The Apollo Arms, Clapham, SW4

Large front room with bar to rear. The front is for diners. Also a back room with, for some reason, a table tennis table. No real ale at all.

I nearly walked past the Jam Tree during a recent Saturday afternoon crawl of the area because I thought that it had been hired our for some sort of reception. All of the tables that line the floor to ceiling front windows were taken up by young well-dressed people who were all drinking prosecco. I had a good look around and I didn’t spot one person having a pint, even though a range of premium keg products were available from the bar. I also spotted a lone hand pump on the bar that runs along the rear wall, but this had its clip reversed. Feeling like a gate crasher I decided to drink my beer in the garden at the rear that houses some picnic tables on a paved area and some covered seating and table tennis on some decking. On my way to the garden I came across another large seating area at the rear where there is also a small bar to save customers walking to the front for a top up. In the main bar area is a television that was switched off, but there was some background music playing that was hardly audible over the chatter of 150 to 200 people. I’m still not entirely sure if I stumbled into a private gathering or not because I saw nothing here that I think would warrant this kind of popularity. The service was friendly, but I prefer a proper pub so I do not plan to return any time soon.

Nice smart and stylish pub.Pressed metal panelled ceiling.Liked the mural(print) of the Beatles (Sargeant Pepper era).Large glass cabinet as you enter the pub with a selection of rare jams. Now if you are a jam ticker you will be thrilled but as I am a beer ticker the one handpump with Landlord was like a stake to the heart.Shame as I liked this pub.