The Carpenter's Arms, W6

Visited 14/01/25 Two hand pumps offering Otter Ale and their own branded bitter. Keg offering was a small but select range of Whitstable Bay blonde lager, Guinness, their own branded lager, Rothaus Pilsner, Deya Steady Rolling Man pale ale, Weihenstephaner hefe Weissbier, Gravity Theory cider and the 1936 lager. Small corner venue where my prime drinking spot was perched on a stool at the bar. Around me people were largely here dining sitting on the generally small traditional tables around the perimeter of the bare boarded venue. This is indeed a quite compact venue, and it was very pleasant for that fact alone.

Dating from 1871, this does as mentioned look like a traditional corner café on approach. It was the watering hole for those looking for a drink close to adjacent St. Peter’s Square, where in 1973 the offices for Island Records opened; the pub’s website cites the potential for visitations from the likes of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Aswad, Cat Stevens, Robert Palmer, Steve Winwood, Grace Jones and U2. It would seem to be all change here since the previous reviews, because this is now essentially a rather high-end restaurant and not even a gastropub; I was the only drinker at 8.45 on a Saturday evening, customers all being rather middleclass families or couples, who probably live in the lovely Georgian townhouses which dominate this rather genteel area. Otherwise, the interior looks a bit like a rural French bistro, with the occasional modern touch and where pork scratchings and a pickled egg costs £3.50. Annoyingly, staff were wearing masks which depersonalises the occasion; face coverings don’t protect the wearer, only the person in front of them and as I’m fully vaccinated, I don’t need the protection. Another restaurant touch here is that it’s table service only, the assumption being that the customer would prefer a tab rather than paying after each round; nevertheless, the waiter was friendly. Of note, is that electronic gizmos’ use is forbidden; joy! A large number of wall mounted beer mats hint at times’ past, otherwise one pump was unused, then it was Twickenham’s Naked Ladies at a reasonable £4.90 a pint and in very good nick. I would love to eat here if I could afford it, but this isn’t a pub in the true sense anymore; the Cross Keys is within spitting distance and is a more traditional boozer. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

There was just the one kandpump on the counter, but thankfully it was in use, dispensing Adnam's Bitter (£1.90 a half). They clearly do food as a I saw a couple ordering a dessert, plus I could see some bread by a hatch to the kitchen in the corner, but there were no menus out when I dropped in at around 2.15 on a Wednesday afternoon. Inside it has a bit of a cafe feel about it with red plastic topped tables at the front, but down at the back there are some banquettes, complete with cushions, plus some scrubbed wooden tables and normal chairs. The floor's scrubbed bare boards; there's a black and white tiled splash area in front of the bar, and there are a few miscellaneous prints and old black and white photgraphs on the walls. There is also the inevitable large vase of flowers on the bar, and at this time of year there's some Christmassy bits around the place as well. There's also a garden at the back. A notice outside says that this pub has won a Time Out award this year as community pub of the year. That's fair enough I guess, but I hope that sort of award reflects a local community customer base. This is a decent enough little side street pub. The beer choice isn't very adventurous, but it struck me as a comfortable enough place to stop off for a pint, if not the ideal place for an evening session. Something to note is that during the week it sticks to traditional opening hours i.e. 12 - 3, then 5 - 11. I would probably visit this place now and then if I lived nearby.