Railway Tavern, Bethnal Green, E2

According to a sign outside, this is a fee house, but nonetheless there was no real ale available. So, it was a half of Whitbread keg Best Bitter. Sitting in here listening to Heart Radio blaring out a pleasant diversion was created by a young miniskirted Asian lady arriving with her bag of pirated DVDs. One of the locals, who obviously knew her, asked what treats she had for him to today. Was I really in Bethnal Green or Downtown Bangkok? No, there’s no mistaking the two. One’s a downmarket place with dodgy bars and the other’s the capital of Thailand. Anyway, the pub management were quite happy with the girl flogging her wares in the pub. Anyway, enough of that sort of stuff. It looks as if someone has tried to make this place look like a country pub of sorts. But the mock beams on the ceiling, walls and above the servery, and the horse brasses by the fireplace on the right don’t really work in Bethnal Green. The metalwork above the bar counter, and the cheap black painted matchboard panelling on the front of the bar counter, contribute to the false look. But on the plus side the impressive green banded windows (ex Charringtons perhaps?) look like preserved original features. Furnishings are the traditional banquettes coupled with normal tables and chairs, and it’s carpeted throughout. On the ceiling there are a number of rugby club and national flags – which also clash with the attempted country pub look. This is a real pub, obviously appreciated by the regulars. But I don’t get up to Bethnal Green often so probably won’t be paying a return visit – and for me the absence of a real ale is a definite minus. But I’m glad that this one was doing a brisk enough trade – in both DVDs and drinks – for it to remain viable.