The Fire Station, Waterloo, SE1

There was just the one real ale on during my Monday afternoon visit - Ringwood's XXXX Porter (£5.40 a pint) which was a meaty 4.7% beer. Pretty good it was too. They obviously major on food, but I didn't see a menu. There are two separate areas, at the back and on the right that are reservedt for diners, that are furnished with normal tables and chairs, whereas the relatively small area surrounding the bar counter at the front that is available for drinkers has only tall tables and chairs. A sign of the times I guess. There are two banks of handpumps, one on the front of the counter and another around to the right of it, but each only had one of the pumps clipped with the said Ringwood porter. There's nothing special about the place as far as I could see, and although the old LCC Fire Brigade signage on the exterior has been retained, inside it looks as if it could be any shop conversion - although having said that I guess the the white tiled wall and steel girders were indicators of its previous use. Maybe at another time it might have more ales on, but the one it did have on was delicious. But I don't see me making bar this a regular haunt.

A former Edwardian fire station converted into a bar and restaurant, currently run by Marstons but allows guest beers. The contrast between the original wall and floor tiles and the modern gantries strung between and across the original steel I-beams gives it a steampunk feel in places, provided you look hard enough. It's noisy, busy, anarchic, but somehow it works. The food is mainly burgers and pizzas, so not worth writing home about but it's functional when that is what is needed. There is a bank of 26 keg beers and four handpumps dispensing Hobgoblin, Marston's EPA and Pedigree, Sambrook's Wandle and Hackney APA. Beer was well-kept but more expensive than necessary. The staff were pleasant, most of the clientele civilised if a little inclined to hipsterism. Good enough for a fast food lunch or a quick pint.