The Uxbridge Arms, Newington, SE1

There's no real ale here, nor any sign of food when I was in on Wednesday evening, although the room on the right did have a food servery in it, but which looked as if it hadn't seen much use in recent years. What strikes you as you enter this pub is the overwhelming "brewer's rustic" everywhere. There are reclaimed black painted posts and beams on all the walls and ceilings, plus some (red painted) brick screening. The front of the bar counter is covered with overlapping (black painted of course) rustic boards, and above the bar gantry is some herringbone patterned brickwork. The ceiling's painted dark red, the carpet's red, and the walls up to the dado level are painted red as well. A very black and red pub then. A central island servery has a room either side of it, joined by a small area at the rear of the servery. The inevitable pool table is at the back of the left hand room; a dartboard is on one of the walls; and a very large TV was on showing some quiz show when I was in on Wednesday evening. A few picnic benches are outside at the front, just used by hardy smokers on the miserable evening when I was there. This looks like a locals' estate pub to me. There were a handful of apparent locals in using fairly industrial language. It's interesting to see a pub that's looks a bit of a throwback to the 70s, but I doubt whether I'll be seeking a revisit.

This is a decent sized horseshoe pub with a pool table and projector screen in the public bar area and a jukebox located on the other side of the bar. The landlady was polite on my quiet Monday night visit, but I still got a vibe from her that she'd rather I hadn't walked in. The other three locals all looked at me with an air of suspicion and I was glad when I left. Maybe it is better when a few more customers are present, but after this visit I'll not be planning a return visit.