The Albany, Thames Ditton

As of last Sunday, still much as Rex found last year. Mainly a restaurant: our food was very good, and reasonably portioned. Quite a range of keg lager, and the handpumps now bearing Doombar (£3.25) and Youngs Bitter, with the third empty. Service from young team of staff was helpful, albeit quite slow and confused at times at the bar, partly because of the central bar design but also I suspect because the bar is bottom of management priorities. I would happily stop off here for a pint if boating down the river, or eat here again, but wouldn't otherwise go to it as a pub.

There were two handpumps dispensing Timothy Taylor Landlord, with a third pump unused. It took a while for the young lady behind the bar to pull through the TTL, eventually decanting several attempts into one glass to give me a full pint. It wasn’t a brilliant pint; a little cloudy in fact, but it was drinkable. This is really a restaurant now – there were a few tables/chairs/benches not laid for diners, but the vast majority were set for diners. It’s now very ultra modern looking, with none of the original pub character it must once have had still remaining. But as a restaurant it is fairly good. The main attraction is the superb river setting, with views down the river, and over the river to the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. There are a couple of terraces; the one higher up, as you exit the bar area, has tables all set for diners, but the lower one, which stretches down the riverbank from the pub, contains mainly picnic benches and some standard tables and chairs, and seemed to be available for those only drinking. The service was very friendly and efficient, and of course table service was available. Far be it from me to go all foody, but the Pizza alla Siciliana I had was excellent (at £8.95), as were the stir fried scallops that my wife had. This is a very attractive place with a superb setting, but it really does not strike me as the sort of place you would bother to find if you just fancied a pint, but a destination pub for someone wanting a decent meal by the river. I doubt whether I’ll visit again until the next time my wife decides that it’s time for me to buy her a decent meal and she concludes that the local tandoori doesn’t cut the mustard!