The Distillers, Hammersmith, W6

Definitly the best part of this pub is the frontage.Didnt take to this pub.Tried Fullers Daydreamer 4.2.Another dull golden beer from them.Heard yesterday the female head brewer has left so maybe their is hope yet.Should have went for the Darkstar-revelation.

This is still a Fuller's pub, and is still largely as described by the previous reviewer. However I visited for a bite to eat at lunchtime so wasn't assaulted by the Rolling Stones music blaring out. But if the Cockroaches were playing a live gig there I would certainly want to be there. I was a bit luckier on the beer front, with the superb Dark Star Revelation (£4.80 a pint) on as well as London Pride of course. They also advertised beer of some kind "from the tank", with said tanks suspended above the servery. I gave that a swerve. Being a Fuller's pub they do food at weekday lunchtime, and I went for an Applewood smoked cheddar & balsamic onion sandwich that came with salted (ugh!) chips. It cost a bit over £8 as I recall. The pub itself looks very attractive from the outside with its unusual curved frontage. The main arched windows are now all plain glass, but the small leaded light panes above look to have the original glazing in them. The main corner doors also have glazed panels, with blue bands and flowers (poppies I think) in the central roundels. It's opened up and modernised inside, and with more exposed brickwork that was always intended to be covered by something more attractive, such as wood panelling perhaps. There are a couple of illuminated flying horses - Pegasus? - on one of the walls. Not sure why they're there; maybe Fuller's wanted Griffins and ended up with Pegasus? On another wall there were 78rpm vinyl records, along with what looked like cartoons of flying birds. It's all quite bizarre. This place clearly has upmarket aspirations, as evidenced by the flowers in jars on the tables, bit I'm not sure if it really worked. On the plus side the windows let in plenty of natural light, and my pint of Revelation was in excellent condition. I found it a comfortable enough place to stop for a pint and bite to eat.

Official site of Distillers - www.distillershammersmith.co.uk

A first in here last Saturday in what was originally The Distillers' Arms. Much as described below, but this isn't a gastropub, rather it's an opened out pub with contemporary décor, décor that's too contemporary for my liking, giving the place more an appearance of a wine bar than pub with acres of roughhewn bare brick walls and an end wall bedecked with old vinyl LPs. A Fuller's pub, so you know exactly what to expect by the numbers, the bar features a tiled apron and there are some columns with ornate capitals; furniture is mixed but contemporary. The gaff features live acoustic/amplified music on a Saturday night and yesterday was no exception, but on entering we were near deafened by the pounding sound of The Rolling Stones on the gramophone, which was simply too loud to be pleasant; the pub wasn't that full so my guess is that the locals knew something we didn't. A so-so pint of London Pride and then we were off - I can't find reason to recommend this place and the aforementioned upstairs bar was closed.

Official site of Distillers - www.distillershammersmith.co.uk

This is a smart street corner pub, just a five minute or so walk from Hammersmith tube station. The entrance takes you into a large open space with a high ledge and stools in the middle acting as the only form of partitioning. Wooden floors and pastel coloured walls give the place a bit of a gastro look which is augmented by some fancy chandeliers and candelabras. There are mirrors everywhere, including the entire bar back and one on the right hand wall bearing the pub’s name. There is a real mix of seating throughout the pub, including some low tables and comfy chairs and smart banquettes under the front windows. Beyond the servery there is a small space for three or four more tables, whilst stairs lead to the Regal Room, which has its own bar, but was all but empty on our recent visit. Music was playing in the background during our stay and ranged through various genres. Four hand pumps were dispensing a pleasingly interesting selection of beers in the shape of Robinson’s Long Kiss Goodnight, Holt’s Two Hoots, Caledonian Over the Bar and Wadworth Swordfish. I tried the first two and found the Robinson’s to be a decent pint in good shape, but sadly the Holt’s was flatter than Tuesday’s pancakes. We actually stopped off here for a bite to eat prior to a gig at the nearby Hammersmith Apollo and although the food is a bit pricey, I thought it was very tasty. Hammersmith isn’t the easiest place to find a decent pub and had the beer quality been a bit more consistent I think I would have marked this down as one of the better options. Certainly worth keeping an eye on and a good place for some nice food too.