Cask, Pimlico, SW1

Light airy looking clean pub with 8 pumps and although we had had all the beers available before there was a good range with 3 Thornbridge, 2 Dark Star and 3 other micros. Foreign beers were on draught and in bottles. Friendly staff and we were drawn into conversation with some of the customers too. Enjoyed 2 well kept ales, Triple FFF Pressed Rat and Warthog, and Hopdaemon Incubus. For £3.25.

Top class beer range. Friendly knowledgeable staff who are very welcoming and make an effort to remember you even if you've only been in once before. Excellent quality food. Prices are a little higher than in some other pubs but the quality of food, beer and service make this a price well worth paying. Don't have a problem with the area, not everyone can afford to live in semi-D's etc and quite a few drinkers at the cask are local. And it's a straight walk from Pimlico station if you leave it via the Rampayne St exit and walk down Tachbrook Street.Furthermore another good selling point is that being on the Victoria line (the fastest and most reliable tube line) you can get there from most London starting points fairly easily. The building is indeed an odd shape but they have done pretty well the best they can with it inside. Recommended.

I suppose any pub with Dark Star beers on the pumps and Belgian/German beers in the fridges will score highly in my book. I gave the Dark Star American Pale Ale a try and found it on top form, before getting stuck into a few of the weizenbiers as recommended by the landlord and expertly poured using a rolling technique to ensure the yeast in the bottom of the bottle made it into my glass. We also gave the food a try. Meals are roughly a tenner per main meal. I had the chicken, which was very nice, although maybe a little overpriced. The only real grumble was the lack of vegetarian options on the menu (just one pasta dish). The interior is of the gastro-pub variety, and being a new venture, the place doesn't seem to have found its feet in terms of generating the right kind of atmosphere, but that said it was very clean and pleasant; the sort of place I could get away with dragging my non ale-drinking friends to. I look forward to a return visit - it's nice to finally have somewhere worthwhile to visit when in Victoria.

I have little to add to Roger’s comprehensive and objective review below. I got the distinct impression that the new guv’nor, Martin, was enthusiastic about the new venture, and was committed to making it work. Having tried all the ales, I can confirm that they were all in good nick, even the American Pale Ale, whose taste was unimpaired by Martin having mistreated (i.e. dropped!) the cask in which it was contained making it a little cloudy. My personal favourite was the Hophead Festival, but that’s just my subjective opinion. Personally, I prefer the more basic, down-to-earth pub. But having said that, the Cask is clean, light and airy, is reasonably comfortable (no high stools and tables in evidence), has a welcoming and enthusiastic landlord and does decent ale. So, a fair few pluses then. Just don’t expect a traditional boozer when you visit this place.

It seems that the C&K is the pub of the moment so it was only a matter of time that I felt the urge to see if the hype was justified. The offputting name suggests that food plays a large part and whilst there were a few people eating, the food status was fairly underplayed to the extent that I didn't even notice any menus anywhere. As for the Cask angle of things, currently 5 pumps with yesterday's selection of Greene Kings Olde Trip & LBW, Everards Tiger, Batemans XXXB and Dark Star Festival which ran out and was promptly replaced by American Pale Ale (which seemed to be the favourite among our bunch of happy drinkers). Prices were a bit on the steep side at around £3.20/£3.30 a pint but quality was good (the Pale Ale was initially cloudy as the guvnor had accidently knocked the barrel but he did mention it at the time). It must be said he is certainly one of the more enthusiastic and knowledgeable managers / landlords that I have found and the staff in general were very attentive, something of a rarity in London pubs these days. The pub itself is built into a modern block of flats but the reasonably sized single room interior is neat and tidy with a row of hefty pillars down the middle. The décor is fairly plain with modern loungey feel but fortunately they have steered clear of overloading the place with sofas and coffee tables although the built in surrounding seating may not be to every buttock's taste even with the cushions. A giant map of the world dominates one wall and and attractive sideboard in the corner gives it a homely touch. The ambience was very laid back and relaxed with with a good mix of civilised people. Unitrusive background difficult jazz seems to act like an insect repellant to ward off any culturally impaired oiks that may have lurked from the pub's previous guise as something of an estate hell-hole. The single flat screen TV remained switched off during our session despite there being an Ashes Test, European football and newsworthy events going on so it does make you wonder for what occasions the on button is used. It was not overly busy and there was plenty of free table space throughout the evening. The main problem with the place is that it isn't a very convenient location unless you live / work in the area. Whilst the place has many fine attributes and is a welcome addition to the area's generally weak pub circuit, it doesn't feel pubby enough for me to make it an essential outing although I certainly would recommend anyone to check the place out. Obviously it is still early days and will be interesting to see how things develop.