Hotel motel

Pub 284, 1 Duke's Road. 22nd November 2014.

Yes, it's a hotel bar but it's got a separate entrance and its own name so in my book that makes just passable as a 'pub'. Only just, but it's my game and my rules. And if the Night & Day, Callaghan's and Bar Tavistock pass muster so must this. And thinking about it it's not really much different to pubs and bars - in theory! It also has draught beer on, which is why I've not felt obliged to go into Simmon's in Camden Town as it looks like it's bottles only. Correct me if I'm wrong. But I will have to go to the Fitzrovia branch - as I never had the chance when it was Potion. Not that I'm very excited about mind, but I digress...

So back to 1 Duke's Road. It's worth noting that the entrance that bears the name "1 Duke's Road" is actually on the Euston Road.
People do seem to be using it just for a drink - maybe their guests or not, I don't know. It's comfy enough inside. The keg beer was fine. I don't remember what it was or how much it was though. And the large poster of the nearby Euston War Memorial is a nice touch.

Taving a laugh

Pub 283. Bar Tavistock, 23rd October 2014.

Hotel bars are funny one, but I reckon if they are sold as being separate from the main hotel they have to count. Which means there's another one possibly too, which looks awful.

 

So I went in for a decent pint of decent ale (Spitfire I think) for a decent-ish price. And that's about it.

It's a bit art-decoey. One for completists only, or Russell Square pub crawlers.

Show must Belgo on

Pub 282. Belgo, 22nd October 2014.

Just when I'd thought I'd done them all, the Belgium elephant in the room snorted loudly. Belgo must be treated as a pub, at least the bar area at the front. And aptly an elephant adorned one of the walls, a Belgian nod perhaps to Camden Town's brewing past?

I had an engagement in the Roundhouse over the road, so it did make sense, and the Belgians are known for their beer I suppose. Cold and fizzy and funny tasting though it may be. So I had half a pils.

Very cosy in here. Tiny bar - perhaps the smallest bar in the borough.

A chap drinking Kwak got served with mini-yards in wooden frames. Crazy.

All done but not beaten.

Pub 281. The Beaten Docket, 9th July 2014.

The Beaten Docket is the now the only pub in Camden I've not been in (that was possible to go into at the time of visiting... stupid All Bar One!) and all that hard work as given a right thirst.And where better to go out with a celebratory bang than in a Cricklewood Wetherspoons.

But at least that means that ones thirst can be quenched very cheaply. The Pure Gold was very nice too.

But there again, it being a Wetherspoons it was of course just like every other Wetherspoons, complete with tourists' half-eaten food. And a 2 mile walk to the loos.

This one had BBC beer mats. Don't think I've any of them before. The things you discover having a drink in every pub in Camden!

My dear Wa☘son

Pub 280. Elementree, 9th July 2014.

This is a funny place. I asked for half a lager and the lady behind bar grunted at me "Two." I looked at her. "Two." she repeated. Two pounds please Sir! is what I assume she meant.

Anyways I settled down on a comfy seat, and felt I was in a place could be anywhere in the world, watching You've Been Framed, and resisting the temptation to pull back one of the glass balls of the lamp shade/ceiling decoration and let it go creating a 2D Newton's cradle effect.

And I've not done a thing.

Pub 279. Done Our Bit, 9th July 2014.

I know, I shouldn't include this as it's a social club rather than a pub. But if you're lucky like me a nice friendly chap in there might sign you in as a guest. You might even get put up for membership!

So, I popped in on the off-chance and was quite prepared to be told "Sorry - members only" but the couple of chaps in there were very friendly indeed, and I ended up staying for a good few light ales.
And much fine chit-chat about football, the state of clubs and Jeff Goldblum (we were watching Pointless),

It's a club for ex-servicemen - hence "Done Our Bit", and rightly so. But I don't think you need to be an ex-serviceman now.And members get to use that all too-rare treat once common when cubs were common - one of the full size snooker tables. More than all the (other) pubs in Camden put together.

If I lived a bit closer I'd definitely be asking for a membership form, and hoping to be seconded. Instead, I just hope someone will sign me again next time I'm passing. If it's good enough for Jimmy Edwards it's good enough for me!

I'm just grateful that I never had to do my bit. Lest we forget. Cheers boys.

No pictures!

Pub 278. The Gallery, 9th July 2014.

A gallery! Great - might get to see some nice pictures or art or something. But nope. The only art here is very loud music. I guess the gallery is the balcony thing inside, commanding fine views of whatever is underneath, as an estate agent might say.

The barman was nice, the beer fizzy and expensive. My first choice of seat was next to an ear-level loudspeaker. My second choice in a squishy leather couch by many passing face-level babcksides, and next to some creaky wooden steps that everyone insisted of stamping down with great gusto.

I tried not to rush my drink but the little spot lights behind the ceiling fans, combined with "the tunes" were giving my a right old headache. To paraphrase Tony Hart's gallery announcement "I'm sorry but I can't promise to return..."

Brown Sugar

Pub 277. Brown Sugar, 2nd July 2014.

"It is with great pleasure we welcome you through our doors and into the wonderful world of Brown Sugar." A grand welcome indeed. I wonder if the welcome when it was the Three Compasses was a grand. Or when it was Bar Mosko if they welcomed you in cod Russian so you knew it was  a Russian bar?

Anyways, now it's lagers & cocktails & Thai food. And if you like, on a barmy summer's day like today, you can sit outside on the pavement and enjoy the atmosphere of one of the most traffic-laden streets in London.

Quite why they have clear glass lampshades though, I'm not sure.

"... with the best party atmosphere thrown in for free." - I would probably ask them to leave that to one side, free or not.

Novelty rock?

Pub 275. Aces & Eights, 3rd July 2014.

This used to be a bank once. And then it turned into a bar. Called The Bank. And it was as much fun being in a bank.

Now it's Tufnell Park's premier American-style rock 'n' roll dive bar, named in honour of the most notorious hand in poker.

They don't have any ales either, but it was a sweltering day and a Camden Town Hells went down quite nicely. But at £4.10 a pint Camden Town must be raking it in. They might even be able to afford to actually move to Camden Town one day.

But it's pleasant enough inside - probably because I had the place to myself for most of the time.
The barmaid was lovely - and English! And the numerous other ladies were equally easy on the eye, and naked.

Outside it claims they sell "liqour, pizza, rock". I could see the liquor behind the bar, and pizza menu looked appetising but nowhere could I see any rock for sale. Har har.

Craftier!

Pub 274. The Craft Beer Company, Covent Garden. 2nd July 2014.

From an awful looking cocktail bar to a Craft Beer Co. Not bad I suppose. I don't mind the Crafts - good ale and nice and quiet (well, quiet as in no music or tellys). But are they are a chainy - like an upmarket Wetherspoons. Why don't they give them proper names?? Especially as this is the second one in Camden now and others are springing up all over the place.

The crowd in here was split between the Camra tickers and young beardy-hipsters getting into this cool new thing called "ale".

The barman was a bit surly, probably fed up of repeatedly telling people how long they'd been open. The barmaid on being asked the same thing was much more chatty - I should've asked her.

The Mallison's Brewer's Gold was very nice. Mallison's isn't far from where I sued to buy my homebrew gear the last time I tried such a thing. That area of Huddersfield is obviously a hotspot for brewing excellence!

Anyways, chain or not there's a decent new pub in Camden and hoorah for that!

All barred

Pub 274. All Bar One (New Oxford St). 2nd July 2014.

I've walked past here so many times - past being the operative word. But today, when I'd forced myself to go in, it was closed for a "make over", due to re-open on the 9th of July.

Sigh... I guess I'll have to come back. No rush tho!

Made it

Pub 273. Made in Camden, 29th June 2013.

Just about managing to count as 'pub'. Just. Not much change from a fiver for a pint of keg Speckled Hen. The most notable thing was the gorgeous girl sat at the next table moaning about men. Popular with the tourists and Roundhousers I suppose.

In the smoke.

Pub 272. One Sixty, 23rd June.

The last time I was passing here this was a sushi place. Not my cup of tea at all. Not it looks like a pub, and it basically is. But it's also a smokehouse. Sadly for quietly enjoying a puff of your mellow tasting bacca pipe, but something to do with cooking meat or something 160 degs F is apparently the temperature to cook meat at, rather than the address.

The large photos of brewery kit on the wall and array of hand-pumps made me think that some tasty ales were going to be on offer - perhaps brewed on-site?! But no, it's not their brewery and they have no ale on yet. But they've not been open long so I'm sure they will have at some point.

One odd thing happened though... apart from family dining out the back there was only one other person in apart from me. A minute after sitting down a waiter came over to me with some a corn-on-the-cob in a bowl. "For you?" he said. "Nope... not me" I said. And so he wandered back past the other the chap towards the counter area for a discussion about who the corny nosh was for. He put it down, wandered off. Came back, came towards me again when the other chap, presumably quite peckish by then asked "Is that mine?", "Oh yes" said the waiter. "Enjoy!". Why didn't he just ask the other fellow at first?

Oh well. Good luck to them. I can't stand sushi! And new pub selling good ale, no matter how chic or smokey is to be welcomed. And there's a free kitchen roll on every table - everywhere that sells food should do this.

Brocca roll.

Pub 271. La Brocca, 23rd June 2014.

I had to take a long hard look at this one to figure out if it could possibly count as a pub or not, looking as it does some kind of euro-cafe. Italian I guess. There's so many flags adorning place at the moment its hard to tell. In fact, I thought I'd better ponder it over a drink.

It was a warm day and the West End Lane is never that nice on any day, so a the cool quiet inside was a nice break. Lager only but it was refreshing enough.

With the restuarant downstairs and a few afternoon boozers inside, at the bar and outside I guess it just about counts. And it's not really that unpleasant if you're passing.

Cube bye

Pub 270. The Cube Bar.

I went in here once ages back and it was all 90s designer chic and whatever lager was trendy at the time. Apparently it was a bank before that and I'm sure it had more charm when it turning down overdrafts than preparing drunken oafs for a Saturday night punch-up.

The designers are very proud of the interior though. I don't hear much about it being missed.

Cu-bar

Pub 269. The Cuban, 8th June 2014.

Another one that on the face of it you'd think can't possibly count as a pub... but once you're in you have to accept that it is. Sort of. And that's enough.

And it's quite pleasant in a lagery, touristy kinda way. It would be really really nice if it had ales on and nicer music and wasn't pretending to be something it's not, ie. a corner of Cuba.

What would be nice is if they made more of the building's history as stables for the 100s of horses that used ply their trade round here. And what little quirks like this hole in the wall are for.
But why would the tourists care?? They just want to come to London and then pretend they're somewhere else.