The Haverstock Tavern, NW3

I can relate to Steve C’s last comment below as I had the same question when visiting for the first time early last year. It certainly looks like a pub from the outside, especially as it has an external reference to the former name of ‘The Load of Hay’ and being built in 1863 . And continues to do so when you walk in through the main door, which has some nice remaining Victorian iron work features, including the ceiling curtain rail, which at one time must have held some sizeable heavy duty modesty curtains. But then you begin to notice a few things being at odds. At some stage some media type twonk has obviously decided that renaming it to ‘The Hill’ and going mad with the Bohemian decor makeover would be a good thing. The walls, pictures and lighting fitments seem a strange mixture of Victorian and modern and the furniture seems to be more an art collection of period pieces, presumably obtained from the nearby Camden markets, with no two pieces being the same. A complete lack of pub type facilities in there being no teles or fruit machines. (For me this is a good thing). But then a bar serving area that on approach seems initially to be void of any drink dispensing units. And the traditional back of a bar where you would expect the optics seems to have been replaced with a racking system made out of industrial meccano, whose purpose seems to be to hold wine bottles. Fortunately there was some drink dispensers including a sole real ale pump, but these seemed more of a distraction to the two girls working the bar whose function appeared to be to wait on people in the section of the strange furniture put aside to dining. This was for the food menu which was comprised of dishes whose purpose seemed to be to include as many unknown ingredients as possible and prices that would make the common working man’s jaw drop. And if I needed any further evidence that I wasn’t the target demographic, there was a bar snacks menu which comprised of Tapas. It wasn’t till after closer inspection of the window stickers that I had initially taken as GBG entries but were awards and recommendations from dining publications, and the wife came back from reading an article in the Ladies which stated that ‘The Hill’ was classified by Michelins guide in the top 40 Gastro pubs in London, that the penny dropped to what this place is about. This would also explain why the kitchen seemed to have been moved out into the bar area, with the chefs cooking behind the Meccano racking in full view of the people sitting in the dining area. And despite vowing not to return I was back in this week as at least it did provide a quiet pint compared to the scrum in the bars and pubs around The Roundhouse down the hill. And I was pleased to find that it has become a bit more pubby. The ridiculous Tapas bar snacks have been replaced with bowls of chips (wedges twice fried and in some coating but still generally chips). The more pretentious menu items have disappeared for dishes you can actually recognise, but the Steak is still an eye watering £20.00, and one of the girls is now working the bar to serve those who only want to drink. And low and behold there is now a large plazma tele installed from the ceiling by the entrance for the forthcoming world cup matches. And also this is a much more pleasant place for a social drink on a pleasant evening, as the front panels of the pub are opened making it much more light and airy and the two part secluded courtyard garden comes into its own. But still only a single ale handpump dispensing Adnams, which was decent enough. But if its vertical beer drinking you are after then the nearby Sir Richard Steele is a much better bet.

I was in here late Sunday afternoon and I think there was a private function going on in one half of the pub, so everyone else was crammed into the other half. My group felt very uncomfortable having a drink sitting amongst diners so we planned to leave after one pint. Then just as we were about to go we were asked to move to make room for a couple that had made a reservation. You have to ask yourself if this should actually be classed as a pub, I would say not!