The Castle, W11

A pleasing exterior but stripped out within, semi separated into two areas with dining to the rear section. Four handpumps with a couple of beers on, Ghost Ship and Landlord, the later coming in at a pumped up £6.75 a pint in only middling condition. One I'm not likely to return to.

There's some superb Charrington tiling and signage on the exterior of this pub, but the quality of the interior doesn't really match it. however the bar counter looks old, as does the rear of the bar back, although painting it all white doesn't really help. Also, the copper piping and modern shelving adds nothing worth adding in my view. The ornate pillars are still on the counter, but now they support only candles, rather than a gantry. Seating seems to be mainly bench/settles in the main bar area, but a room at the back has normal tables and chairs. There are sprigs of flowers on all the tables - harmless enough I guess, and some people like that sort of thing. On the ale front Doom Bar, St Austell Proper Job, and Vocation California Steam Beer (£2.50 a half) were available. The Proper Job wasn't in particularly good shape, but the Vocation California was OK. There were single sheep clipboard menus on the tables; main courses range from £11.50 for ham, egg & chips, to £16.50 for the "herb crusted rack of lamb served with sugar snaps, caponata and heritage potatoes. I know what lamb and potatoes are, but not sure about the rest. These sort of prices are par for the area, and not the remarkable value encountered by a previous reviewer. This is clearly an old pub that looks mightily impressive as you approach it, but flatters to deceive as you enter. The best thing for me is the very rarely seen Vocation ale.