The Prince Regent, Herne Hill, SE24

I thought this was a lovely location (similar to the Florence a few doors down) but it just lacked any decent cask options. Only hand pump was Harvey’s Sussex Best but rejected by me based on a sample and so nothing more than the typical raft of keg offers. Another venue where the punter volume was driven by a quiz tonight, again GK and obviously general knowledge but the advanced age demographic compared to the earlier venue suggested the attendance would have done relatively better on a traditional English brewer set of conundrums.

A typical large, corner street London pub with large window openings and internally large scrubbed timber tables. The main feature in here was the oak and glass partition that separates the main bar area from the left hand lounge area. The original pot shelf above the bar and lots of oak timber work also gave this pub added interest. Four handpumps with only two in use on our visit. The barman told us the pub had been rammed all afternoon, so he would take a look down in the cellar to see what he could put on next. It turned out to be Adnam's Mosiac so I went for that at £4 a pint, which was the cheapest around this area.

Beenin here a few times and liked the ambiance.Lot of good pubs in this area.Cask beers were Brittania -bitter,Otter -opa and Weetwood -mad hatter which was very good.

This is a large, imposing Victorian pub on the main road through Herne Hill, opposite Brockwell Park Lido. The pub presents quite a fine facade when viewed from the opposite side of the road, with some lovely patterned brickwork, a large pictorial corner panel and a statue of the eponymous Prince. The pub offers plenty of evidence for a former multiple room interior, which has now inevitably been opened out into a large open plan space, although a dark wood and glass screen to the left helps to partition the room into two distinctly different areas. Elsewhere, some low screens with etched glass panes on the top are used to break up sight lines and create a bit of privacy, so the overall effect leans more towards that of a traditional Victorian pub than a modern, open plan pub. The room has a dark wood floor and similar wood panelling on the walls, which all combines well with the low level lighting throughout the pub, helping to generate a very cosy ambience. The servery runs along the back wall and has a nicely worked dark wood bar back and canopy, featuring lots of nice detail. Seating comprises a few large tables with standard chairs and pews, plus a handful of high tables and stools to the front and right. Meanwhile, the left hand room looks more like a dining room, thanks in part to a more formal set of tables and chairs as well as a long banquette under a huge Trumans mirror and lots of framed paintings. I spotted a couple of TV screens dotted around the place but they were turned off and no music was playing either, which was quite a refreshing change. I visited on a bitterly cold evening, so the last thing on my mind was drinking outside, but I did note a few pavement side tables for warmer months. The pub seems to have a wide roster of events planned, including things like pub quizzes, movie nights and life drawing classes. There were three ales available in this former Good Beer Guide listing - Woodfordes Wherry, Bath Barnsey and Weetwood Oregon Pale. I tried the later at £3.90 a pint and had to wait whilst the barmaid and then her manager tried their best to get a pint of it into my glass. I have to say this was one of the longest pours I have ever seen - they must've lost about five times the amount of liquid that ended up in my pint and to be honest, it wasn't really worth the effort, as the pint was sub-par on the quality front, although I should add that I saw the other two ales being poured without any such difficulties. I quite liked the feel of this place and thought the dimmed lighting worked well on an evening visit, creating a very pleasant atmospheric look to the place. The staff seemed very nice and it was just a shame that the beer didn't quite match up to the rest of the experience. With two micro brewery bars and the Florence all in easy walking distance, there's a decent mini-crawl to be had around Herne Hill and I would be sure to include this place in such an itinerary.

This is a 2013 GBG entry situated directly opposite Brockwell Park Lido on the Dulwich Rd. Divided into two unequally sized areas by a carved wood and glass screen, boarded possibly original floor, bar on the back wall of the larger area. Brass plates are visible in the floor where the double doors would have been in the partition. The smaller room has all sorts of framed prints on the wall plus a large Truman Hanbury and Buxton brewery mirror. Tables appear to be reclaimed domestic dining tables of all shapes and sizes, each with a posy of flowers in a small glass vase, mixed seating including leather bucket seats, settles and benches. There were a couple of quirky features, a shelf of old tatty paperbacks for sale, proceeds to the Green Party, and certainly a pub first for me, a shelf of old 1970s Whizzer and Chips comic annuals. A few board games were available for use. Food is served, upper end stuff, grilled lambs liver, bubble and squeak, crispy bacon with tarragon jus £13, brunch menu offering a full English for £7.15, kedgeree £6.75 looking better value. Four handpumps serving Adnams Lighthouse, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Purity Pure Ubu and Harvey's Sussex Best. A reasonable selection. I quite liked it here, much more pubby than The Commercial and The Florence visited earlier even if the feel of creeping gentrification isn't far away. Some outdoor seating to the front facing the road and the park.

Randomness Guide to London - Prince Regent entry