london restaurants

I actually bought ELL merchandise in my xmas shopping at the London Transport Museum shop:

http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/LTM/Homeware/Cups_and_mugs/Product/Overground-Mug-Moquette.html

'funky moquette' *indeed*.

xpost: you could takeaway - it's just everything is cooked to order so there may well be a wait. It's anything from 15 minutes if absolutely quiet to an hour if really busy. It's REALLY not formal. It's just like upstairs at a pub so you've got somewhere to sit and wait, but you may as well have a drink whilst you wait...

I might check it out on, say, a Tuesday night, see how rammed it is.

xp ty, that sounds ok. Drinking by myself I am fine with.

But, yes, might hold off till mid-week, sounds wise.

Yeah - in February I an thinking it would be really nice to sit on sofa, play DS and have a lovely beer and then a delicious burgz0r. Who would have thought they could create a nice place upstairs from such a horrid gaff.

(BTW downstairs will still be the same old Goldsmiths Tav til mid-March, put all thoughts of going downstairs out of yr minds as it won't change until CapPubCo shut it down and redo it as the New Cross... House? Or whatever they're calling it. Oh no that won't get confusing with the New Cross Inn across the road. Unless THAT changes it's name TOO - I hear it's been sold but no idea who to).

Saw my first ever gig at the New Cross Inn. Can that be right? Rollerskate Skinny, Drop Nineteens, and Bang Bang Machine who didn't turn up. Drop Nineteens v dull too. Rollerskate Skinny the best by default. Christ, maundering. Keeping my mind off the burgers and cocktails.

Royal Albert > Amersham Arms > Marquis of Granby >>>>>>>> New Cross Inn >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Goldsmiths Tavern.

Last (and only) time I went to the pub in New Cross some aging punk guy started reciting racist lyrics he'd written to a black friend of mine. He did it in an oddly pally way though. Think it was the Marquis of Granby.

Didn't realise the Marquis of Granby was a punk.

Sorry.

I have a soft spot for the Marquis of Granby as it's actually quite a nice friendly pub that feels like a locals place even when it's full of students/pre-Venue drinkers. Also my parents went out on the razz with Hattie Jacques there in the 60s, which is my favourite family story of which I had until recently been completely ignorant.

would be well up for a meateasy fap!

i would happily attend such a meat-based event.

+1

"Royal Albert > Amersham Arms > Marquis of Granby >>>>>>>> New Cross Inn >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Goldsmiths Tavern."

gotta add... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Hobgoblin, it is a horror that that place is still even going :(

The Marquis is fairly... unreconstructed! I've had a few nice drinks in there but never felt like lingering long. I've never seen any punks in there though! Or in fact anyone else under 50!

The Hobgoblin would rank above the Goldsmiths Tavern simply because it has a big conservatory area with two huge screens for watching football on. But as a pub it's appalling.

Pubs called the Hobgoblin are always awful for some reason.

What's the matter, lagerboy? Afraid you might taste something?

The Hob in Forest Hill is a trendified Hobgoblin and is alright, does a good pub quiz.

http://britishpages.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hobgoblin.jpg

could put me off real ale for life tbf

Fuck I hate that poster.

Hi dere all, this is the London restaurants thread and we are talking about pubs and public transport. Should we just start a FAP thread like in the old days?

If we're applying the Rule of Threes then we need to FAP at the #meateasy (don't forget the hashtag!) every night until March...

I've never liked the Hobgoblin chain in any instance, but the Hobgob in NX has always had a... just... *nasty* crowd when I've been in, the beer is horrid but that's the same for all Hobs. The crowd could have changed as I've refused to go in for over 3 yrs now but if the beer has improved I will eat that hobgoblings hat with salt pepper ketchup hotsauce.

i didn't realize it was a chain - there used to be one in brixton that was known as the go-to place to score drugs.. there was actually a sign above the pool table that said "the selling of drugs in this establishment is strictly forbidden"!!

lol yeah I remember you recommending that place on one of the weed threads, but it's long closed down iirc

The one in Canterbury was alright actually, yer standard issue student town rock pub. Would probably hate it now.

I was about to add that the one in Preston was OK, but now I remember it was actually a Firkin (and the juker was free). So, sux 2 b Hobgoblings. (The Hob on, er... Holloway Road? was where I first heard of the "TVR" - further damming evidence).

There used to be one on Holloway Road, yes. Dingy student dive. Can't remember what it's called now, but it's not much better.

Holloway Road is shit for pubs actually. There's the Swimmer, Big Red can be alright if it's not too rammed, and that's it.

there was actually a sign above the pool table that said "the selling of drugs in this establishment is strictly forbidden"!!

There was a similar sign in the Castle just off Commercial Road (site of all-night mega-FAP a few years ago) which amused me, coming as I do from a hotbed of drug-dealery, where no pubs would dare stick up such a sign (possibly because they would lose all their customers if it was enforced).

the Duchess of Kent is like a minute from the holloway road and pretty good.

once i went to a Hobgoblin in Tokyo. it was one of the more, uh, cognitively dissonant experiences i've had because it was like every other Hobgoblin everywhere (except the (ex-)devonshire arms in camden).

ha, i've been to that tokyo hobgoblin too - that's where anna-marie's brother was working when we went. in fact was that when you went there too?

oh god the commercial rd castle. many a night has been lost behind the sofa there, though not for aaaages.

Oh yeah, I forgot the Devonshire was a Hobgoblin now. Like you say, can't imagine that's changed it at all. Me and a mate went in there for lols once, and almost didn't get let in cos the bouncer thought we were going to pick fights with the goths.

Holy crapoly:
http://www.hobgoblin.jp/Roppongi/tabid/119/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

Blimey they've got Doom Bar which is more than I have ever seen a HG in the UK have. They probably can't get a license to export their own vile brew for H&S reasons.

I think the Castle has gone respectable and only opens until 2 or 3 now.

lex: you know, i don't remember at all? it was the one in roppongi iirc, which was an area of town i'd managed to avoid for the previous 6 months or whatever, so the whole experience was fairly unreal.

i'm sorry i don't see how japanese public houses get any of us any closer to a big stack of meat + cheese in New Cross.

Went looking for weed in Clapton one time and seeing this sign "the selling of drugs in this establishment is strictly forbidden" in the pub we knew we'd hit the jackpot. It was shit weed though unfortunately.

I love The Cinnamon Club in Westminster, too expensive, but really good high end Indian.

seeing this sign "the selling of drugs in this establishment is strictly forbidden" in the pub we knew we'd hit the jackpot

Hahah I mean yeah, exactly.

I haven't been to too many high end indians, but I've always been disappointed when I have. I can get a better curry from my local balti house TBH (Monsoon in Dartmouth Park, I think it's a gem).

i'd be up for a meatswag fap (would be my first eeek!)

letz do it. i suggest matt dc organises cuz he's good at that. (after one particularly hideous like-herding-cats venture into the world of organising social events a few years back, i swore off it forever.)

we need to pick a weekend when tpp is back, and when cis is in london?

feb works best for me if it's still going then

I am soooooo in for this.

Urge to splurge?

Thomas Keller, USA's best chef, is opening a 10-day pop-up in Harrod's.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Venues/Thomas-Keller-plans-Harrods-pop-up-restaurant

So is our little meateasy joint going to happen?

went to meateasy tonight was absolutely manic but still as delicious as the wagon. we went and had some drinks in the pub below and then went in as soon as it opened and then it's kind of a raffle ticket system for getting served. would suggest fap maybe in the week when it might be slightly more quiet.

Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant at the Mandarin hotel = A+++++++++ would eat all this food again.

you are a lucky man

earliest booking i could get was the end of freaking may

It was a surprise birthday thing, I didn't actually realise where I was until I had been sitting at the table for 10 minutes. Admittedly part of this was thinking the restaurant wasn't due to open for another few months.

going there for lunch on monday, any particular recommendations matt?