Pubs of London: Drinking it all in

Of course, the fact that cane-sugar sweet tea runs in my Southern blood plays on the fact that I just can't get my lips around a frothy bottle of suds. Beer experts out there might scoff, but, for me, ordering my cider was just as much fun and refreshing.

During my research about London I did manage to find a book called Food Lover's London. It was rather expensive and I decided not to buy. It's in it's 3rd edition, so I assume it has some advice to offer on this touchy subject.

Our Fat Tire bike guide referred us to this pub and the food was tasteful, though I can't really say delicious. I can see how English food can be taken for bland. There is a possibility for complacency. Luckily our dishes were good, notice I didn't say great.

The pub we went to was lined with beautiful mahogany wood; it was dark inside and quiet for an afternoon pub. The tea room had a handful of older women enjoying early tea and the couches near the bar cushioned amiable soccer players either starting or ending a Sunday game. The tables were low, indicating it was a very casual pub. Our bike guide, Jack, soon appeared at the bar and Paul asked for advice on what to order. He wanted meat and potatoes. Other Fat Tire bikers were there as well and we were able to visit.



Each dish came with boiled carrots and peas. The carrots and peas were unsalted but perfectly cooked. Paul's pastry was like a pot pie, with flaky, buttery crust. It hit the spot.

Paul's dish...


My dish was a little more English. Americans are used to our bread puddings tasting sweet, not savory. The best way to explain this is that it was a pot pie made with bread instead of crust. The bread had a wonderful texture and beefy taste that added to the sauce and beef inside it. Good stuff. I washed it down with an orange squash and ordered a sweet raspberry pudding for dessert. Paul and Heidi ordered a caramel pudding. Both were good but not overly tasty. The sweetest part of my dish was the raspberry sauce not the creme icing, which tasted more like rich creme than icing. The bread was perfectly moist and I could only conclude that it was some sort of bran, because the bran added to the layer of flavor.







Finding a London pub entrance is also fun. Entrances to pubs were made off to the side of the building as well as the front. Often the side entrances were just as or more ornate. I can only guess that a side entrance was useful for husbands with sensitive wives.

Sunday pubs in London close early. Even though it was only 6 or 7 in the evening, pubs were closed and we ended eating our meal outside on the steps of a park and watching the London lights appear for the night.



The pub below is considered the oldest pub in London, which began as a monastery.



The lights coming on in the London twilight.