St. George & Dragon, Reading

A good sized pub in an idyllic spot overlooking the Thames, they make the most of the outlook with a large terrace and some decent looking wicker furniture. My friend who lives locally said that this used to be a victim of it’s own success, with three deep queues at that bar at busy times and generally very poor service. It has since been taken over though, and things have apparently improved significantly. A small outside bar has also bene installed. Internally, it’s clearly been extensively refurbished at some point and is now very contemporary in appearance. The flooring is some kind of light wooden laminate whilst the walls are largely painted in various Farrow & Ball shades along with some feature wallpaper of to one side. Am old fireplace in dark grey brick work was something of a feature perhaps, but this appeared unused. The only remnants of what the pub must have looked like at one time, were a few old oak beams on the ceiling. Many of the tables were laid up for food, and I guess that this is something of an emphasis here, although we did not inspect the menu. Beers on tap were Doom Bar and Ubu Purity, whilst the solitary cider was a rather disappointing Aspall’s. Overall, this was a bit too “done up” for my liking, but the location certainly appeals, and I would happily stop by again on a nice sunny day to make the most of the outlook.

Bar and seating very reminiscent of a modern hotel bar, all sofas and wrap-around ‘bucket' chairs, a style that was enforced by the barely audible muzak and the staff member who asked if I needed any help before I had even reached the barman to order my beer! Landlord and Loddon Hullabaloo, the latter was suspect in clarity but not quite rejectable and tasted ok; I think served correctly that would be a very nice beer. Pride of place along the bar was given to a line of 8 tall eurofizz pumps, although they did include Leffe & Staropramen if you are that way inclined. Not my type of place at all but the dining area and outdoor tables do enjoy a tranquil view of the adjacent river and fields beyond. Overall impression? “I'm not pretentious, get me out of here!”