Mixed up

Pub 163, The Good Mixer. 1st March 2013.

Ahhhh, The Good Mixer. The world famous sweaty beating heart of Camden. As Dick Turpin/Charles Dickens/Boudicca has drunk in pretty much every pub in north Londo, then every single person famous in the 90s used to frequent the Good Mixer.

But I've had many many good times there. Met so many friends there, many of whom I'm still pals with now. The fine Antipodean barstaff, Cookie, Al, Craig et al, would often have my pint on the bar as soon as they saw me come through the door. But they would stand for no trouble - legend had it they could monitor the whole pub from the behind either of the two bars using the network of strategically placed mirrors. Scotty & Sarah ran a good ship. It was smelly, hot, bright, and think with low lying smoke. The pool tables were in the way.  Even the punks were friendly. The market traders weren't always so amiable though.

Remember before the clamp down on street drinking when the crowds from within would flood out and fill Inverness Street? I remember well stood outside here on a balmy July evening, a peculiar subdued and confused atmosphere hung heavy as people took on board the 7/7 bombings.

Remember walking out with a pint in hand straight into Under Solo next door for the Sunday night disco? Or everyone en masse heading up Parkway for a late drink in the Dublin Castle (2 quid to get in?! But I live here!). Good times.

But being older and tireder now I've only been in a few times in the past few years, but not a lot seems to have changed. Although it looks a bit cleaner, and took me an age to get served. No misery-guts Amy Winehouse playing pool anymore.
The Pride was good enough. It's still the Good Mixer. (A name which I reckon comes from a type of cheap Victorian gin. What do you reckon??)

Points west

Pub 162. The Westport Inn, 1st March 2013

I think you can safely say that there's not many pubs like the Westport Inn (you may know better as the Gypsy Queen, ironically renamed as it's run by gypsy folk or suitably renamed as all the gypsies got barred) left in our fine borough. Pretense and frills are not to be found here! But at £1.30 for a bottle of light ale, good value is.

And so is free entertainment. Entertainment in the way of a surly but efficient landlord, lively locals - some very friendly (the older ones) and some somewhat unpleasant looking (the younger ones.) A damn fine singer was provided, although I forget his name now. But then they laid on the best pub entertainment of all - a good old fashioned bar brawl!

But in keeping with these modern health & safety times it was a brawl in which no-one got hurt. There'd been a funeral so spirits were running high, and evidently running low behind the bar too. After a little while it all came to a head and a one young lady had had enough of one young man, and gave him what for. All hands were on deck, a table went over, glasses were atomised and some old chaps having a post shopping drink fled. The landlord came out armed mop & bucket and dustpan & brush. Things were calmed down, except for odd brief respite, with the usual "he's not worth its" and "we've all had a drinks". No-one really batted an eyelid, not least the singer. I suspect it's not the first brawl in there, but it's the first I've seen for a while and therefore jolly exciting.

Anyways, not one for the faint hearted or hoity-toity princesses. But if you want a community pub full of locals (some very friendly), and cheap light ale, a good singer and the chance of a punch up then the Westport is for you.

I even had the door opened for me on the way in by a very elderly lady having a smoke in the doorway. How charming!

Eton mess

Pub 161. The Adelaide.

Formerly known as the Eton, after the school which owned much land round here, some bright spark renamed the Adelaide a while back. The rad place down under is much cooler sounding than a stuffy old public school. Too bad the Adelaide we're talking about here is one of Queen Victoria's precious little ones.

Oh well. No matter because it's closed now. I only went here once or twice and can't remember an awful lot about it. One occasion we were sat out in the garden and I thought my friend' friends were a bit dull.

The other time I stood at the bar, and thought what a nice spacious bar to be stood at.

It stills looks like a functional pub inside though - a sniff of the Marie Celeste. I wonder what will become of it? Luxury flats I'd wager.

In Last place

Pub no. 160. The Bull and Last, 26th February 2013.

Is this the poshest pub in Camden that still honestly call itself a pub? I think it might be. Just look at my glass!! Although for £2.10 for a half ELB pale ale you'd expect a fancy glass.

It's the kind of pub where you might want to take your mum. I believe the Sunday roasts are good here - "Yorkshire puddings the size of weddings hats" sound bang on to me, mind you I bet there's not much change from 15 quid though. But on this occasion it was just drinkers. A group of lads sat down at tables, and two painfully hip foreign chaps at the bar. See his white headphones above? You can't see his cat-mourning trousers revealing carefully chosen green socks. They were doing that odd thing that Europeans do - talking constantly with absolutely no expression. With Brits in a pub every sentence or so will be punctuated by shock, exclamation or laughter. And that what's makes us better :-)

Anyways, I digress. The one thing I really didn't like about here, other than the prices, were the stupid candles on the tables. I hate them. I'd much rather walk 5 mins down the road to Southampton Arms.

And as for the name, no matter what you're told I'm pretty sure that in this context 'last' means 'gate'. But I can't find proof. But I'm sure I read it somewhere. Makes sense though?

Hip to be Square

Pub 159. The Square Tavern. 25th February 2013.

Camden's most secret pub?? Hidden down an alley in a square in the middle of a housing estate it can't get much passing trade. But it seems to be busy most nights with post-work office drinkers.

What you get a is pretty standard Youngs pub, which is no bad thing. When I went only one ale was on, Young's Ordinary Bitter. Which is fine. There's also something like 100 different malt whiskies to choose from. I joked with the barmaid that I planned to try them all - she laughed politely.

It was fairly quiet on my visit. But on one site a group of men were tucking in to their fish & chips or steak & ale pie or whatever Youngs pub grub they'd chosen, so over there it stunk of gravy and vinegar much to the distate of my nose. So I went to the other side, where the shrill shreeching accent of a young American girl was much to the distate of my ears. You can't win.
But beer tasted nice and the pub looks ok. So it's not all bad.

Go for coffee?

Pub 158. The Somers Town Coffee House, 25th February 2013

Very nice. Very modern. Very trendy. Huge range of hip quirky snacks. Probably organic. Good beer. Best royal coat of arms in any pub in Camden. Lots of Union Jacks. Pleasant amiable jolly punters. It couldn't be more different to the currently under threat Cock just up the road.

The only thing is is that it's one of those pubs that insists you drink sitting at a dining table. Or flop back in an awkward and impractical couch.

Probably lovely out front in the summer. Quite nice inside too. They probably do coffee too.

Dear George

Pub 157. The Royal George

The Royal George is just opposite Euston station and so on a few occasions when friends from the north have been visiting London they've insisted on drinks here before their train back home, despite my suggestions that the Bree Louise, Exmouth Arms or Doric Arch are much better boozers for thirsty travellers-to-be. But it was their call and at least it's not the Britannia.

Anyways, it's basic and no frills and perfectly ok. The ales were good last time I was there. Although a mate on his way back from Wembley once preferred to buy his own shop-bought cans. What a cheek! He then couldn't take them on the train, so they had to be smuggled though a gap in a Euston gate. Aren't we naughty!?

 And the tables are a nice sunny spot on a summer's day if you don't mind the traffic. It's also the only pub in the borough I can think of that has a anemometer... I would if the local wind speeds are displayed within? I shall check next time.

It's also worth checking where the name comes from... a fascinating but sad tale.

Update - the anemometer is for judging when it's time to wind the canopies in. You live and learn!

Ship ahoy

Pub 156. The Ship.

I've only ever been in here once a good while back, and that was while researching an 'ancient pubs' pub crawl. The Ship dates back to 1549 so it fitted the bill well. But unfortunately as the crawl commenced we completely forgot to go in. Don't worry though - there were 14 others! 

And as it's so discretely tucked away in a most medieval warren of alleys it's not surprising that we missed it.

Shame though, as it's not a bad pub. Not unusual or spectacular but good ales and a nice atmosphere.