The Anglesea Arms, W6

A corner backstreet pub given over to food, reverse L-shaped round the bar counter and decorated in a shabby chic sort of style. Packed with diners but still very friendly, and they were clearly very good at squeezing people in. The only ale on was a TT Landlord - nice, if very pricey - with the other regular Otter Ale clip-reversed. probably better at a quieter time.

Dating from 1866, this supposedly underwent a gastro makeover in 1996. The floor is bare boarded, the walls clad with dark wood which may be modern. Furniture is simple and conventional, with some pews, though situated very close together, making for an overly intimate environment. The bar array is probably fairly new and simple, fashioned from russet wood. The rear dining area features what the owner calls ‘The Long Brick Wall’; brick it is indeed, home to works of modern art. Lighting comes from shades over the bar, then tulip-style sconces. A bonus comes in the complete lack of TVs or even music, the ambient noise dominated by conversation from customers who were fairly mixed and probably all local, some being rugger types. The ale front amounted to Tribute (reversed), Landlord and Otter Bitter at a fair price of £2.40 a half and fine, served by a friendly barmaid. I didn’t mind this place at all. It’s far less gastro than I was led to believe and is better than the Thatched House and certainly better than the Andover; I could happily pop in here if in the vicinity, but a more imaginative ale range would get the score up.

Official site of The Anglesea Arms - www.angleseaarmspub.co.uk

Official site of The Anglesea Arms - www.angleseaarmspub.co.uk

Went to the new Angelsea Arms for a celebration supper, the food is as brilliant as it ever was, sadly the evening was ruined by the charmless service!