The Dolphin, WC1

They still do London Pride in here. It wasn’t the best pint I’ve ever had, being in the “drinkable” category. Thai food is advertised (lunch for a fiver), but any diners there might have been had long gone by the time that I arrived at about 3.30 PM on Wednesday. The Watney Combe Reid signage remains extant on the outside. There are still two separate rooms, with what has all the appearance of a public bar on the left, and another room on the right signed as a restaurant. The public bar was as basic as they get, with no tables or chairs, just a few stools at the bar and at ledges by the windows, and with the room dominated by a pool table in the middle of the floor. The walls in here are decorated with framed, and some signed, photographs of (mainly football) sporting teams. I wasn’t sure whether the restaurant room was available for drinkers, and in any case not wishing to appear isolationist (the restaurant was empty) I shared the public bar with the guv’nor and a few of his regulars. There is now a London Pride clipped handpump in the Public Bar, but maybe just to show what is available as the guv’nor went through to the restaurant room to pull my pint. This is the place to go if you are after a quiet pint, although based on my one visit the ale quality isn’t brilliant as I suspect that it’s not the main seller in here. It’s not the place for you if you’re after sumptious luxury.

My Dolphin experiences have been limited to marine parks and the occasional visit to this pub which is conveniently situated opposite Camden Town Hall, venue for the London Drinker Festival venue and therefore it comes in handy for an aperitif prior to the Festival doors opening. The Irish influence is evident as you enter, if not for the thick brougue of the barman, although you certainly wouldn’t exactly label the place under the typical irish theme bar heading. The original 2 bars are still intact with the public bar to the left containing a pool table and sporty pictures and appearing far more presentable on my recent visit than the last time I was here when the place looked quite tired and dull. The lounge bar is quite basic with bare floors and plenty of displays and pictures. The hand pumps are situated in the Lounge bar and are not obvious if you chose the Public Bar entrance. There is just the one ale available among the usual kegs, lagers and Guinness; a quite expensive but decent enough London Pride (£3.20) although there is a second redundant pump. The Dolphin has also jumped on the Thai food bandwagon with a decent selection available at quite reasonable prices although I have never actually eaten here. It’s not the best place in the area by a long shot but it is generally quite quiet and handy for a meeting place before moving on.