The Lady Mildmay, Newington Green, N1

Decent pub but empty on my Monday night visit.Nice art work on the walls.4 handpumps with Laines -best,kings -northern nights,hackney -red ale and hackney -oatmeal stout.Loungy sort of place with sofa,s etc.

Angled corner pub, part opened out at some stage to form a 'L'-shape bar with a mix of furniture including standard tables and large sofas. Bohemian decor, with ultra-low illumination (mostly tea lights on the tables). Dining room to the rear, located down a couple of steps. Just two of seven handpumps in operation, with Hackney New Zealand Pale and the 'house' Laines Best (£4.10) available when I visited. Not many customers, but the staff didn't seem particularly attentive; and with the limited beer choice and 'hip' features such as unisex toilets, I found the place rather annoying.

Was called The Clarendon

This is one of the handful of London pubs recently acquired by InnBrighton, which they have re-named from the Clarendon. The name recognises the non-comformist (i.e. not CofE) educational establishments of the 17th - 19th Centuries, one of which was just down the road at Newington Green. There were several ales on - Laine's Best (the house beer), Hophead (Darkstar?), Ha'penny Springjack, and Hepworth Pullman (£3.70 a pint), as well as some of the more unusual lagers on tap. All the clips were handwritten with just the name of the ale, and, helpfully, the ABV. There were three handpumps unused. I didn't see any menus, but there were mugs on the bar counter containing cutlery, so I guess they must do food at appropriate times. The pub itself has a bit of the Antic feel to it. It's been heavily madeover, but the decor's not quite so bizarre. There's a lot of odd artwork around the place - a Warholesque portrait of Hendrix, a massive picture of the face of a man smoking, some African carvings, and a coatstand with an old shirt and cap on it. Not sure if the latter was a decorative featue or not, but my grubby old coat didn't look out of place on it. There's a good mix of sofas, armchairs, and nomal tables and chairs, and thankfully no tall tables/tall stools. There are no fruit or games machines either, and I didn't see any TVs. I've been to a couple of InnBrighton pubs now, and I have to say that although they are modern in appearance, they are comfortable and perhps even luxurious. I quite like this one. An excellent pint of Hepworth's Pullman is a big help of course, and I'd be very happy to visit again.