Olaf's Tun, Southampton

A short distance from Woolston station and close to the eastern approach to the Itchen Bridge, this is another Southampton micropub opened in the summer of 2016. The pub supposedly takes its name from a medieval spelling of Woolston, but has far more contemporary origins inasmuch as it is situated in a former Polish grocery store. It's the usual single room layout inside, with nice modern floorboards throughout and plain painted walls. The front windows are frosted with the pub's name and logo picked out, but it still looks like a shop on approach. Pews, low stools and comfy chairs compete for floor space in the front left corner, which is hemmed in a little by the simple bar counter that appears a little further down the left hand side. High fixed benches run down the right hand wall, serving a series of tables, although I can't say this looked particularly comfortable. Further into the room, a ramp leads you up to the small rear seating are where a couple of standard tables and chairs have been set up under remarkably plain walls. Decor in the rest of the pub comprises a few nice landscape images and various beer themed bits and bobs of limited interest - the place certainly doesn't seemed to have found its identity yet and pales in terms of character when compared to Caskaway - a micropub on the other side of the river that opened the same month as this place. A corridor to the rear leads to the toilets that for once in a micropub, were well appointed and clean. The bar has a rather ugly scaffold bar back with the cask ales racked up on it and taps for the keg beers to one side. A whiteboard to the left on entry lists the various options available, which comprised Vibrant Forest Simcoe IPA and Summertime Happy Pale, Red Willow Stateless and Dancing Cows Raspberry Wit Beer. Four keg beer, two real ciders and three bottled cider options rounded out a decent selection and my pint of the Stateless went down very well after a seemingly never-ending walk across the Itchen Bridge to get here. This seemed like a pleasant enough little pub with a content bunch of regulars and some interesting and well kept ales on the bar. For me the place lacked a bit of character and were it not for a lively Saturday evening crowd, I can imagine it might feel a bit dull in here. It is nevertheless a good addition to Woolston's pub scene and is worth keeping an eye on as the place beds in over time.