The Royal Oak, Borough, SE1

I know its a favourite but not my style of pub.Bit too traditional.6 beers on my visit so I tied their 2 milds.Dull and duller and not to my taste.

Superb pub with everything going for it. Different ales than the usual fare and all the better for it. Small selection of books on offer for sale too.

Small London boozer, run by Harveys, with two rooms either side of the bar. Traditional, wood floors, benches, with large windows to the street making it light and airy. The beer was kept ok, but not to my personal taste.

This pub’s reputation as one of the capital’s finest seems to me to be well deserved. It’s a traditional, back street pub with two rooms and a small, reception style area that suggests it may once have been the section used for off-sales. The servery is an open area, allowing you to see through to the other room and also retains a hatch to the lobby, although whether anyone gets served through it now is unclear. Walls are half panelled and the floorboards are exposed, covered in places by well worn rugs. The larger of the two rooms benefits from large windows which make it quite light and airy in the day and, despite being partially screened with net curtains, also look out over the modern flats that surround the pub. Harvey’s brewery photos line the walls and what appear to be Christmas decorations still hang in front of the windows in mid March. Seating is fairly standard with simple table and chair arrangements in both rooms. A number of second-hand books were for sale on a shelf in the little lobby area. Beer is from Harvey’s and on my recent visit I had a choice of Sussex Best, Mild, Old Ale, Armada Ale and Pale, each priced according to their strength and listed on a board behind the bar. My pint of Mild was in top condition, as was to be expected. In keeping with traditions of old, a jar of pickled eggs was standing proud on the bar counter, although I didn’t dare try one myself. All in all, a very charming and enjoyable pub and one that I’m sure I will continue to return to in the future. Harvey’s should be very proud of their sole London representative.