The Goat, SW11

This building used to be a Temperance Billiards Hall, with the signage for it stll in place above the entrance. I gather that snooker legends Tony Meo and Jimmy White frequented it. I've walked past this place on numerous occasions, but ventured inside for the first time on Wednesday afternoon. The layout is a bit unusual in that there is little happening on the ground floor. When you enter you either go downstais to the main bar area, or upstairs to some more seating. Obviously I chose to descend rather than ascend. Naturally somewhere that used to be a 17 table billiard hall has to be quite large inside, and in fact it is much larger than it looks from the outside. It's mainly furnished with normal tables and chairs but with its fair share of sofas, and in fact is quite comfortable although little natural light seeps into the downstairs bar. They had on Sharp's Doom Bar and Sambrook's Junction (£1.80 half), with Purity a UBU clip reversed. The tables all had single page printed menus on them. The food's not particulary cheap, with a handmade burger and chips weighing in at £9.75. Overall it's not a bad place, albeit a bit 'spoons-like in appearance. I could have done without the loud pop music though. With both The Falcon and The Eagle Ale house nearby I don't expect to make a return visit.

Official site of the Goat - www.thegoatpub.com

Official site of the Goat - www.thegoatpub.com