The Rose & Crown, W1

Rebuilt twice since foundation as the Greyhound in 1743, this is now a Greene King pub, so the interior needs no illustration and indeed, PSM's does the job admirably except that based on my half of Neck Oil's price of £3.40, a pint will probably now be closer to the £6.80 pint mark; Abbot and GK IPA were the real ale choices. For some reason, the place seems incredibly popular with very noisy lads and ladettes, mouthing off, with some doing shots. There was golf on the TVs, which as usual, no one was watching; I hate to think how large is GK's carbon footprint? There was also a strange knocking noise, which I took to be some form of music. This is really rather a poor pub, so I'll not be back.

Tucked down a Mayfair side street in the small area between Hyde Park and Green Park, this is a typical Taylor Walker pub, now under the ownership of Greene King. The pub has a single room set-up with bare boards, mid-height panels, patterned wallpaper upper sections, a lincrusta ceiling with tacky candelabra-style lamps and a dark wood servery along the right-hand wall. The bar has a nice decorative counter under a modern, metal-frame gantry and a plain, modern dark wood bar back. Tables with mid-height stools offer much of the seating options to the front and along the left-hand side of the room, with regular tables and chairs filling up the rear area. A couple of TV screens were on when I visited, both showing muted live cricket coverage, and elsewhere the walls were decorated with contemporary art prints, plates, vases of flowers on high shelves, a few old-fashioned posters advertising the delights of London and the occasional promotional blackboard which taint the room somewhat with their corporate feel. Stairs to the rear left lead up to a dining area which can also be used for overspill seating. My post-work visit found the pub relatively quiet compared to others in the area, with a lot of potential custom having seemingly been syphoned off to the neighbouring Hard Rock Café. Two Greene King ales – IPA and Yardbird Pale Ale – were available alongside a guest of Black Sheep Bitter, with a final handpull unused. After a week or two of poor-quality beer courtesy of the extremely hot summer weather, I opted for a pint of Beavertown Neck Oil on keg, which I regretted when I was told it was £6.20 a pint. It was at least, cold, refreshing, tasty and drinkable, which wasn’t a sure-fire thing in a lot of London pubs this summer. This is a nice enough pub that, despite its proximity to the Royal parks, seems to be far enough from the beaten track to avoid overcrowding, making it a decent bet for a peaceful post-work pint. I found the place lacked a bit of character and still felt more like a Taylor Walker pub than a Greene King outlet, but it was a pleasant enough visit and I’d be fine returning here.

Official site of The Rose & Crown - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Official site of The Rose & Crown - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

One room pub with four hand pumps but nothing above 4.5% ABV. I had Sambrooks Junction which was OK. Mind the very steep steps down to the toilets.

Now branded as a Taylor Walker house, this pub retains much of its typical Spirit-era decor and furniture. The bar area is fairly small, but it does also have a dining room upstairs. Just three handpumps on the counter, offering Youngs London Gold, Pride and Greene King's new Old Golden Hen (£3.76, and in condition). The barmaid was efficient and friendly, and it is worth considering if you find all the pubs in nearby Shepherd Market too crowded.