Adam & Eve, SW1

This is another Taylor Walker pub, which had on London Pride, Bombardier, Doom Bar, and Black Sheep Bitter (£1.92 a half). The usual pub grub menu is available, and a Cask Marque sign is on show. Although the furnishings here are typical of the brand (tall tables/tall stools, some normal tables and chairs), this one has a bit more character than most. There are the tall ceilings typical of these old Victorian pubs, long curtains tied back from the windows, and a small “closet” (akin the the one at Ye Olde Mitre) at the back called “Meeting Room 3 (bookable for private parties) that would seat 8 or so people. The middle of the room is intersected by a large ledge surrounding a central pillar. Like all TW pubs it has fruit machines, and this pub’s one-armed bandit has pride of place at the back of the room flashing away at the assembled punters like a demented Dalek. To the side of the pub are some booths, separated by cut glass glazed screens. All in all this one’s not bad for a Taylor Walker pub, although it has to be said that the ale range is unexciting. This is a workmanlike pub – OK for a swift one if passing, but not worth going out of your way to find.

This is a fairly straightforward Taylor Walker pub on Petty France, close to St James’s Park tube station. You enter into the main bar space, which has bare floorboards and a centrally located drinking ledge arranged around a pillar, which helps to nicely break up the otherwise open space. The bar is on the right hand wall and I noticed that there are still some match strikers below the counter. Down the left hand side of the room, there is a carpeted seating area with some comfy leather benches and a few standard chairs in sections divided up by some screens with decorative etched glass. The walls have some nice half paneling with a moulded pattern texture above. At the rear there is a snug which is signed as ‘Meeting Room 3’, although it’s unclear where the other two rooms might be. A TV screen was tuned to Magic Radio which played at a sensible background level. Five fairly mainstream ales were available in the shape of Sharp’s Doom Bar, Wells Bombardier, Black Sheep Bitter, Fullers London Pride and Woodforde’s Wherry (£3.55). The Wherry was in fairly good shape though and the barmaid was nice and friendly, which isn’t always a given in Central London. I liked the fact that there were still a few interesting features left in this pub and that the soul hasn’t been completely ripped out of the place. It’s good to see five functioning hand pumps, but a more adventurous selection would be better, especially given the surge of new breweries in the capital. Overall, not a bad place for a quick pint, but not worth seeking out either.

Welcoming pub near St. James’ Park, with five real ales, as at last week being Pride, Doombar, Bombardier, London Gold and, as I recall, Woodforde’s Wherry, of which our party enjoyed various. Service was good, and the landlady swiftly rearranged her seating plans to allow us to continue sitting in an area that had been reserved for others. There is a small back yard, the few seats there usually populated by smokers.

Randomness Guide to London - Adam And Eve entry

Randomness Guide to London - Adam And Eve entry