The Poyntz Arms, East Molesey

Facebook page of The Poyntz Arms - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Poyntz Arms - www.facebook.com

A much-improved former Shepherd Neame house now being managed by Big Smoke but retaining a couple of Sheps beers alongside a good selection from Big Smoke and the occasional guest, drawn from 10 handpumps and a dozen keg taps. Just for a change, the very smart refurb has significantly improved the previous rather mediocre interior with dark decor, woodwork and leather furnishings. There is a good drinking area of a couple of rooms to the front, with a dining room behind and covered outdoor area at the back. The place has a good, comfortable, laid-back feel which I quite liked. Notable was the range of different brews, much more than just the usual hoppy IPAs, and the food looked good. Can be a bit pricey, as with other Big Smoke pubs, but it would have ben very easy easy to get settled in for a session.

A good sized, street corner pub on the main road through the village, it looks quite attractive from the outside with some stained glass at the top of the windows but otherwise in a fairly contemporary way rather than old and traditional. The contemporary theme continues internally with a porch just inside the door constructed entirely of glass. Beyond this the pub was divided in to a couple of rooms, with the rear room housing a pool table. Flooring was a mixture of carpet and wood strip, whilst the paintwork was mostly cream along with some dark grey wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. There was some exposed brickwork at the rear which perhaps added a rustic touch, but although I didn’t inspect it closely I thought it looked rather fake to be honest. Continuing the fake theme, the obviously not real wood burning stove had a pile of firewood stacked up next to it! A large Shepherd Neame mirror was on one wall, whilst a couple of lamp shades had been constructed from empty bottles. A TV was up in one corner, but the volume was off so this was not too intrusive. Beers on tap were all from Shepherd Neame with their Spitfire Gold, Whitstable Bay and Master Brew. Unusually, there did not appear to be any draught ciders available.