The Ring, Southwark, SE1

I’ve walked past this pub many times in the past, but for some reason have never ventured inside. But I put that omission right earlier this week. They had three real ales on (Jennings Bitter; Brakspear’s Bitter; and Hobgoblin), plus another handpump with a Doom Bar clip turned round as well as the usual forest of keg/lager fonts. I had the Jennings Bitter which was OK, but at £3.25 a pint I thought that it was a bit expensive for a 3.5% bitter. I didn’t eat there, but had a quick look at the menu which featured mainly Thai food. The stir fries or curries at £5.95 were possibly a better bet than the sandwiches at £6.50 a throw. The Thai waitress (chef?) provided some table service for diners. The pub itself is an imposing building opposite Southwark underground station. It’s painted a sort of battleship grey, which inevitably gives a somewhat dull aspect. Inside the walls and ceiling are painted a lighter shade of grey, which seems to be the colour of choice for pubs that are trying to move upmarket. There’s only one small room, with mainly banquette seating around the sides and normal tables and chairs in the middle of the room. The decor on the walls is comprised mainly of old black and white photographs of erstwhile boxing heroes, presumably as a reference to the boxing ring that used to be over the road. I also noticed the hat and antlers, and was a bit nonplussed as to how they fit in with the boxing theme. Mind, you I have seen some incredibly strange things on pub walls over the years. The floor is bare-boarded, which is a must for any gray or taupe painted pub. The flat screen TV on one of the walls was switched off, and there was some varied music being played. Essentially this place is like a hundred other expensive overly modernised pubs that I have been in. It’s not really the sort of place I take to, but it could be handy for a pint if it is on your route to the station, and on the plus side it does do three (and presumably sometimes four) real ales and does not have any one armed bandits and games machines that blight so many pubs.