Each time I traversed Long Lane in Bermondsey, a defunct pub would catch my eye. Simon The Tanner, it was called: its petrol-blue frontage and distinctive red pub sign suggesting it may once have been a Shepherd Neame house. I often wondered what it might have been like to visit: until, one day, without fanfare, I had the chance to find out. Simon was back.
Archive for the ‘Food & Drink’ Category
Simon The Tanner
Friday, November 11th, 2011Cask v Keg
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011Recently, I have seen lots of debate on whether craft beer dispensed by keg should automatically be considered less superior to cask beer. As a result, I’ve been trying to clarify my own opinions on the matter. (more…)
Review: Hand & Heart, Nottingham
Sunday, December 21st, 2008Being a little bit different is all the rage these days. How often do you see marketing slogans which declare a shop, pub or restaurant to be not just your average…, or more than just…?
The Hand & Heart, a relatively recent addition to Nottingham’s pub scene, resists such trite descriptive phraseology; still, it has a much more legitimate claim to these platitudes than many of its competitors. It is, after all, set in a sandstone cave, and it hosts its own gallery and coffee shop. How many other pubs can say that? (more…)
The Campaign for Real Chips
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008[Originally published 25 March 2007]
On Saturday lunchtime I went to one of my favourite food pubs, the Kean’s Head in Nottingham. This non-smoking establishment in the Lace Market area of the city serves a good range of quality real ales, and it has a decent menu, making it an ideal choice for a weekend lunch if you fancy something a bit more substantial than a couple of sarnies from one of the ubiquitous coffee shop chains. (more…)