Rapscallions, Southsea

A retail conversion leaving nothing for the pub traditionalist, specialising in artisanal cheese along with the beer. Had a half of something from a keg called Big Hug Brewing's Blond at a throbbing £2.60 a half; cold and not great.

A narrow retail conversion with rather dark décor giving something of a cave-like effect. Tucked away at the back is a stillage with a few casks on, with a wider range of keg craft stuff and some boxed ciders in a chiller. Seemed quite a cosy place for eating and not too shabby for drinking either.

The British summer officially ended the moment I set foot on Clarence Esplanade, as the heavens opened, forcing me to race across Southsea Common and take shelter in this unusual little bar. The simple, single room set up put me in mind of a continental bar, thanks in part to the dark interior fitted out in dark wood throughout and with very little natural light, but also because of the series of vintage French and Belgian advertisements on display throughout. The room has a good mix of seating options through the narrow but deep interior, including comfortable chairs and benches and a very low-slung sofa to the right. The decor throughout was very tasteful and included various old-fashioned items such as old radios and bits of taxidermy which managed to fit in nicely with the pub's overall aesthetic. The servery is tucked away in the far corner of the room with stools along a drinking ledge on the wall opposite. I noticed some stairs midway into the room, which appear to lead up to a first floor seating area, but given that I was dripping water all over the place, I thought better of exploring. Unusually, the pub has its ales racked on on stilage to one side of the bar, with around six to eight barrels visible, but only two on when I arrived. The very friendly barmaid explained which beers were on and what style they were, leading me to plump for something from Vibrant Forest, which was incredibly flavoursome and in good shape. I thought this was an interesting little venue that seemed like a subtle departure from Southsea's multitude of traditional alehouses, offering something a little different when crawling around this part of town. It struck my as an enterprising family business that offers well kept beer in intriguing but comfortable surrounds and I was a little loathe to leave after just the one, especially as it was still hammering down outside.