The Morgan Arms, E3

Official site of The Morgan Arms - www.morganarmsbow.com

Official site of The Morgan Arms - www.morganarmsbow.com

Corner pub seemingly with a focus on food, with many tables reserved. I took up residence on a table reserved for 4:30, knowing that I'd have been at the football stadium for an hour and a half by then! Drinkers are not neglected here, with the pub having 2 real ales and 2 real ciders - Landlord & Cowcatcher were the ales; Lilley's Mango Cider & Sandford Orchards Devon Mist were the ciders. I was torn between the Cowcatcher or a cider and ended up being quite happy with my choice of Cowcatcher. According to CAMRA, members are offered a 10% discount. I obviously didn't look like the sort! As with the previous reviewer, I didn't feel too at home here as I was in the Lord Tredegar or later on in the Eleanor Arms, but the presence of a couple of ciders boosts my score a little.

A commanding corner pub that is now stripped out and gastofied internally. Will agree that the impressive wooden bar gantry with its stained-glass inserts is certainly the standout feature of the pub, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make the pub stand out from its nearby neighbours. To the contrary I found the stripped wooden flooring combined with the striking purples walls on one side and eclectic artwork throughout took away from, rather than added to the impressive carpentry. It is clearly food focussed, with menus on every table, but there are five handpumps central to the bar. It is owned by the Capital Pub Company arm of Green King but fortunately there were none of the Suffolk based Breweries products in evidence for my visit. Unfortunately, there were only two ales on the pump as three of them had been given over to Ciders. TT Landlord and East London Brewing Cowcatcher APA were on alongside Lilley’s Mango cider and Devon Red and Devon Mist ciders from Sandfords. The ELB ale was perfectly fine and with its high ceilings and large double aspect glass windows this is certainly a light and airy pub in which to enjoy it. I just didn’t feel as comfortable in here as I did in the nearby Coburn and Lord Tredegar, and the Green Goose I went to next was much more my kind of pub.