The Salamander, Bath

Food oriented pub with expensive beer. The only server broke off from serving us beers to carry a plate of something to a table. There was a perfunctory apology, but on another day I'd have walked out. (Our group had been half served, half not, so it wasn't really an option.) Two halves of 3.8% St Austell Anthem were £6.50, a price I'm not used to paying in Sheffield. I don't normally complain about the background music, but at prices like that I expect better than Harry Nilsson and Neil Young.

I must have come close to visiting the Salamander the last time I was in Bath, which must have been almost 15 years ago. I certainly visited the Raven just a few doors down from here. The ground floor space comprises an area for drinkers near the window and an area being used by diners to the rear. Although, the presence of a specials board at the front suggests that dining is welcomed pretty much anywhere. Although at £17, I'm not sure I'd chose the Toad in the Hole special. Bath Gem & St Austell Proper Job are the regular beers. Guests were St Austell Anthem & La Dolce Vita. The cider was Thatcher's Stan's Big Apple.

Compact city centre pub with a modern take on a traditional pub interior that contrasts with some of the more authentic boozers in this part of town. The pub catches the eye on approach, thanks to an impressive sunflower display in the front windows - a fairly unique feature in my experience. The bar is accessed via an entrance corridor, through a door to the right, and is mostly done out in light wood, with plenty of tongue and groove panelling and modern fixtures and fittings. The bar area itself is relatively cramped, but the room opens out to the rear, where it sprawls into a dining area, with huge mirrors on the walls, which make the space feel larger than it is. Decor is modest, but there are some nice display cabinets full of beer bottles and other bits of breweriana. A second dining room can be found on the first floor and plenty of people seemed to be eating when we visited, although the space around the bar remained a lively spot for drinkers to congregate in. There’s a handsome row of handpulls on the bar, but three of these were unclipped and one was dispensing a real cider, leaving a choice of St Austell Proper Job and Anthem and Bath Gem for the ale drinker. I’d never seen the St Austell Anthem before, so plumped for a half of that. It was served in good condition, but wasn’t perhaps the best beer this brewery has produced. This was a nice switch up from the extensive list of old alehouses that Bath has to offer, providing a more contemporary take on a traditional pub and catering for diners without making it feel more like a restaurant. The beer was in good shape, the customers created a lively vibe and the service was friendly, so there was much to recommend and it would make a good addition to any city centre crawl.

Interestingly, the 2022 GBG Guide details it as a St Austell tied house. I think proper job was on, but the most common cask was Bath Ales - with a least a couple dispensing Gem. Next door to the Raven - so double ticking for little effort can be achieved. A flying visit. I remember a narrow bar opening out to a back room. Nowhere available to sit in either location. Nice to see a busy pub on a Friday night. Lots of flyers for comedy events. Didnt have time for a pint - so a quick whisky. I checked the prices of Lagavullin 16 and thank lord I did, otherwise I would have had to apply to pay by monthly installments if I had ordered a large one.

This is still a Bath Ales pub, and as well as Gem, which seems to be the only Bath ale you get in London where I live, it also had on Spa; Prophecy; and Barnsey. Also available was St Austell Tribute and Cornish Orchards Farmhouse Cider on handpump. I was in here on Saturday afternoon, and although I didn't see a menu I did see someone tucking into a burger. This pub is quite a bit bigger than is immediately apparent from the outside. There's a seating area on the right as you enter adjacent to the counter, with more seating in a room that goes back on the left. As far as I could tell all furnishings were traditional, so it struck me as a comfortable enough pub. There was a fair bit of gastro grey about, but there again nowhere's perfect. I liked this place and would be happy to visit again, but there again I do like Bath Brewery ales.