Greenwich.co.uk

Greenwich news and information

Pub Review: Cutty Sark Tavern

By

Cutty Sark Tavern

The Cutty Sark Tavern
4-7 Ballast Quay, SE10 9PD

I was hoping the Cutty Sark Tavern would be the ‘green shoots’ of my pub review feature, because having been somewhat scathing over the last couple of weeks I felt in need of a positive review to show the publicans and patrons of Greenwich that I’ve not become irrevocably mean. Well, thank goodness the Cutty Sark Tavern is a great pub, then.

The Cutty Sark Tavern dates from the 18th century and is a commanding, if slightly wonky, building on a lovely cobbled Georgian street in East Greenwich, with an awesome view of Canary Wharf and the river. Tucked away on the riverbank, the Cutty Sark Tavern is well off the tourist track so is a firm favourite with local professionals and I can see why.

The interior is a little Disney Moby Dick, but then the clue’s in the name I suppose and though the nautical theme isn’t exactly groundbreaking, the ships’ wheels on the walls and customised barrels to sit on work well here. The low ceilings make it feel cosy but there’s plenty of space and an imposing winding staircase taking you to the upstairs bar, where you can find some normal chairs if you want to eat. On a Wednesday evening The Cutty Sark Tavern wasn’t packed, but I can imagine that it gets busy on warm days as the patio is on right the river, with a wall perfect for perching your pint on and watching the Thames Clippers go by.

The drinks selection is ale-focused and they have cloudy cider on tap, as well as a few football lagers. They’re not exactly punching above their weight with the menu but it’s fairly reasonably priced and they’ve given some consideration to the vegetarians, which always warrants a plus in my book. Best of all, the staff are great: a very friendly set of young gentlemen who know their drinks and I had a good bit of banter with our server over a game of dominos he’d set up at the bar. A bit random but entertaining nonetheless.

All in all I’d say this is a tavern well worth a visit and next time the sun is out of an evening I’ll definitely be heading there again. Happy Rosie is back – anchors away!

Pub Review: Lord Hood

By

Lord Hood
300 Creek Road SE10 9SW

Back in 2005-06 there was a local campaign to ‘Save the Hood’ when its existence was threatened by council plans for redevelopment. According to its website, the pub’s patrons won out with some stellar arguments about its being 200 years old, “friendly to women” and “not a wine bar”. With that kind of progressive thinking how could the council bring in the JCBs, right? Unfortunately for the Lord Hood, I can’t find much to savour in its salvation.

To start with the positive, the exterior is actually rather promising. Nothing flashy but with an old town house pub look and a bit of greenery it looks like a welcoming, unpretentious sort of place. However, there’s a line between ‘unpretentious’ and ‘not trying at all’, and once you get inside you realise that this place has long since crossed that line. It has the shabby red velvet and dark wooden bar stool thing going on, with a dartboard and pool table, but it all looks like no-one’s touched (read: cleaned) anything for 20 years +.

We got a few good hard stares from the locals when entering; they were about 6 in number and made up the entire clientele. The Internet buzz about this place is that it’s all about the Live Music – especially jazz and folk – but thank goodness for beardy musicians because there was little sign of the 60 people who apparently attended the ‘Save the Hood’ meetings and I wonder how this pub would survive otherwise.

The service was a little unfriendly and the barmaid seemed pretty put out when we asked what selection of ciders they had – Magners and Strongbow, which is pretty indicative of the average drinks selection. The beer garden doesn’t add much either: perhaps I was too harsh on the Pilot Inn, as the Lord Hood’s concrete patio slab adjacent to the main road certainly made me wish I were back at GMV.

I acknowledge that the Live Music here can be a huge draw for many and that a good gig can really make a place. Therefore I reserve ultimate judgement on this place until I check out the Jazz, but frankly I can’t think of any other reason I would want to go to the Lord Hood again.


View Larger Map

Pub Review: The Pilot Inn

By

The Pilot Inn
8 River Way, SE10 0BE

Greenwich Millennium Village is a strange place. Despite being the nearest you can get to the tube in this part of town, having the mammoth o2 on its doorstep and being a hefty residential stronghold, it somehow always feels like you’re in the middle of a computer-generated environment, miles from anywhere. The Pilot, GMV’s ‘local’, is much in keeping with its sim-city surroundings and despite being generally ok, it lacks a lot of the character that makes the town pubs successful.

Owned by uber-chain Fullers, the Pilot ticks most of the corporate pub boxes with a wide lager selection, Rosé in bulk and every flavour of j2o you could want. However, there’s a decided mediocrity about the place, with its uninspiring ale selection, forgettable décor and split-level interiors that make it disjointed and a little unwelcoming. The food is rather expensive (£10 for Scampi & Chips), and again, pretty middle of the road. The staff, apart from a standard issue try-hard manager, are a little on the gruff, robotic side – when I asked the barman if I could order food his reply was ‘Yeah why not?’, before taking a good 5 minutes to process my order for one meal. They also had a seafood specials promotion going on, but at 6pm on a Saturday they had crossed 5 out of 7 meals off the list, as they were unavailable.

Despite all this, the Pilot does have one saving grace in its spectacular beer garden. The water features, hanging baskets and ivy fences all look like they’ve been given the creative effort and thought that the rest of the place so conspicuously lacks and it’s a lovely place to sit with your Magners. There’s even a BBQ stand where they apparently cook sausages and burgers in the summer (assuming they have any left). Its only slight drawback is that it being north facing and fully enclosed, it does get rather chilly, but then this is Britain so perhaps I’m expecting too much!

All in all I think the Pilot is trying to be a country pub in a city spot and it’s this air of artifice and sterility that lets it down. It’s certainly not the most terrible pub you’ll ever go to and the garden is definitely worth a look, it’s just that it all left me feeling a bit cold. And not just because I forgot my jacket.

Pub Review: The Ship and Billet

By

The Ship & Billet
1, Woolwich Road, SE10 0RA

I actually meant to go to the Ship and Billet on last week’s pub review outing, but when circumstances compelled me to go solo I was far too scared to go into this pub on my own. Its run-down exterior with heavily tinted windows and general demeanour of a ‘local pub for local people who aren’t me’ were just too, well, scary. This week, feeling braver (and having a male companion) I ventured in and, as is the case with most scary things, was left wondering what all my fuss was about.

Let’s be clear, the Ship and Billet is about as far from the usual Greenwich Gastropub as you can get. It looks a bit like the Queen Vic would look if left unattended for a few years, with a faded red and gold pub issue carpet and sparsely furnished. The ‘no smoking’ sign was written on a post it note and whilst waiting for our drinks someone actually came up to us and asked us if we wanted to buy a ‘second hand’ TV from a carrier bag. All the other clientele, about 7 of them, seemed to know each other and spoke in a language that, though English, was completely incomprehensible.

Despite all this, I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable there. The locals were smiling enough and the barmaid was the most friendly I’ve yet to encounter in a Greenwich pub. She was chatty, made a few jokes and when the first pint of Guinness was not a success, she gave it to us for free. That level of service would be classed as exceptional anywhere.

The extras are also fuss-free: Sky TV for the sport, a cockney pianah in the corner and karaoke on the weekends with ‘Dave the Rave’. The staple of the bar is lager and cider so there’s no ale, few wines and spirits, and food is scant unless you count 17 bags of scampi fries as sustenance.

All in all the Ship and Billet is not the place to go if you are after a posh pub experience – it’s grubby, shabby, still a bit scary and definitely a local’s pub – but there’s a warm welcome here and absolutely zero pretension, which in this neck of the woods is a rare find. As Delboy said to Rodney, probably in this pub in fact, “he who dares, wins”.

What do you think of the Ship & Billet? Post your comments below…


View Larger Map

From The Horse’s Mouth: Greenwich.co.uk Talks To LOCOG

By

Apart from the acronyms, LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) and NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) haven’t found much common ground over the past year. On this site both Sev D’Souza of NOGOE and Andrew Gilligan have highlighted many residents’ continued opposition to the Equestrian events at Greenwich Park. Their protest was borne out of concerns about potential damage to the park, and the considerable inconvenience to the residents caused by the closure of the park, with no demonstrable benefits. In light of this I went to the LOCOG meet and greet session at the park on Saturday and spoke to Equestrian manager Tim Hadaway and press officer Fran Edwards to ask their side of the story, and to find out what their perception is of local views about the Olympics at Greenwich.

As part of the advisory group that recommended Greenwich, Tim was directly involved in the decision: “Greenwich won out on its good transport links, proximity to Stratford and scope to host elements of the Modern Pentathlon.” Asked why these were such key enticements, Tim says “the bid was won on the strength of these being the London Games – we need to keep as many of the events as we can within the city”. Sites outside London would have been “far more challenging, both financially and logistically speaking”. He is also philosophical about Zara Phillips’ pro-Windsor comments, calling them “one person’s opinion” and saying that representatives of Zara’s have since written to NOGOE asking not to be connected with their campaign.

Horse on Greenwich Park

On the locals’ concerns regarding potential damage, Tim believes LOCOG have made good headway: “When we first started speaking to people, they would say ‘you’re cutting down all the trees aren’t you?’ They had visions of a Grand National-style motorway of horses carving up the whole site.” Now, however, Tim feels that initial misconceptions regarding damage have been largely corrected: “We can’t [damage anything] – English Heritage and The Royal Parks wouldn’t let us even if we’d wanted to.” So the trees will stay in their entirety then? “There will need to be some slight pruning on the lower branches of some trees for the cross-country, but nothing that won’t grow back. We won’t be cutting down any trees.”

Regarding the cross-country course, it will only last 1 day and Tim says the hoof damage from the 75 horses will be “minimal”, with the preparation focused on improving the grass’s irrigation leaving the ground “in a better state than before”…

However, the enduring bugbear – the park’s entire closure for the cross-country – is unavoidable. Fran says the lockdown is necessary “for the venue to be swept to ensure it is secure and to ensure that all facilities and buildings are in place. We take security very seriously”. The entire closure will last a maximum of 6 weeks, with the area that will house the main arena staying closed for at least 3-4 months. LOCOG are hoping for a phased re-opening of the park as early as a few days after the end of the cross-country.

The road closure plans are not yet concrete, so all I could get was the perennial promise of “minimal disruption” and although Romney Road will now fall outside the perimeter of the course, it is likely to be closed for at least the fortnight of the events to facilitate spectators.

Some would argue that these inconveniences are a small price to pay for the general excitement and prestige of having this event on our doorstep. LOCOG also believe that the much-debated legacy of the games will result from this prestige: “This event will become part of Greenwich’s history, people will remember the images they see of Greenwich during the Games and want to come and hunt it out after the Olympics.” They again speak of bringing equestrian sport to a new audience by having it in an urban setting, however they are vague when asked about ticket provision for locals. Apparently Greenwich Council are keen to allocate some tickets to local schoolchildren, but LOCOG are far from committed to this arrangement, and competition for tickets is likely to be high in the equestrian world. In other words don’t expect a ticket to be dropping through your door.

Overall LOCOG do admit that Greenwich has been one of their most notable PR headaches. Neil Walker, Community Relations Manager, attributed this to people being “frustrated” in the beginning because the nature of the Olympics means that they work back from an end date rather than having an upfront plan, so they “couldn’t always give all the answers people wanted.” It may sound a little ‘back foot’ to some, but Tim feels confident that they’ve been “open” as plans change. Fran and Tim even talk of being “pleasantly surprised about the positive reaction from locals”, boasting support from the Greenwich, Blackheath and Westcombe Societies, as well as Friends of Greenwich Park.

Despite the institutional support for the equestrian events here, both Fran and Tim admit that many residents will remain unmoved. “You will always get those people whose minds you can’t change and this may be the case with NOGOE”. With the planning application to be submitted near the end of this year, the way will soon be open for the mandatory public consultation that is now looking likely to be the final standoff. Watch this space.

What do you think? Are you convinced by LOCOG’s assurances? Do you believe their timescales for closures?

Theatre Review: Sparrow Heights

By

12 May – 7 Jun
Greenwich Playhouse,
189 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8JA.
£12 (£10), Tue-Sat at 8pm, Sun at 4pm – Booking Info

Imagine a camp Dad’s Army (ok, a more camp Dad’s Army) with heavy influences from Monty Python, Blackadder, and every WW2 film you’ve ever seen: this is Sparrow Heights.

Devised by actor Martin Hearn and his company, Sparrow Heights is an unashamed romp, with enough innuendo to outdo Barbara Windsor and more puns than your Dad.  The story follows four British soldiers, who embark on a highly disorganised mission to rescue the enigmatic General George Geoffrey Bungle from the hands of the Nazis, after they’ve captured him to steal a recipe for chocolate sausage pie.  Told you it was camp.

The ludicrous premise is followed through with maximum farce and a bombardment of toilet humour that is rather painful at first, but once you’re into the rhetoric of Sparrow Heights it begins to feel much more comfortable as the pace gathers towards the close.

Well-credited director Alastair Green asks a lot of his actors, as each takes on about four different roles and the scarcity of props also necessitates a good deal of miming.  The intimacy of this small scale affair also means you can see every bead of sweat and spit that these guys put into it: 10/10 for sheer effort, and for learning 70 minutes of dialogue that could fill 3 hours if spoke at a normal pace.  Adam De Ville leads the way in all respects with a fantastic rugger-bugger precursor in his English General, closely followed by Carole Carpenter who holds her own as the only gal and deserves credit for sheer volume: after this you’ll be looking at Bette Midler in a whole new way.  Chris Courtenay and Martin Hearn round things off as the camp and the stupid respectively, and fulfil their roles adequately, though with a little less commitment than the other two and a bit more sweat.

Amidst the farce, this play is really a critique of the way in which popular culture has devised such polarised stereotypes of WW2 personnel: alcoholic, cowardly Generals, dumb privates and barbaric, deviant Germans. It pokes fun at the film genre it has borrowed, with double crossing spies hidden by ‘impeccable’ foreign accents, slow motion death scenes, and the feeling that it really was all jolly good fun, despite the dastardly danger.  I suspect there’s a serious message in here about our collective tendency to glamourise, to the point of ridicule, horrific events in our history.  But it’s only with hindsight that Sparrow Heights evokes this kind of thinking – surrounded by talk of chocolate sausage pie, it’s difficult to think in such real terms.

Pub Review: The Royal Standard, SE3

By

The Royal Standard
44, Vanbrugh Park, London, SE3 7JQ

The Orchid Group’s Royal Standard is a bit like the politician of local pubs – it surfs firmly down the middle ground, trying extremely hard to cater for all tastes. And though it’s a smart outfit that creates a general air of comfort and doesn’t charge you extra for its Wisteria free chimneys, all in all it’s just a bit bland.

The Royal Standard is a large, open pub in three distinct areas; the ‘bloke’s’ area at one end has high stools and a big plasma screen, the focal point bar and plenty of standing room sits nicely in the middle, with the more upmarket leather sofas and spider plants rounding things off at the other end. Its size doesn’t let it be cozy, but it does at least allow one to sit down.

The Royal Standard takes no risks with the bar fare or the menu, pushing a very slight ‘Best of British’ angle whilst still offering mediocre Pinot Grigio and bowls of Nachos. The staff are nice and smart, though like many other local pubs a few more smiles and a bit more chat wouldn’t go amiss.

The cries of ‘Yeah’ and ‘Come On’ from the blokes’ corner (Man United were losing at that point) didn’t seem to intrude on all the generally mixed clientele, and there were also a notable number of solo customers making themselves at home with their laptops, newspapers, or simply just a pint. Obviously a good place to go to catch up on your reading.

Since they’ve put in so much effort it would be unfair not to mention the pub’s other extensive offerings: quiz nights, Sunday roasts, advance booking, wifi internet access and fairtrade espresso coffees. Phew. The Royal Standard certainly ticks all the boxes, it’s just that in trying so hard to please everyone it doesn’t seem to really stand for anything. Just like a good politician, really.


View Larger Map

Pub Review: The Auctioneer

By

The Auctioneer
217-219 Greenwich High Road
SE10 8NB

Cheap (ish) and Cheerful

Within 5 minutes of entering this pub my friend and I were deep into reminiscing about our student days, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about The Auctioneer.

Part of the Mitchell and Butler’s ‘Scream’ branded chain, the pub makes no bones about it’s cheap and cheerful pretensions. The generic mish-mash interior and scruffy, sticky, leather furniture, mark this as a place not too fussed about its appearance and unlike most Greenwich pubs, the only mark of historical significance is graffiti on the tables informing you that, at some indeterminate time, ‘Mark woz ‘ere’.

Numerous whiteboards scream (geddit?) offers on any drink that you could put in a pitcher, and the bar is full of the usual suspects including a job lot of Carlsberg and Blossom Hill Rosé. The drinks disappointingly aren’t that cheap, but then most clued up students will know that your ‘Scream’ loyalty card will get you a discount on the more sensible drinks like Sambuca, or Screambuca as it’s called here. Classy. There is also plenty of food on offer, but given the grubby state of the menus you’re a braver person than me if you choose to give the £5 burgers a go.

But let’s not be too snobby – the Auctioneer doesn’t over promise and it’s good that the university contingent is catered for amongst a sea of very well to do pubs in Greenwich. 7 or 8 years ago I used to feel right at home in places like this, and The Auctioneer was well stocked with people for a weekday evening. Therefore, although this place may not be to everyone’s tastes, it’s a fairly perfect version of what it is: a place to get drunk before you go and steal some traffic cones.

What they say: “Aimed at students and like-minded individuals, and famous for its range of burgers as well as its excellent lager and cider selection, these pubs are often the best place in town to watch all major sporting events” – Scream Website

What you say: “It’s the sort of place where I would take the boys there for a weekend knees-up without worrying about spilling beer on the floor!” – Fellow Customer

What do you think of the Auctioneer? Post your comments below…


View Larger Map

Pub Review: The Plume of Feathers

By

The Plume of Feathers
19 Park Vista, SE10 9LZ

A slice of history

Trading on a 400 year legacy that makes it the oldest pub in Greenwich, the Plume of Feathers has obviously worked hard to maintain and market its quaint English charm. The result is a welcoming, traditional pub, short on space but big on character.

The green tiled exterior and hanging baskets create a pleasant aspect on one of the prettiest streets in the town, and it’s location off the main road gives it a less ‘city’ feel than other places in the area. Though brewery owned, it has the atmosphere of being family run, as the interior walls are covered with historical memorabilia: slightly dodgy painted plates, pictures of Greenwich old and photographs of what are presumably old landlords or notable Greenwich residents. All a bit random, but not totally out of place here.

There are a couple of real ales to choose from amongst an otherwise fairly predictable selection, and the service is efficient, if a little unsmiling. There is also food on offer, a surprisingly modern selection including vegetarian mezze and quesadillas as well as the obligatory burgers and chips. Somehow reading about stuffed vine leaves on a home made laminated menu is a little odd, but as a vegetarian I am grateful for the effort.

There is a lovely beer garden out back and the place is clearly family friendly. I did find it a little uncomfortable sat on bar stools that were slightly too large for the tables, but I guess it hasn’t changed a lot over the years and people were smaller then! One thing I will say is that although it is ‘oldie worldy’, the pub is very clean and that gives it a big tick in my book.

I stayed longer at the Plume of Feathers than I have at a pub for a while, so that’s a good indication of how comfortable I was in there. I would go again.

What they say: “Attracting locals, walkers and some tourists, the place gets packed and buzzes with a lively, congenial atmosphere.” Plume of feathers website

What you say: “I like that it isn’t totally full and has a wide selection of drinks, which is good as I drink Pernod!” Fellow Customer.

What do you think of the Plume of Feathers? Post your comments below…

Pub Review: The Mitre

By

The Mitre Hotel
291 Greenwich High Road
SE10 8NA

Keeping it real

If you ever have a friend visiting from another country and they ask you to show them a real British pub, take them to The Mitre.

The Mitre ticks almost every box on the ‘proper pub’ checklist. The large main area is adequately shabby with slightly sticky, worn décor, chesterfield sofas that have seen better days and a faint smell of stale beer. You get the feeling that many a good night has been had here by football fans and students alike and there’s been no urgency to get the industrial cleaners in afterwards. It’s certainly not flashy or impressive, but it all gives the place a sense of relaxed authenticity that is rather charming.

The drink selection is everything you would expect with a range of mainstream lagers, good soft drinks and a strong wine list to complement its emphasis on food. Expect the usual pub fare including burgers, fish and chips and chocolate fudge cake with a few vegetarian dishes as well.

Although The Mitre has its contingent of locals who prop up the bar stools, it is by no means unwelcoming to newcomers and is well situated for passing tourist trade and students. There’s a big beer garden and occasional live music, and you could even stay the night in one of the 15 bedrooms if the temptation to make a night of it in the tantalisingly named ‘Irish Bar’ is too great to resist!

‘Real’ pubs like this are increasingly rare these days, as most London watering holes seem to feel the need to spruce up, bulk buy the Tiffany lamps, prefix their pub-ness with the term ‘gastro’ and stick 50p on all the drinks prices. Not so the Mitre. It knows its place and doesn’t try too hard to change it. Good on ‘em I say.

What they say: “…run like a family business, but with all the professional care and attention you expect” The Mitre Hotel website

What you say: “Great location and a good place to come to watch the footie on a Sunday” Fellow Customer.