How's that for a bit of pub crawling variety in West London?
The previous post covered three pubs in Bayswater, ending in the Champion with a £4.70 pint of Doom Bar 😱.
I wasn't planning to visit Wetherspoons, but I needed to offset that upsetting bill with some value for money.
Plus, this stop handily passed a bit of time before the 4pm opening of the West Ealing micro pub.
I caught the tube (pleasantly quiet, although I bet it's not always like this) as far as Acton Town, then walked the short way up Gunnersby Lane to get to the uniquely named Red Lion and Pineapple.
Red Lion and Pineapple (281 High Street, Acton, W3 9BP - web)
The pub is on a ridiculously busy junction, which is why I was struggling to take a decent photo whilst passing motorists wondered why the hell that odd bloke would want a picture of Wetherspoons.
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| A very gradual return of pub life to Wetherspoons |
Had they been open, I'd have been tempted to revisit The Aeronaut or the Dragonfly, both nearby. But on a Tuesday afternoon they weren't, so it was back to the tube and a short ride to Northfields station.
The Owl & The Pussycat (106 Northfield Avenue, London, W13 9RT - web)
It's great to see a micro back up and running, although the stacked up furniture to ensure social distancing between the tables was a little odd.
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| Not the tidiest bar I've ever seen, but friendly service and a nice range of beers on offer. |
Beers were listed on a laminated sheet of A4 on each table, with 5 cask ales and 7 keg, all from the microbrewery in the back room.
I started with a half of the, very tasty, 'Genius Dry Stout'.
Remarkably avoiding the imperial Russian stout, I still managed to pick something stupidly strong with the 7% 'Kviek Strong'. A bit of a park bench special, if I'm gonna be honest. Should've had the mild.
Beer List...
Selection of Good Beer Guides...
Gratuitous WC shot...
I'm very easily impressed, okay?
And a sink ON TOP of the cistern was enough to impress me.
Plus, I think the 7% ale may have gone to my head by this point.
The next destination was merely a short stroll up Northfields Avenue...
There were five pump clips on display, but only two of the beers were actually available - surely it would be easier for staff and customers to not display beers that aren't on?
Like Jim Bowen on Bullseye, revealing the speedboat contestants could have won, had they not just lost.
"Let's have a look at the beers you could've drunk..."
This was my sixth pub of the afternoon. I've earned the right to talk nonsense by this point!
I had a Dark Star 'Hophead', the beer up to a good standard, despite the make-shift pump clip...
I'm sure I missed some great features from the extensive heritage pub entry.
It was back onto Northfields Avenue and a short walk to West Ealing station, where my final pub of the day was nicknamed 'Dracula's Castle', due to it's Gothic towers.
Drayton Court Hotel (2 The Avenue, Ealing, W13 8PH - web)
This is a spectacular building, which I really haven't done justice to on my picture...
It opened in 1894 with 60 bedrooms and ornamental gardens to the rear.
According to Wikipedia, Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman Ho Chi Minh worked in the kitchens here in 1914.
And the hotel appeared in Carry on Constable and an episode of Doctor Who (slightly less impressive than the first claim to fame, I feel).
The gardens at the rear are huge, and on a warm afternoon most customers had opted to sit out there. I choose a window seat inside, with stuffed animal heads looming over me - everything very quiet and very uneventful.
The sole beer was another 'Hophead', this time not quite matching the quality of the pint in the Forester.
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| Sizable back garden at the Drayton Court Hotel. |
With seven pubs visited, it was time to tackle London buses and find my way back to Shepherd's Bush and the Oxford Tube stop.
Hopefully I'll be able to tick off a few more in the capital soon, and fingers crossed they'll all be looking a little busier next time.
Cheers!
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