The Walmer Castle, Notting Hill, W11

The pub was covered in scaffolding on this visit, but it was still possible to make out the glazed tiles along the front. The double pot shelf, over the front counter was another pleasing original feature and in use. We arrived early Sunday lunchtime and when we were leaving the pub was getting busy for Thai food. They have a dining room upstairs, so plenty of choice for seating. The food here was excellent and reasonably priced and portion size more than adequate. Two handpumps serving Doombar and Otter.

This pub is named after the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. There’s nothing inside to suggest a connection that I could see, but maybe there’s some reason why a pub in Notting Hill should be so named. Anyway, there were a couple of ales on – Hobgoblin and Sharp’s Doom Bar (£2.05 a half). This pub is run by Orchid Pub & Dining Ltd, which specialises in providing Thai food in traditional British pubs. So obviously the menus attached to clipboards on all the tables were mainly for Thai food, although the back page had a few “English” dishes. Thai stir fries were around £6 - £7, with fragrant steamed rice an additional £2.95, and a beefburger with cheese, bacon, and chips was £8.45. There was a TV on showing Sky Sports (but muted), and some pop music that I didn’t recognise was playing. The main bar area as you enter faces the bar counter, has some tall tables/tall stools, but is mainly furnished with normal tables and chairs. There’s not much in the way of wall decor in this area other than advertisements for the various Thai dishes on offer, but a shelving unit had a big glass jar containing dog biscuits, with a sign on it saying “give a dog a bone”. I didn’t see any dogs in here, but I made the assumption that it must be dog friendly. The room extends to the back and left of the servery, to an area that seems more comfortably furnished with a few armchairs, and with loads of prints on the walls. This pub is fine if you’re happy to spend £10 or so on a stir fry and rice, and although it gets plus points for doing real ale, the selection is hardly very interesting. But it’s quite an interesting pub and worth popping in for a swift one if you’re passing, but I wouldn’t put it much above the “OK” category.