Bear and Staff Pub
22 Apr 08, 11:02
Sausage and mash-tastic!
This pub gets an extra start purely for it's award winning sausage and mash! A great little boozer, although not one for an evening out as it's quite small and you struggle to get a seat. Great for after work drinks or a spot of lunch. The selection of ales and lagers are good too!
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Review of The Chandos
21 Apr 08, 17:32
Always time for a cheeky Chandos!
Great for top quality Samuel Smith's brewed beers (and one of the cheapest pints in London that I know of). Can get pretty busy most evenings and the Opera Bar (upstairs) can be a squeeze on a Friday night! Friendly bar staff and locals make this worth a trip after work with your colleagues, but I wouldn't go out of my way on a weekend for example!
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