The Rosendale, SE21

I abandoned plans to head back into Central London to get an Uber for the short distance to take me to a new post code area in South London, namely SE21! Destination was this rather grand venue, stuffed to the gills with punters either dining or doing a quiz. You have to applaud a venue that gets this many punters in n a Monday evening. If my local had this many people in on any night I would not be able to get through the front door. It is indeed an impressive venue. Quaffing wise they had Harvey’s Sussex Best and TT Landlord on hand pump. The Harvey’s was well kept and a very enjoyable beer here. Keg wise, very predictable selection. Looking round I cannot believe that anyone here is choosing the venue based on beer choices. Indeed my rather of consumption woukd place me at the rate of quiz here two weeks from now! An observation is that this could have been a Wetherspoon in a different less corporate era! This is the most new venues I have ever ticked off in a calendar month of April. Provided I do 2 new venues tomorrow, I have done a 100 new venues in every month of a calendar year other than December, where I have never come close to doing a 100 new venues in that month. Pushing for that this month after a heavy lunch today, i leave this place feeling “very very drunk”. ok not quite that but there have been many Rowley Birkin QC moments for me over recent years!

Imposing building with a porticoed entrance leading to a high-ceilinged, slightly split-level, staple-shaped interior that is almost entirely set aside for dining (and busy with those eating on a Sunday lunchtime so quite difficult to find a spot to sit as there are no stools by the relatively compact bar counter). Quite light inside due to the substantial window area although some of the furniture and paintwork is almost black. Additional seating is available on the front and side patio for the better weather. Two South London real ales on handpump: Brixton Effra and Wimbledon XXK winter ale (£2.20, half).

This pub has an imposing entrance with a pillared portico, making it stand out from the surrounding buildings, which is exactly what the architects of these old Victorian pubs intended. Inside it’s been completely modernised, with the main business of this establishment – i.e. the restaurant – being conducted on a raised area at the back to the left of the bar counter. I didn’t get to look at the menu. To be fair though, about half of the available space is devoted to a bar area to the front of the counter. All of the gastropub features are there – charcoal/indigo painted walls, sofas, armchairs and tall tables/stools, wine rack in the bar back, etc. But there are no fruit or games machines on the plus side. There’s a bit of outside seating. On the whole I think they’ve done a reasonable job on this pub, but I suppose it helps to have such a large area to work with. A couple of decorative features warrant a mention – framed butterflies on a wall at the back end of the restaurant, and a complete wall in the bar area taken by a contemporary depiction of London in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. I ought to mention the ales. There were two on – Harvey’s Best and the rarely seen Brakspear’s Bitter (£3.30 a pint). As gastropubs go this one is OK, as they’ve been able to separate the dining and drinking areas.