The Halfway House, Avery Hill, Sidcup

A single roomed shop conversion with high tables with matching height benches around the walls and barstools for the opposing table sides. A couple of TV screens were showing the Winter Olympics, rock music was playing at a medium level. Three handpumps with a choice of two Southwark beers, Bermondsey Best and Mayflower, seven keg taps on the back wall with some craft options plus a Guinness font on the bar top. An OK place but nothing too special.

This is yet another South East London micropub, set in an isolated parade of shops somewhere in the New Eltham and Sidcup borderlands. You enter into a vinyl floored, shop converted room with the usual big front windows. It's more of a square shaped space than your usual deep and narrow micropub format, with the bar to the right and seating exclusively front and left. This comes mainly in the form of a hard backed banquette which has been split into three sections by, what looks like, old Covid screens. However, the partitioning has been done in quite a classy way, with the pub name written across each screen, so it doesnt look too cheap or out of place. The banquette is supplemented by high stools plus a low banquette and stools under the front window. The bar runs diagonally across the rear right corner of the room and has a modern back-lit counter with a metal top, a plain bar back enhanced by flashing fairy lights and a TV screen listing the beer range. The keg taps are mounted on a bar back panel, with the exception of the Guinness, which stands alone on the counter. Mirrors, photos, a fake road sign bearing the pub's name and a few quirky bits of decor liven the room up and help give it some character. A corridor to the rear takes you out to an overspill seating area, not explored by me, although it did seem like there were quite a few people back there. Old rock and indie tunes played in the background quietly and there was a constant coming and going of customers, including a few children, which I eas surprised to see on a Saturday night There were three operational handpulls dispensing Southwark LPA (£4.00 a pint) and Best plus Youngs Ordinary. Meanwhile, a decent keg range included beer from the likes of The Kernel, Southwark and Drop Project. My pint of the LPA was in reasonable condition, possibly nearing the end of its shelf life, but still very much drinkable. I thought this was a halfway decent micropub, with a moderate beer range, quite comfortable seating and run of the mill decor, so whilst I had a perfectly passable visit, I couldn't really find all that much to recommend when compared to many of the other, superior micropubs in this part of the city. Date of visit - 25th November 2023

My recent experience of the Halfway house was similar to Ray's. Cask beers were dispensed by handpump, and the three on were Peckham Kinsale (£3.80); Gipsy Hill Hepcat (£4); and One Mile End Salvation Pale Ale (£4), all with little bottles in front of them to give some idea o the beer styles. Food seemed to be limited to crisps and nuts and the like. I thought that this small even by microbrewery standards - it was pretty busy on a Wednesday afternoon with over a dozen punters in there, as well as a young family sitting outside. Inside the furnishings are traditional micropub, with just tall benches, tall tables and tall stools. It's a typical micropub. If you like the breed then then this one's as good as any.