The Tamil Crown, N1

Much busier than I was expecting on a Tuesday night, making it quite difficult to navigate around the compact bar and small side room. Faux-basic furniture and decor inside the plain but attractive façade. Four interesting beers on handpump, with my pint of Alchemy Ritual costing £3.50 - less than I was expecting for the area - and with the tasty pork pies coming in at the same price. Overall, pretty good I thought.

I liked this pub very much when I visited some six or seven years ago, back then I recall there being only a couple of hand pulls ,there are now four,my pint of Windsor and Eton Knott was in good shape. This manages to maintain a lively atmosphere whatever the level of custom, there were a few in attendence on this visit. Very much a pub and yet there is almost a continental cafe feel as well and both combine perfectly to make a unique and interesting place . I like it a lot.

This pub had a very lively atmosphere when I visited late afternoon on a warm sunny Friday afternoon. People were spilling out on to the pavement and all seemed in high spirits. The interior remains as described previously, except on this occasion the ale for me was the superb Clarence and Frederick (a South London micro-brewery) Best Bitter. This is another pub well worth the walk from the main drag of Islington.

This cosy back street corner pub has somehow eluded me until now despite tha fact that I used to work a few hundred yards away and was certainly no stranger to area’s hostelries. The pub dates from 1839 and was originally called the Prince Albert, the name being changed as recently as 2006 to honour the English Essayist who lived nearby. The interior is split into an L-shaped main bar and a separate room to one side that appears to be more for dining. The décor has been given a modern touch but it has been done quite tastefully and the pub retains a good degree of its character and a few of its original features. There is a large picture of the pub in the main bar and a display of maps in the dining area as well as a large cockerel in the corner, possibly an old Courage remnant. A clock crowns the large bar back laden with bottles of wine. The paintwork is all light shades that normally announce “gastro pub” but it felt as much a drinker’s pub as a diner’s pub and clearly has a wide range of appeal given that the customer base consisted of groups of men heading for the ale pumps and women gossiping over a bottle of red. There were plenty of homely touches including a selection of board games and a well stocked hatrack, in fact there were probably more hats and bags than people in the pub. Sadly Mascha the pub dog who even had its own MySpace page is no longer around but the signs asking for her not to be fed remain behind as a kind of memorial. The pub was a 2011 CAMRA North London Pub of the Year finalist so you can expect a decent pint and there was a good selection on my recent vist that included St Peters Ruby Red, Dark Star Hophead, Brodies London Field and Triple FFF Alton Pride. Prices were also pretty reasonable with the St Peters at £3.30. The food appears to change daily with the menu listed on blackboards. Prices were around £9-£13 for main courses. This little backwater has a few decent pubs that are generally overlooked by people heading for the hustle and bustle of Upper Street or the Green and the Charles Lamb is certainly one to go out of the way for.

This is a very smart looking, two room pub located down a quiet backstreet a short walk from Angel tube station. The pub has something of a gastro feel to it upon entering, with bare floorboards, light green wood panelling and lots of windows making the main room feel light and airy, when the reality is that the bench seating and bar stools leave just a small gangway for people to pass through what is actually quite a small room. Whilst there is certainly a gastro element to this pub, evidenced by a rather fancy looking menu of dishes not normally associated with pub dining, the main room retains enough charm and character for drinkers to feel perfectly comfortable. In fact, a number of drinkers were deeply engrossed in the various board games which are available, including a mammoth game of Monopoly on the table next to me. A smaller second room is set up more with diners in mind, with more of a standard seating arrangement, and there appeared to be a fair few people eating in there on my recent visit. The room has a rather cosy feel to it with a fireplace on one wall and a rather prominent old map of London on display. I timed my visit to coincide with a showcase of London beers the pub had put on for the weekend, and I was pleased to see the four handpulls offering local ales in the shape of Windsor & Eton Knight of the Garter (£3.10), Redemption Trinity, Fullers 1845 and something called Charles Lamb Elias Muse, brewed especially for this pub (I noted from the wine list that the pub also offers a Charles Lamb wine). Three more beers, all from Brodies, were set up on the bar counter and poured straight from the cask - Amarillo, Citra and California. Keg beers included offerings from Meantime and drinks were served by a friendly team of staff who were keen to offer tasters to those unsure of what to order. This pub seems to have pitched itself just about perfectly for the area it serves and should have a broad appeal thanks to its inclusive approach. I rather regretted not spending a bit longer in here, especially as it started pouring down on my way to the next pub, so I imagine a return visit will be highly likely the next time I'm in this part of town.