The Hat and Tun, EC1

The stuffed animals heads and antler on the wall is to me a big turn off.3 handpumps and the Otter beer was good but not a pub I would re-visit.

There were three ales on in here – Adnam’s Southwold Bitter, Doom Bar and London Pride. They were running some sort of gimmick called “toss the barman”. As innuendos go it’s very “Carry On”, but it seems the idea is that you roll the dice and this affects what, if anything, you pay for your drinks. Not being fans of gimmicks, we ignored the dice, paid for our drinks and sat down and drank them. Food is clearly a big deal here, and is just on the margins of pub grub. Pie and Mash is £8.50, or £10.50 with their “pie and a pint” deal. I also noticed that the “Rare breed dexter beefburger, plus cheese and bacon” is £11. The pub exterior is typically Victorian, with the name of the pub set in stone on the parapet. Inside it’s been opened up. The bar back looks an original feature, and there is plenty of dark wood panelling but apart from a bit around the staff doorway at the back of the main room it all looks like modern replacement stuff to me. Furnishings are solid wooden tables and normal chairs. The antlers, stuffed animal heads, and stuffed and mounted fish are still there and, and effectively form the wall decor. There are a few green tiles next to the left hand side doorway that could be original, but on the whole it’s a modernish interior of a pub that’s got a bit of the gastro bug. But the service was friendly, and the ale falls into the “OK” category – as does the pub as a whole.

One roomed foody pub with bare boarded floor, high ceilings and a central pillar support. The large bar takes up a lot of the space. Stuffed animal heads on the walls. Nothing really special or relaxing, its probably known for its food, though it was a nice pint of Sambrooks Wandle.

Official site of The Hat and Tun, contains menu and drinks list - www.thehatandtun.com

Official site of The Hat and Tun, contains menu and drinks list - www.thehatandtun.com

Like many City pubs they close at the weekend (except for private parties). Fairly typical of a city wannabe gastropub but has retained some traditional characteristics. It's a nice looking pub with wood floors, lots of wood panelling and some large mirrors and etched glass. Nice and bright due to the large windows and high ceilings. There are some rather macabre stuffed animals mounted either side of the bar, badgers, foxes, stags antlers, even a couple of boars heads. Service was good and the barman was very chatty. Three handpumps, London Pride and two Adnams, I had a couple of pints and both were OK but served far too cold. A bit of history here, this pub used to be called Deux Beers which I always thought was quite apt given it's location in the Hatton Garden diamond trade area.