The Southwark Tavern, SE1

I'd only turned up in Southwark because I'd found out that the replica of Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hinde was opening as a pub on Thursday evenings. After a half in those dramatic surroundings, even though fake, it was back to reality in the pubs around the Borough Market, which of course is closed in the evenings but the pubs and restaurants are very lively. Too lively for me, a lot of them, but at the Southwark Tavern although there was a bit of a crowd outside, the inside was ok. Just the one cask beer on, and that Harveys Sussex Best, which a lot of people, some of whom fancy themselves as influencers, have been raving about for a few years now. I continue to find it mostly disappointing, even in Lewes where it is brewed. Imagine my surprise to find it here in Very Good condition, and at the equivalent of just £6.80/pint. (The lass who served me misheard my request for a half and presented me with the card terminal with that amount on it.) A pub like this, with only one cask beer on, must still get through a fair bit of it on nights like this, so the beer doesn't have time to hang around and go stale, or worse.

This is a late 19th century pub, noted for its fine Meux’s brewery tiling. I had though that this would be a bit of a historic pub, but although some of the dark wood panelling may be original, or at least dating from the 1930s, but otherwise it’s a bit of a black painted affair, walls and ceiling, with a steel square tubular section gantry; has it had a makeover to celebrate Freedom Day? Customers were a bit too-coo-for-school and mouthy. Service, as others have noted, was rather slow; I nearly walked. The ales on offer being a reversed pump, Doom, Oakham Citra (‘coming soon’) and Tribute at £2.70 a half and nice. This pub is just about ok, better than the Wheatsheaf, which isn’t hard, but is no match for the Market Porter; I don’t envisage a return visit.