The Duke of Hammersmith, Hammersmith, W6

A really nice place to sink a couple before heading off to the Palais - a definite cut above the average 'next-to-a-large-music-venue' boozer. My visit found the two cask ales (Bombardier and Courage Best) in excellent condition. The interior is light, bright and clean.Pool, 3 plasma screen TVs and Thai food also feature.

I was served an undrinkable pint of Greene King IPA in here and ended up swapping it for an Old Speckled Hen which was ok. There is also a selection of standard lagers alongside Peroni. Since my last visit ten or so years ago they have added an extension onto the side which has tripled the size of the pub and made it a little brighter. Unfortunately I think that a little bit of the charm has gone, but it is still a decent pub. I counted three plasma screens dotted around and there is also a pool table at the back of the extension. To my horror I discovered that my once much loved dart board had vanished. The barmaid was nice enough and the crowd seemed friendly so you could do a lot worse than giving this pub a try.