The Marquis of Westminster, Pimlico, SW1

There were three decent ales on in here – Harvey’s Best, Sambrook Wandle and Dorking Ruby. I didn’t see a menu, but there was a chalkboard on the wall advertising two lunch specials - some chicken liver, mash plus gravy, or macaroni cheese and salad for £5 a pop. Feeling peckish at 4.45 PM (lunch lasts until 5.0 PM in here) I had the macaroni which turned out to be some pasta with a bit of runny cheese sauce on it with the salad represented by a sprig of parsley. A bit overpriced at £5, but it filled a whole. This is a single room, relatively small corner-site pub with nothing very special about it. But it’s comfortable enough, with mainly banquette seating and normal tables and chairs, and without those other pub annoyances fruit and games machines; nor were there any tall tables/stools. It was fairly quiet when I arrived, with no music being played, but at around 5.00 it started to fill up with a fairly young crowd, including one large group who occupied all the seating near me. Perhaps the run-up to Christmas starts early around here. This seemed to be the cue to turn the music on, which helped to crank up the overall volume level, with punters having to shout at each other to be heard above the overall din. To be honest there’s nothing really wrong with this place – the beer selection’s OK and it’s fairly comfortable – but I found it just a bit too raucus for comfort. Maybe others appreciate it that way regarding it as having a robust and lively atmosphere, in which case good luck to them.