The Libertine, Borough, SE1

Corner pub opened out at some stage to leave a rectangular bar with the counter in the middle of the inner side wall. Fairly limited number of wooden tables on a bare-board floor at the front and centre, with a smaller lounge area at the rear. Large windows in the front half but quite gloomy further back. Restrained decor. Doom Bar and Proper Job clips on two of three handpumps when I arrived, but the latter went off as it was poured so I waited a few minutes for the Truman's Gypsy Queen (£3.90) to be put on.

A very friendly corner pub with excellent home-made pizzas including several veggie options, but often busy on weekday lunchtimes with many tables reserved - arrive early for lunch if you can! Popular with students from nearby South Bank and with three ales available too. Worth seeking out for pizza & beer.

A little bit off the beaten track in Borough, this is a somewhat quirky single roomed pub with a local yet slightly bohemian feel. Boarded flooring, reclaimed domestic dining tables with candles in dimpled pint mugs, décor includes an antelope's head sporting an Aussie hat with dangling corks, over the bar is a gold painted reclining mannequin wearing a tutu, to the rear are various framed photographs of mainly 1960s musicians and a large snake skin is stretched along a ceiling beam. All pretty standard pub stuff then, the pub is aptly named. There is a slightly raised area to a front corner where there is a dartboard, this area looks to double up as the stage for live music events judging by the lighting and speaker stacks; one wall is covered by a curious Scarfe-esque mural which I found vaguely disconcerting. The look is completed by lots of foliage in the guise of large potted plants, a pair of sofas either side of the rear fireplace provide an alternative to the mostly regular style seating. Three handpumps on the side bar, Doom Bar, Hook Norton Hooky Bitter and Crouch Vale Citra (£3.60), decent value for the area. Food is served but the only options I could see consisted of pizzas. I found the place to be comfortable and rather chilled, the welcome and service were down to earth and cheerful and the small group around the bar were all engaged in friendly discussion between themselves and the staff. Worth a detour off the main road.

The Libertine official site with event listings and menu - www.thelibertine.co.uk

The Libertine appears to be the last traditional building standing in an area that has seen extensive post war redevelopment. My only previous visit here was in its days as the Town House some years ago when it came over as a place aimed at bored housewives in search of cheap entertainment. Thankfully it has now moved on a bit. The once brightly coloured exterior has now been dampened so it doesn’t stand out quite like it used to. Internally, it is a single knocked through room with job lot trendypub style décor and furnishings, bare floors and some interesting artwork. A raised section in the front corner has a dart board and also doubles up as a stage for live music (which was my purpose of visit). DJ’s, quiz nights and sport on TV are also regular features. The beer range is certainly better than my previous visit with 3 ales initially available – Hop Back GB (which ran out after I managed to get my pint), Truman Swallow & Swift and the ubiquitous Doom Bar. Prices were reasonable for the area at around £3.50 a pint. On the food front they specialize in stone baked Pizzas which cost around £7-£9. Service was efficient and welcoming and the pub itself was quite vibrant with a good Saturday night atmosphere. On the whole it isn’t really my sort of pub but I would certainly return if there was a specific reason.

The Libertine official site with event listings and menu - www.thelibertine.co.uk

Awful food orientated place. Hardly anyone in and the barmaid stuffing herself with pizza. Used to be the skinners arms amongst it's other guises. Truly dreadful.