De Hems, W1

One of the must visit pubs when i first started drinking foreign beer.Sadly the beer range hasn,t changed much but nice feel to this bar.They now have 2 handpumps with beer from the Nicholson range.

A novelty visit, this (unbranded) Nicholson’s pub is marketed as a Dutch bar, selling Dutch lagers, alongside Dutch and Belgian bottled beers and Dutch food. The exterior is certainly and attractive one, with gold paint flourishes. The interior is a dim, high-ceilinged affair, with plenty of dark brown in attendance - from the floorboards and wood wall panelling to the furniture, with a bit of colour coming from a number of paintings up on the walls. The range on my visit was certainly impressive (around ten keg and numerous bottles in the fridge) but there was no beer menu, so where does a punter, with little knowledge of this sort of stuff start? That’s a major flaw. Prices, as expected, were pretty steep - I’m not sure quite how justified this is but I suppose you’re not likely to find a large chunk of this stuff in too many other places. Seating is relatively minimal and uncomfortable on the ground floor bar and a lot of people simply end up standing. There’s an upstairs bar that I failed to explore, perhaps it wasn’t advertised as open. Whilst it’s worth a visit for the novelty factor, I didn’t find it a particularly enjoyable place to drink so I doubt I’ll be back under my own initiative any time soon which is a shame as I always like to try something of the unusual. [EDIT – since visiting, I have been told that a number of the beers and food offerings have been cut. If true, sink my mark down to a 5…]

A high-ceilinged, attractive pub just off Shaftesbury Avenue that, as mentioned, has a Dutch theme (despite being owned by Nicholson's). There is no real ale and a couple of continental lagers on draft such as Lindeboom but otherwise there's little to distinguish it from any other pub in truth. The unused space at the front of the pub, with high tables skirting around the outside, seems like a bit of a waste although there is more comfortable seating further in. I enjoyed a bottle of Chimay Blue (£4) but I couldn't stay long. Gradually during my visit it filled up with tourists, no doubt enticed by the prospect of the Dutch food - although looking at a menu apart from a few small plates it seemed regulation English fare. A curious place and I couldn't help thinking, something of a missed opportunity.

Just outside the entrance to Chinatown stands The De Hems, a so called Dutch café bar which describes itself as "Stylishly Dutch delivered with real personality". Outside the pub, an information board tells us that a public house has been on this site since 1688 and that it was a meeting place for the Dutch Resistance in the Second World War. Never having been to Holland, I have to confess that I'm not exactly sure what a Dutch café bar should look or feel like, but, in the main, this feels very much like an archetypal London pub to me. Yes, there's a framed orange Holland shirt, some Dutch specialities on the menu, a "Gezundheit" mirror and an array of foreign lagers such as Kreik, Amstel, Grolsch and Fruli, but the bare floorboards, high wooden tables and chairs and general echoey and uncomfortable feel are reminiscent of many a London pub nowadays, as indeed is the array of non - British lagers. The interior also features a high ceiling, some polished wood panelling and some framed paintings ( Van Gogh ?). A notice by the bar tells us that, in Holland, all good beers are served with a large head, but that top ups are given on request. I suppose that, in this respect, it's different from many London pubs where the staff serve you short measure without having the courtesy to forewarn you, and then look at you in an odd way if you have the temerity to request a full pint ! It's a Nicholson's pub, but not branded as such and there's no real ale - despite the website clearly indicating to the contrary. The pub picture clearly shows handpumps offering TT Landlord and Youngs Ordinary, but it would appear that real ale has been off the drinks menu for some time now. I'm not marking this one down for a return visit.

Randomness Guide to London - De Hems entry

Randomness Guide to London - De Hems entry

There has been a pub heer since 1688 but the current building dates from 1890 when it was known as the Macclesfield, owned by De Hem, a Dutch sea captain after whom the pub was renamed in 1959. In its heyday it was as famous for its oysters as it was for its beers with the pub walls once covered with the used shells. These have now all gone leaving a far more mundane interior but its Dutch connections are still celebrated. During the war, this was a regular meeting place for for the Dutch Resistance whereas now you will more likely find tourists and office workers mulling over the football results or having pre-theatre drinks. The pub is spread over 2 floors, the main bar on the ground floor being one extended room with bare floors, plain walls and a few fake Dutch masterpieces hanging on the walls. Upstairs is a separate bar with more of a loungy feel and generally a bit quieter. The beers arenaturally Dutch influenced apart from the Guinness seemingly a bit out of place. Unusually for a Nicholsons pub, although in keeping with the pubs theme, they do not have any Real Ales which is part of the reason I couldn’t really use the place on a more regular basis despite its interesting history and handy position in the heart of Soho.