Partridge, Bromley

Following the usual Fullers Pie and Ale House format of converting former banks (in this case a branch of NatWest) into smart, spacious pubs, the Partridge is a good example of the chain's mid-ninety's, Greater London work. You enter via an unusual circular lobby area with a decorative marble floor, smart wood panelling and a gold chandelier, before emerging into the main bar with the servery down the right hand side. A nice patterned tile floor runs around the dark wood bar counter, above which a high bar back towers, boasting an integral clock and a series of busts along the top. The rest of the room has wooden floorboards with plush banquettes under the large front windows and high tables and stools in the centre of the room. The walls have been decorated with some small pictures themed around nursery rhymes and there was quite a lot of bunting and other such promotional material relating to the rugby world cup, which detracted somewhat from the pub's look. Appropriately enough, there were a couple of screens showing muted coverage of one of the world cup fixtures whilst a decent funky soundtrack played quietly in the background. There are a couple of other rooms which offer cosier seating options. To the front is something called the Club Room, which is a snug-like space with smart furniture, whilst to the rear there is a semi partitioned space with standard seating options looking out to the patio garden beyond. The overall effect is very pleasing, with a sense of grandeur apparent and a comfortable drinking experience guaranteed. We stopped for a bite to eat here too and found the food pretty good, albeit from the familiar Fullers menu. Handpulls dispensed Fullers London Pride, ESB, Oliver's Island and HSB plus a couple of guest ales which were Adnams Ghost Ship and Butcombe Haka. I had a pint of the latter, which I found was in reasonably good condition and quite a tasty brew. The staff were very friendly, with the waitressing staff in particular being worthy of a mention. The centre of Bromley is hardly packed with great pubs, but this is a solid and reliable venue that ticks the right boxes in terms of interesting interior, decent food and ale range and pleasant, comfortable surrounds. Well worth keeping in mind and it also makes a decent header with the Barrel and Horn a couple of doors down.

The Partridge is next door the Mascots,i thought the pub looked like an old bank and i was correct after reading Roger Buttons review. Once inside there is a oblong shaped room with the bar on the right side,the seating is tall tables and chairs and bench seating in bays on the left side,there was a TV showing the England v Italy rugby game. The pub is a Fullers tied house,there was a decent choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Butcombe Rare Breed which went down well,the other beers i noted were Gales HSB,Fullers ESB and London Pride. The pub was very busy on my Saturday afternoon visit. I quite liked this pub. Pub visited 14/2/2015

This pub is unchanged since Roger’s visit last year. It’s got the opulent look that a lot of these bank conversions achieve – an impressive (but I guess new) bar back, and impressively ornate bar counter. I sat in the “Club Room”, which had some impressive prints showing designs of architectural treasures such as The Royal Pavillion at Brighton, along with a portrait of the Prince Regent. All the tables sported a little sprig of flowers. The usual Fuller’s offerings of London Pride, ESB, Discovery and HSB were available, along with their recently introduced double hopped Wild River. I had the latter which was a decent pint, at the now typical price of £3.70 a pint. The food was consistently priced with the beer – as I recall my sausage and onion baguette was about £6 - £7 with chips. The quality was OK though. This place is typical of a bank conversion, but is at least as good as others I’ve visited. It doesn’t have the character of a traditional pub as it’s clear what it is, but nonetheless it’s a good place to drop in for a pint and a bite.