The Tailor's Chalk (JD Wetherspoon), Sidcup

A small 'spoons housed in two former shop units,one a tailors hence the name.PSM has done a very accurate review which needs little from me.The pub was crammed ,the large flashing fruit machines dominate the mid section but at least the service was swift and tables cleared quickly. The trio of Doom were joined by three guests ales in Oriheim Pale,Urban South Who Dat and Vale Gravitas (NBSS 3.5,£1.99 with CAMRA voucher).Functional but not memorable ,however still the best bet in this High Street.

This surprisingly High Street small branch of the Wetherspoons chain has a simple single rectangular room layout with a partitioning wall through much of the centre, suggesting this might have previously been two separate shop units. The pub is carpeted throughout and boasts some nice high panelled walls with decorative-print wallpaper uppers. Standard tables and chairs flank the entrance in two very well served seating areas that perhaps feel a little too cramped for their own good – a short walk to pick up some condiments saw me knock into pretty much every table and chair in the vicinity on a packed Saturday afternoon visit. A TV screen to one side was showing a muted news channel whilst over to the right there is a lovely tiled fireplace that seems like a real oddity in an otherwise plain conversion. The servery is along the left-hand wall and has a simple counter with a pleasant dark wood bar back. High tables and stools fill a disjointed space opposite, broken up by a wall and some pillars before giving way to a slightly raised rear seating space with comfy looking banquettes and chairs in another remarkably over-furnished seating area. The ale range was a little disappointing, with four ‘Spoons regulars, some of which were double clipped across the different banks of hand pumps, and three guest ales, the most interesting of which was O’Hanlons Yellowhammer – a decent enough pint at the usual wallet-friendly prices. I also stopped here for some lunch and found the service prompt and the grub passable. I really struggle with a lot of these South London shop-converted ‘Spoons, finding them lacking in most of the things that make Wetherspoons tolerable. This one seems too popular for its limited floorspace, forcing the pub to pack customers into cramped seating areas, which wasn’t ideal. There was enough here to keep me happy, but it felt like it was walking a fine-line between acceptable and disastrous – I’ll stick to the local micropubs the next time I’m in Sidcup.

Another day, another 'spoons. And, as others have said, it's smaller than most. It's a conversion from a couple of shops, one of which was a tailor of course. The main room is broken up by by several pillars into smaller areas, leading to a small raised area at the back. The ale selection was not good by 'spoons standards with mainly the usual suspects available (Ruddles Best, GK IPA, Abbot), leaving just Adnam's Ghost Ship and Maui Brewing Co Tropical Pale Ale (4.6%) as guests. We went for the latter which was obviously a UK/USA collaboration, and was a fruity and hoppy refreshing ale. It's a 'spoons so you know what to expect, and it was a useful starting point for a late breakfast before our tour of Sidcup's finest.

As remarked on below it's a quite small spoons though this works in its favour,divided into three walkthrough area's with some exposed brickwork and a fair amount of dark wood,this gives it a little more character than is usual for the majority of the chain.However it let itself down badly on the beer front,10 pumps gave a selection of the usual Ruddles and Abbot, Hogsback TEA,Doom Bar,Sambrooks Scrumdown,and Evan Evan's St Davids day which was on the wrong side of average, also there was one Cider Gwynt Y Ddraig Black Dragon.I didn't dislike the pub but if this is the best they can do on the beer front I'll probably pass it by next time. Marked down accordingly.