The Lemon Tree, WC2

From the outside, the Lemon Tree ersembles an Irish bar with its blue exterior and bright but not too overpowering interior. The simple single room bar is fairly typical for the West End with a well worn wooden floor, picture windows and, this being Theatreland, several theatrically themed photo's adorning the wall. The pub is significantly well hidden to avoid the general Covent Garden throngs and doesn't generally get too uncomfortably packed. The decent enough beers include Adnam's Broadside and London Pride and it is a pleasure (and a rarity) to find a barmaid who takes care pouring a pint and makes an effort to ensure you do not get short measures. Mainly Thai Cuisine (main meals around £5-£6.50) plus a limited menu of more standard fare (Fish and Chips, Baguettes etc). Sky Sports is shown on widescreen TV above the door, unobtrusive piped music and a single fruit machine. Overall, quite a refreshing pub: traditional but with a bright, airy relaxed feel. Well worth popping into if you want to get away from the crowds.

They had four real ales – London Pride; Harvey’s Best; Hobgoblin; and Deuchars IPA. I only had time for the Deuchars, and it seemed in pretty good nick. This pub is very much changed since my last visit some 30 years ago. The bar is now straight ahead, whereas it used to be on the right, with a small area where the landlady used to make some of the best sandwiches you could get. Now the furnishings are pine coloured high stools at a couple of pine coloured high stools in the middle of the room, as well as at the bar and ledges around the sides. To be fair it is a very small room and this configuration does allow more drinkers to get in there, albeit I suppose at some times it would be standing room only. I remember how absolutely crowded and cramped it could get in there for those not lucky or early enough to bag one of the tables. For a small pub slightly off the beaten track it fits the bill for someone in need of a swift pint. It’s not a classic pub in that there is nowhere comfortable to sit, but I can see how someone might enjoy his time in here with chums and fellow punters in there for a good time. The barmaids were all in seasonal Christmas attire, albeit not the shirt-skirted Santa uniforms that they were apparently wearing a few days earlier. Understandably they seem to have opted for the longer-skirted versions yesterday in view of the fact that it was absolutely brass monkey’s weather! I found it still to be a friendly and welcoming pub, but I don’t think that it would become a regular haunt of mine.

This is a small basic boozer with friendly staff and no tourists. The furniture looks and feels like the cheapest Ikea rubbish, even down to a screw falling out as my fat behind rested on one of the tall stools. The pub is down a side street mainly used by van drivers so the view from the bay window at the front isn't the most inspiring, but this obviously isn't any fault of the pubs. Explorer, Spitfire, Pride and Harveys Best were all available during my brief visit along with a few standard and premium draught products. My Guinness was very nice, but it could have done with spending a little more time being filled. There is a TV, but this was off and I spotted no Sports advertised, but I have heard that Sky Sports are shown. This place is ok for a quiet beer off the main drag, but there are better pubs in the area.