The Red Setter, SW11

Never visited the previous CJ AB1 incarnation but had spotted this place was being worked on to re-open as the Red Setter a couple of months back. Not intentional but this happens to be new venue number 500 of the year for me. Not a bad one to bring up the monkey of venues, instead a different kind of animal! It definitely is a very classy reincarnation with a small outside the front terrace, but here people are choosing to be exposed to the passing traffic rather than escaping the smells of an overstyled interior. The styling here is pretty classy, decent hard wood flooring plus a mosaic tiling immediately around the bar. The bar is a square with serving on three sides against the right hand wall just past the entrance. Some high stools around the bar make for a pleasant seating option. The left hand front part of the pub has some really nice red leather banquettes against the left hand front wall of the venue. Stretching beyond the bar are some typical seating arrangements. Beer wise and why a 6 rather than a 5 for me were two hand pumps dispensing decent Sambrook’s Junction and Pumphouse. There are three sets of six beer taps dispensing pretty standard keg offerings for around £7 a pint (the cask was £6 a pint). Nothing worth noting other than maybe the Stone & Wood Pacific ale, the Sambrook’s Block Party IPA and the Two Tribes Campfire hazy pale ale. This is definitely a venue that has been fitted to the demographic of the area. So toilet advertising of the best brunch in Clapham etc. To be fair it really is a nice venue and not bad to n the quaffs front. Maybe this is a “modern pub” as their outside awning states. Me I prefer something a bit more old school and quant rather than a design statement. It definitely isn’t a dog’s dinner but not best in breed or definitely best in show. Woof woof.

Official site of The Red Setter - www.urbanpubsandbars.com

Official site of The Red Setter - www.urbanpubsandbars.com

My previous experiences with the All Bar One chain have tended to be hideous post-work drinking sessions which invariably find the places packed with braying suited types pretending they’re Gordon Gekko whilst drinking overpriced lager, all of which has combined to make it my least favourite pub chain. So it was with great trepidation that I was dragged in here for a bite to eat on a recent bright Sunday evening. Thankfully, the weekend crowd seem a lot more palatable, with a good number of people filling the place up thanks to a combination of the fine weather and the conclusion of a local street market. The single room bar is decorated in keeping with the chain’s lounge/wine bar look, which although not too appealing to my taste, did at least look smart and clean. The servery runs down the left hand wall with ample seating in a large, bare boarded area opposite. There are plenty of tub chairs for those wanting comfort, but we opted to sit at one of the high tables which are lined up along the front windows. These had been folded open, so we were able to enjoy the warm weather a bit longer and there were plenty of people sat out on the pavement tables in front of us. Given how busy the place was, they were woefully under-staffed – perhaps caught off-guard by the high customer numbers on what is presumably normally a quiet night for them. This meant I had a soul-destroyingly long wait to be served at the bar, as the plucky lone barman manfully worked his way through countless cocktail orders. There was just the one ale available (an uninspiring Fuller’s London Pride), so I opted for a pint of the Meantime Pilsner – one of a large range of keg lager options. We had food as well, which was again subjected to delay, but when it finally arrived it was pretty tasty, although we felt it would have been a bit too pricy had we not been able to take advantage of a meal deal. Whilst this place hasn’t converted me into an All Bar One fan, it has at least shown that, if caught at the right time, they are at least tolerable. There are much better pubs in either direction from this place so I can’t really recommend it unless you’re already a fan of the chain.