The Pocket, N1

With the Pocket's sister pubs the Southampton Arms and the Cock Tavern being amongst my favourite pubs across London, I've been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to visit The Pocket. It didn't disappoint. Despite it being a matchday at the nearby Emirates Stadium, the pub did not get too overcrowded and unlike other local pubs with bouncers on the door, both home and away fans appear to be welcome. The pub is split into the main front section with the bar against the left-hand wall and a smaller seating area to the rear. Toilets are down a set of stairs. The cask ale range was decent. There are 8 handpulls and these were clipped with Rooster's Baby-Faced Assassin, Howling Hops Single Hop Pale Ale Series 14 Comet, Duration Best Bitter & Another Day Gone, Left-Handed Giant Dark Mild, Vocation Shadow Play & Castle Rock Wyrd Sisters. Duration Big Love was also poured through during our visit. Ciders have separate handpulls at the rear of the bar. These were Sandford Orchards Devon Mist, Ascension Pilot Red Love Edition, Temple Somerset Redstreak, Oliver's Winter Cider Blend, Luke's Pomona Draught Perry & Umbrella Elderflower Cider. Craft beers were Duration Turtles All The Way Down, Bonsai, Bet The Farm & Strataberry Fields & Howling Hops Tropical Deluxe & LIfe Coach. Dogs and kids are allowed. A record player is also in use with a rotating selection being played from behind the bar. There is also a piano. Pub snacks such as Scotch Eggs are available. The offering is very similar to the Southampton Arms, which suits me, as why change a winning formula? One forthcoming change is in the offing though, according to a regular. They are apparently hoping to develop an upstairs area as a separate dining room. A really decent pub that I will undoubtedly return to periodically.

Specialist alehouse, with a narrow frontage and not that much seating in the bar, by the front windows and beyond the counter, and a bit more in a small rear room at the back. Thankfully, on a Tuesday evening I found a perch for my pint on a shelf beside where the jazz trio would be playing later. Excellent selection of cask ales - including my Fresh Hop from Verdant using Harlequin (£5.29) and other 'green hop' beers from Kent Brewery and Five Points - from the eight handpumps. Also has ten craft keg taps at the front and six more handpulls offering a range of ciders on the bar-back.