The Star & Garter, Bromley

This attractive Grade II listed pub on Bromley's High Street reopened in late 2016 following a couple of years closure and is now a craft beer bar run by the team behind Stormbird in Camberwell. The exterior is pretty remarkable and includes two etched glass porches, each with spectacular 'Star & Garter' panes, although both are sadly out of use, with a modern, centrally positioned door offering the only access into the pub now. Sadly, the interior can't really match up to the promise suggested from outside. The refurb has resulted in a huge open plan room with modern floorboards and bright cream paintwork which washes the room out and loses any sense of the traditional pub interior that the building deserves. There is a large staple shaped servery to the rear with IKEA style shelving units on the bar back flanked by modern craft beer brewery signs. Some nice tile fireplaces to either side of the room give you some sort of sense of how the pub might previously have been decorated, but it's nothing more than a brief glimpse, as the vast open spaces between bar and seating dominate the landscape now. The seating is restricted to the perimeter of the room and is a mix of standard tables and chairs, low stools, pews and a few high tables and stools further back. The room extends a fair way back down the right hand side, into a space with virtually no decor at all, making it an immersive 'cream paintwork' experience. Music was playing in the background but this was easily lost under the echo created by the voices of the small handful of customers in on a Thursday night - by far the quietest of the five pubs I visited in town this evening. A patio garden is available to the rear, but in the dying light of the day, I didn't bother going out to explore. Just the two ales on the bar - Magic Rock Hat Trick and Thornbridge Peverel - with two more turned clips, a real cider and one unused pump. This was offset by 18 keg taps offering a wide range of craft keg and cider options from local and international brewers. My Peverel was perfectly drinkable and the barmaid seemed very friendly although she was pretty much tied to her phone whenever she wasn't serving, which was most of the time. I had high hopes for this place but left feeling a little disappointed as the refit has robbed this place of any character and pretty much destroyed the ambience you would expect from such a pub. It's undoubtedly the place to go if you're into craft beer and makes a worthy stop for a pub crawl but I can't imagine ever wanting to settle down for a session here and would suggest a number of other High Street venues as more suitable alternatives.