The Rose, New Cross, SE14

No real ale at all now in this modernised pub, It's obviously aimed at the trendy end of the market and although fairly quiet inside on my visit but the rear garden area was pretty packed.The beer is mainly craft related and there is a fairly extensive menu, beware of the smallest of print on the bottom that states an optional 12.5% will be added to the bill and will all go to the staff, optional if you spot it I suppose, maye they should just pay their staff better in the first place. Not somewhere I will rush back to.

There were just a couple of ales on in here - Doom Bar and Otter Amber, with a couple more handpumps unclipped. I forgot to note the price of the Otter Amber, but it was over £4. The main food theme here is pizza, as they advertise their food fired oven. Furnishings seem to be mainly normal tables and chairs. It's been largely stripped out, with plenty of exposed brickwork on the walls. There's a separate room at the back intended for diners, and a large garden at the side and rear of the pub. It was fairly busy when I was in there on a Wednesday evening, with a mainly youngish crowd. But it was welcoming, and comfortable enough if you can bag a table or if it's warm enough to sit outside. It's certainly not a destination pub, but OK for a pint or two if you're lucky enough to find a beer as good as Otter Amber on.

Official site of The Rose - www.rosepubandkitchen.com

Official site of The Rose - www.rosepubandkitchen.com

Situated directly opposite New Cross Gate station, this large Wytchwood's pub attracts decent crowds from the nearby Goldsmiths University buildings. The building is quite nice, but it suffers from neglect, with a drab and dirty looking wooden floored interior summing up the experience of drinking here. The main room is U-shaped and leads to a large conservatory at the rear, beyond which is a garden with covered smoking area, BBQ and outdoor bar. We came here to watch the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Japan and were grateful for a large TV in the conservatory section as the one near the bar was showing rugby. The ale selection comprised of Greene King IPA, Wytchwood Hobgoblin, TT Landlord and Sharp's Doom Bar. I tried a pint of each of the last three of those and every pint had sediment in the bottom of the glass (presumably the first pint of each pulled that day). None of them seemed very fresh and they were served by a bored looking barmaid who served whilst chatting on the phone. The one redeeming feature came by way of the food. Having waited until 14:00 for the kitchen to open, we were able to sample their Thai menu. I had the Thai red curry, which was lovely and good value at just £6 for any main course. So plus points for the food, but this pub needs a tidy up, some customer service from behind the bar and some well kept beer to make me think about coming back.