I don’t drive. I’ve never even taken a driving lesson. This in itself is not of any great interest, but it means that I rarely have the experience of hearing music I like in the car: when I do travel in a motor, I tend to be subjected to […]

TASKFORCE – “Fugs R Us”
It must be a couple of years now since Taskforce released the best EP yet made by any UK hip hop act, “The Voice of the Great Outdoors” on Lowlife. It was goofy, palsied hip hop set in wacky stone[…]

Possibly the worst tourist pub advice I’ve ever seen, from something called the Travel Ape. Nothing wrong with the pub review (if anything it’s a bit too positive about a pub I love but whose sacred cow status concerns me). But advising p[…]

Dumb Or Bust? The dumbwaiter is a work of genius, but since we’re on the subject of the Jeremy Bentham, it should be noted that the (waxwork?) bust of JB in that selfsame upstairs bar bears an unnecessary resemblance to Tim Rice. This is surely[…]

Sorry to keep going on about the Ring but I’ve finally been back there (I have disembarked from the wagon). The verdict: mixed. The music is louder, the bar staff young and relatively trendy. The beer is worse, the prices higher. The layout of[…]

What makes a good pub? Not too large, not too small. Not too smart, not too scruffy. Mix of customers who are friendly enough to make the odd comment when you go to the bar and civil enough to let you get on with reading your book. Salt of the earth […]

The Ring lives! I haven’t yet been in, but it’s still called The Ring and it still seems to be a pub, notwithstanding the repacement of the threadbare carpet with what appears to be hardwood flooring. The boxing pictures remain also. More[…]

My word! Something which appears to be your actual research on the pub! I haven’t had time to scour this but it seems distressingly right-headed for someone like me who likes to disagree with things in a curmudgeonly fashion. I have to say that[…]

Pete’s being overly harsh about the George (and the Market Porter for that matter). The George is a fabulous-looking pub and serves fine beer. I agree that the service leaves a good deal to be desired when the place is busy, and I’ve neve[…]

The ten nominees in a day sounds like a tall order to me. I mean, it’s clearly achievable within the space of a drinking day, with a bit of planning, discipline, careful use of the transport options available and so on. The Eastern (Limehouse) […]