The Salutation, Hammersmith, W6

A nice-looking town pub but amazingly dead inside with rows of tables waiting for non-existent diners and a central European barmaid not especially interested in serving. Just London Pride and ESB on handpump, not in the greatest condition but still overpriced. Crying out for an enthusiastic manager to kick it back into life, but I fear closure or conversion into a trendy eatery is more likely.

Superb looking pub from the outside but more geared towards food than beer! ESB and an average Pride on when I called in. Glad to have popped in but I wouldn't rush back!

As mentioned, this dates back to 1727 as a coaching inn, now grade II-listed and rebuilt in 1910 by A. P. Killick for Fuller Smith Turner, the name visible in faience tiling, along with fantastic mauve and lilac tiling, blue tiling in the entrance vestibule. The pub is still owned by Fuller’s, but the beautiful façade is where the joy ends and abruptly too. On entering, I was fair punched in the face by the overpowering stink of fish sauce, as Thai food is the order of the day here, which I like – in a Thai restaurant. The floor is pale and modern, in what is in effect a fairly large opened out affair. Walls are part panelled and smoky blue, white above to a modern white ceiling with recessed spotlights, all of which can be seen on the pub website’s gallery, along with the not-so-secret ‘secret’ garden; all very corporate, especially the exposed air handling ductwork above the bar back. The skeleton of a fish on a finished plate of food which greeted me on arrival, had yet to be cleared when I left, 20 minutes later. Customers were mixed, including at least one young child. The ale range held no surprises, with Seafarer, Pride, Hophead (off) and ESB at £2.40 a half, too cold and not tasting anything like the ESB I remember of old. This is a very bland pub experience, but it’s downhill from here as you make your way back to the Tube.

Official site of The Salutation - www.salutationhammersmith.co.uk

Official site of The Salutation - www.salutationhammersmith.co.uk

Made the effort to go here based solely on judging the book by its cover – in this case a splendid purple Edwardian tiled façade. However the inside doesn’t live up to expectations, it’s a lifeless corporate refurbishment in a desperate attempt to shift it upmarket (pot plants, sofas, overly muted lighting, Bobby Brown on the stereo) – though if so posh why have fruit machines and quizzer? It looks like it once had two bars that have since been knocked through. Despite a multitude of pumps there were three Fullers ales available plus a guest (Osset) which in fairness came out well. All in all, it’s a pretty impersonal experience and I doubt I’ll be heading back in a hurry. If Fullers corporate monkeys had any insight they'd have turned this into a destination ale pub with an interior to match the outside allure.