The Marquis, WC2

A music-oriented pub, with eclectic soundtrack, and vinyl discs and violins suspended from the ceiling. Furniture is almost entirely made up of high tables and shelves, with plastic stools (yuk), the only low stuff being near the door on the left, where I bagged a table after purchasing my half of Sharps Doom Bar. The other options among the four hand pumps were Tribute and Landlord, plus Market Porter from Portobello. My beer was ok, and I quite enjoyed sitting here and listening to the music for a few minutes. I was in quite a snug corner, with a couple of fairly roughly carpentered screens forming a semi-barrier with the bar area and the rest of the (actually quite small) pub. A sudden influx of more than half a dozen people would have changed the atmosphere completely, so my snap shot of calm may well be misleading.

Sounding more like a firm of solicitors, this has been a family-run Morton-Scott pub since 2007, having a rich history to be read at one’s leisure on the pub’s website. Did Charles Dickens drink here? Of course he bloody did! The interior’s quirky, with a modern boarded floor, black field panelled ceiling with large metal shades over the bar, with its attractive mirrored back, where one can see a turntable with a huge selection of vinyl albums and singles; the Kinks played during my stay. There are little partitions with leaded glass and a fake coal fire glowing in the entrance lobby of this narrow, banana shaped interior. Customers seemed to be theatregoers and office workers and there was a good vibe. A friendly young barman presided over one unused pump, Decca Supreme Session Ale (Portobello, apparently), Ghost Ship and Tribute at £2.50 a half and not bad but a bit cold. Not a bad place this and if I’d not been on a mini-crawl, I’d have stayed longer.

Very busy pub with 3 cask beers on inc Portobello decca session and Elgoods -santa,s piste.Not my fav brewers but nice enough beer from Portobello.Best left to the tourists this one.