The Prince George, E8

Popular backstreet boozer which still retains something of its old multiple room layout. You enter directly into the main bar space via a good-sized front patio packed with plenty of bench seats and a fair bit of shelter. The entrance door has a set of nicely etched glass panes bearing the pub name, giving way to the servery directly opposite, with its pleasant wood panelled counter with smartly rounded ends, and a fine bar back with nicely integrated support pillars and a collection of avian taxidermy cases on the top. The room is bare boarded, with low dark wood panels beneath lincrusta uppers. A large beer board to the left of the bar lists the full keg and cask range and I spotted a juke box next to the front door, although there was a very laid-back jazz soundtrack playing, which I don’t think was courtesy of the juke box. A TV screen was turned on part way through my stay so that some locals could watch an England football fixture, but the sound wasn’t turned on at any point. A fireplace to the right with a huge mirror above acts as a good focal point, with the rest of the room decorated with various pictures and a few fairly subtle bits of promotional material. Seating around the perimeter comes mainly in the form of pews and chairs, but there are two more rooms behind the bar which offer plenty of overspill seating, mainly pews and chairs again. Back here, there’s another nice fireplace in the slightly larger right-hand room, with cool retro posters on display, whilst over on the left side, which is more of an extension of the main bar area these days, large modern art prints, a huge La Dolce vita film poster and an even larger map of the world account for pretty much all available wall space. There may be another room at the far rea on this side, but the pub was so busy, I couldn’t muster the energy to fight my way back to explore. There were three cask ales being dispensed when I arrive – Taylors Landlord, Five Points Best and Tiny Rebel Cwtch. The latter was served up by one of the efficient, if a little standoffish, bar staff and was in pretty good shape – not the best pint of Cwtch I’ve ever had, but nothing particularly wrong with it either. I really wasn’t expecting to find a multi-roomed backstreet pub packed on a mid-week evening and serving three decent cask ales, but that’s exactly what’s going on in this most unlikely of locations. I really enjoyed poking around this interesting pub and loved the lively atmosphere which was in sharp contrast to that of some other pubs in the local area. Definitely a good stop-off for anyone crawling between Hackney and Dalston.

Built in 1856 for Whitbread (one of their signs remains) and now owned by the Remarkable Pubs Co. (RPC), this is an attractive corner site pub in the backstreets of what probably constitutes Dalston. Minus screaming babies, this seems unchanged since the previous reviews. There’s an enclosed beer patio out front and on entering, there are the usual RPC trademarks: a few stuffed animals, black tieback swag curtains, a map of the world on the wall and Litovel propaganda. Also predictable, was a welcome ale from local Five Points (Pale at £4.95 and good) and a not so welcome London Pride, along with Rosie Pig cider on pump. Broadly, the pub is divided into around six areas, going back a surprising way. The bar takes centre to the front section. It’s rustic and field panelled, but the star here is the bar back which appears to have been carved from walnut, with columns topped with Ionic capitals; the modern Gent clock at centre is presumably meant as a bit of a leg-pull. The floor is rough boarded and the room has black field panelling to the dado, then Anaglypta upwards to the matching ceiling, both painted magnolia (or old nicotine staining?). There are two fireplaces with tiling which probably dates from the 1930s. Naturally they weren’t lit, but I know from extensive experience of RPC pubs, that they do like their real fires. Furniture in the front room constitutes pews to the walls, then normal chairs and tables, all of which are topped with little bottle vases containing a plant. Lighting comprises hanging spherical translucent lamps above the bar, then either tulip glass shaded chandeliers and matching sconce lights, all at a pleasant level. Décor is largely as described below, along with a pot pourri of prints, some illuminated with brass picture lamps. The rear room has quite an ornate staircase up to what was probably once lodgings or a dining room. Here, there are red velvet-upholstered benches rather than pew. Round to the side, and there’s an annex and beyond that there’s a pool room. We still continue onwards, to some kind of deep cover über snug, a form of pub ‘panic room’ – a good place to avoid babies? The crowd comprised overwhelmingly young incomers and one solitary local old bloke, sitting at the bar with a somewhat bemused look on his face, perhaps a little overwhelmed by the rather noisy quiz, which had the pub near packed out on a Monday evening. The overall impression here, is that this is a largely traditional, cosy boozer. Trumping the neighbouring Spurstowe and Prince Arthur, if at least due to the availability of real ale, this is easily the best pub in the area and I’d be very happy to make a return.