The Crown, Battersea, SW11

A big sign at the front of this pub made great play of the fact that real ale had returned. But the introduction of Ruddles Best is really not much to shout about, though clearly it’s an improvement over the other bog standard stuff that was on offer. I didn’t see a menu (not surprising as we were in there after 9.30 PM on a Tuesday) but a large blackboard offered large pizzas £6.95 a pop. The pub itself is nothing unusual, with a central island bar and some standard tables and chairs, as well as a few sofas, scattered around it. There were a few prints on the walls, but to be honest the decor was unexceptional. On the whole I thought this pub was pretty average at best, not helped by the overly loud pop music (nothing I recognised so I suppose it must have been by some currently top selling artist). I can’t see myself wanting to pay a return visit.