The Two Chairmen, SW1

Not to be confused with the other Two Chairmen near Trafalgar Square, this Punch Inns pub has managed to survive the worst excesses of their corporate cloning policy, possibly due to its small size. It makes a reasonable fist of its primary function, which is to refresh the vast number of civil servants who work around here. If you get their early enough in the day and hit lucky there's be six beers on offer, TT Landlord and Black Sheep on top of the more usual suspects, though like many Punch pubs once they're off they're off for the night. I do wonder if they have one cellarman who goes round a series of pubs each morning to do the beer and that's it for the day. OK if you're passing or have business in the area.

This place is ok, but nothing special in an area full of real ale boozers. The barman was friendly enough and he was dishing out Pride, Bombardier, 6X, Greene King IPA and Deuchars along with Guinness, Strongbow and three standard lagers. There is a small TV set up in the corner, but I got the feeling that it is only turned on for royal weddings and funerals. There is some pew seating jutting out either side of the fireplace as to face it at 30 degrees and this does drastically cut down the standing room of the pub, but it looks quite cool and it wasn't very busy when I visited anyway. I would go back here if passing.

It's a Spirit Group pub, so the beer choice is unlikely to be very imaginative. When I was in they had on Bombardier; London Pride; and Deuchars IPA. The Deuchars was £2.80 a pint which is a pretty good price, but unfortunately mine tasted fairly lifeless. The exterior of the pub has got the appearance of a classic hidden backstreet gem, but in comparison the interior is a bit disappointing, having been given the Spirit Group corporate appearance. The pub itself is a small one-room affair; carpeted throughout (which I always think gives a pub a warm feel) and with furniture consisting mainly of banquettes and stools. There's not a lot of natural light getting inside, making it fairly gloomy, but which is not a problem as it can lend a more intimate feel to a place. The interior is not completely soulless I suppose, but it would be so much better without the SG style faux chalkboards above the bar, as well as the games and cash machines. Banal pop music being played of course – but where doesn't play it? Par for the course I suppose. For some reason I didn't really take to this pub, but I can't put my finger on why. Perhaps it's because I expected so much more from a pub with such an attractive exterior, or perhaps because I was the only person in there for most of my stay – or maybe it was the below par pint. Anyway, I'll give it another try when I'm next in the area.

This being one of the closest pubs to my office, I have tried hard to get to like this place. It has all the ingredients of a decent pub but somehow it just lacks anything to make it stand out. Dating from 1756, it stands in a grand street where every other building seems to have a blue plaque. The alley that runs down the side, now called Lewisham Street, was once a major thoroughfare linking St James to the Houses of Parliament and was a base for operators of sedan chairs and the pub name is derived from this trade. The interior of the pub is quite cosy but rather dimly lit and with little natural light to lift the gloom. The décor is fairly dated with old fashioned wallpaper, dark paneling and a dark patterned papered ceiling. The central area is divided by 2 low angled wooden screens with pew seating and a tiled fireplace in a wood panel surround. At the back is more pew seating and 3 fading murals depicting 18th century scenes but these are badly lit and best observed from distance. They do a decent range of Real Ales, usually 6 at any one time although the guest beers generally tend to be rather unadventurous. Quality is usually OK and they have Cask Marque accreditation. Food is reasonably priced and looks fine but the choice is standard pub fare. There is an upstairs “Sedan” bar into which I have yet to venture. It can also be very smoky although this will thankfully be a thing of the past come July. I can't help feel that this pub is a bit of an underachiever given its location and targeted customer base and whilst the cornerstones are in place to make this place become one of the best in the vicinity, it really needs a bit of brightening up.