Lyttelton Arms, NW1

Opposite Mornington Crescent tube ,this is a street corner pub but heavily knocked about leaving an open plan interior with a raised section to the left side. High tables near the bar,some small semi circular banquettes by a front window and dining type tables elsewhere.The lighting is modern ,and the food menu is extensive but looks like food service corporate fare via a microwave.The columns around the bar being the only feature of note. Just one real ale Black Sheep Twilighter (rather tired,NBSS 2) ,and the keg selection was mostly mainstream apart from some ubiquitous Beavertown. Uninspring ,no need to seek out .Could be better with care.

Still very much as described below, a much-modernised pub with a mixture of benches, banquettes, dining tables and easy chairs in various areas. On handpump were Purity Bunny Hop, Proper Job, Doom Bar, Hobgoblin and Thistly Cross cider. Sadly there does not appear to be any acknowledgement of its name or Radio 4 ISIHAC connections, which seems to b missing a trick.

Excellently described in previous review. Beer sampled was Jaipur, which was in ok but not great condition.

Originally known as the Southampton Arms, this large pub at the southern end of Camden High Street takes its name from jazz musician Humphrey Lyttleton who brought neighbouring Mornington Crescent tube station to the nation's attention as host of Radio 4's 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'. The pub is quite a modern affair, aimed at a predominantly younger audience and popular with gig goers at nearby KOKO. You enter into a spacious bare boarded room with a large L-shaped servery to the right. The bar has a red wood panel counter front and a plain bar back dominated by an enormous centrally positioned plain mirror. High tables and stools fill the area directly opposite with some great comfy sofas and armchairs around the edge of the room and some bench options on a raised area to the rear left. The room runs a long way to the rear, past the end of the bar, and back here you can find loads more tables and chairs, perhaps more suited to those who intend to dine. On the back wall there is a large mural depicting a musician looking out to a large, adoring crowd, which makes sense in a Camden pub with numerous music venues within walking distance. There is a lot of bare brickwork to the rear of the pub which nicely complimented the dark wood fixtures and fittings to be found throughout the rest of the building and muted lighting helped to create a warm, cosy environment on a cold winter's night. There are five handpulls on the bar but two were unclipped when I arrived with a Doom Bar clip reversed, leaving Adnams/Magic Rock The Herbalist and Thornbridge Wild Holly as the only real ale options. I tried a pint of the Wild Holly which came in at £4.50 and was in pretty good nick. The keg range seems more comprehensive and included brews from the likes of Siren, Camden, Roosters and Stone. The barmaid who served me was one of those remarkable people who manage to conduct the entire transaction without uttering a single word - well done! Camden is a frustrating area for good pubs and I'm rarely inspired to return to most of those I've visited. This place hardly bucked that trend but a couple of interesting ales and a good keg range means it ranks slightly higher than many others in the area. Definitely a good one to know about if gigging at KOKO but there are a few better options further into Camden or back the other way at Euston.

There were three ales on in here - Doom Bar, Purity UBU, and Windsor & Eton's Knight of the Garter (£2 a half), with another couple of pumps apparently unused. The menus claimed it was Ruby Jean's Diner, and I guess it was supposed to USA themed. Burgers are £10 - £11, but other stuff like hot dogs (£7.95 or £8.95), fried chicken (£10.50), and BBQ Ribs (£15.95) are available. Burgers are "2.4.1" on Tuesday. It's now not very pub-like in here. There's a bit of banquette seating around the edges, but the main room's dominated by two massive (10-seater or so) tall tables with attendant tall stools. An area at the back has more standard-ish seating, a part of which was illuminated by a pink and purple lit sign that would not have been out of place in a Pattaya bar. The enormous mural still has pride of place on the back wall, featuring I know not what. This place is highly functional and popular, being just over the road from Koko. It was also popular with diners on a Wednesday lunchtime. But it lacks the traditional pub character, although it seems to be exactly what is needed in this part of the world. My Knight of the Garter was in good shape as well.