Bishop's, Croydon

This place is a bit of a Croydon institution, having been serving shoppers in the adjacent Whitgift shopping centre for over 30 years. Until recently, the venue was strictly wine only, but a policy change has seen a select range of bottled ales brought in, perhaps to help broaden appeal. There were around five or six options on my visit including Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger and Whitstable Bay, St Austell Tribute and Fullers London Pride. Wine is obviously king, and a good list seemed available, detailed on a blackboard next to the bar. Food is also served from a relatively simple menu comprising sandwiches and a few hot meals - all reasonably priced. The venue has a very retro feel to it, comprising a single room with an angular servery in the rear left corner with a plain counter and a bar back decorated with some nice sherry barrels. A hatch next to the bar looks into the kitchen area. The room is carpeted and has plain wood panelled walls with a mosaic tile pattern on the front wall where a large window provides a sliver of natural light, shaded as it is by the shopping centre. The walls are decorated with various pictures and advertisements, mostly with a wine or French theme to them, which creates quite a good look. A few items from the world of sport and entertainment were also on view and a TV screen mounted on the front wall was showing Channel 4 racing. Over to the right, the sport theme was continued by a collection of football scarves draped over a screen in the rear corner. Seating was in the form of an L shaped sofa next to a low table on the right hand side and round tables with standard chairs in the space opposite the bar. The bar has a major problem though, in the form of its cat which it seems has free rein throughout, as all of the tablecloths were covered in cat hair, which was most off-putting and a real let-down. A general lack of attention to cleanliness seemed to pervade and I wasn't particularly surprised therefore, to see that the bar scored a 0 in its recent food hygiene rating assessment, according to the Croydon Advertiser. This could be quite a nice spot for those who favour the wine bar to the pub, but the lack of care given to the place means that it is extremely off-putting and, despite the friendly welcome and comfortable surrounds, I wouldn't want to return in its present state. A missed opportunity.