The Tommyfield, Kennington, SE11

Dating from at least the early 19th century though rebuilt towards the end of the century and the White Hart until 2010, the current name the result of a former local market, home to Britain’s first fish ‘n’ chip shop, apparently. The place also boasts a function room, where some of our greatest comic luminaries have performed; think Aisling Bee, Katherine Ryan, Romesh Ranganathan and Jack Whitehall. I attempted to enter this place when COVID restrictions were partially lifted but it was rammed. The interior is very much modernised and opened out, with a new bar back with obligatory white ceramic tiles, open kitchen, raised periphery, walls of either striped white and yellow shiny tiles, bare brick or plain white with décor amounting to a metal cage filled with bottles. Furniture is conventional, an unmemorable soundtrack and the place was almost deserted on my Saturday mid-evening visit, unlike the Dog House, opposite. An ale choice amounted to one unused pump then the fruit salad that is Wandle at £2.70 a half and a bit diacetyl, served by a floaty barman. This isn’t a great place; the Dog House is across the road and the Black Prince and Old Red Lion are also close at hand.

The Tommyfield is a large corner pub that is almost opposite the Dog House. Once inside there is a largish oblong shaped room,the bar is situated to the rear left,there is a narrow raised area which runs down the right side,this area seemed to be favoured by diners,there is also a very small raised area to the front left,the main area had a mix of seating types,there was a large screen about three quarters down the room showing rugby,there is an open kitchen to the rear which is also on a raised area. There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Sambrooks Pumphouse Pale Ale which went down well,the other beer was Taylor Landlord. This pub is a gastro type place but i was happy enough drinking in here. Pub visited 2/8/2014

Our Friday lunchtime visit found this modern interior pub very much functioning as a restaurant and I think we were the only people in who were not eating. Modern gastro pub open plan style which I imagine functions a lot better as a bar in the evening when the food service has stopped. But at lunchtime it is almost devoid of atmosphere except for the noise of clinking cutlery and munching. Fortunately there are still a good choice of traditional pubs in the area so we didn’t linger long, despite the fact that the two of the three pumps that were in operation were dispensing decent enough pints of TT Landlord and Sambrook’s summer seasonal Pumphouse Pale Ale.

The same three beers were on yesterday so naturally I gave the Roundhead a try, a decent drink it was too. The pub itself has been subjected to a serious restyle, there are raised areas to the perimeter on both the front and side with the rear part having a couple of booth areas. The main floor is all high tables made of metal as if to deliberately make them even more uncomfortable than the wooden cushioned versions. Large areas of the walls are tiled but there is some exposed brickwork which is easier on the eye. To the rear is an open food servery, a chalkboard lists the menus broken down into the categories of FISH:PIES:GRILL. Steaks £14.50-£18.50, burgers £9.50-£10-50 (wild boar being the cheaper version oddly), fancy sounding pies (wild boar, rabbit, venison) £12.50 with mash and greens. The fold down big screen was not in use and some low key music was playing; further entertainment is available as there is a bar football table. Upstairs is the "Master Room" but I didn't take a look. As is so common these days all essence of tradition has been wiped out in this place leaving a noisy echoing barn, who it is supposed to appeal to I don't really know. A reasonable beer choice rescues it to a certain extent but it really isn't to my taste.

This pub used to be called the White Hart, and on Saturday I paid my first visit in its new guise. It was a bit like a noisy university bar when I was in on Saturday afternoon, although maybe the rugby being shown on the large pull down screen was the big draw. There is a raised area on the right with a row of normal tables and chairs, but the main part of the room was furnished with tall tables and tall stools with large groups of youthful drinkers clustered around them. There’s an open to view kitchen at the back which seemed to be producing enough food to keep the corporate black-shirted staff running around frenetically. But that’s better than seeing them doing nothing of course. I didn’t see a menu, but the nosh being dished out to other punters looked OK. The beer deserves a mention. There were three handpumps – all Cask Marque clipped – dispensing Sambrook’s Wandle, Timothy Taylor Landlord, and Roundhead from Two Cocks Brewery. I imagine that Two Cocks is a reference to a pluralcy of fowls rather than to the condition of diphallic therata – but anyway it is a new one on me, and an excellent pint at the typical price of £3.70 a pint. This is a noisy bar full of younger drinkers rather than a traditional pub, but the presence of the excellent Roundhead earns it an extra couple of stars. But it’s not the sort of place that would draw me back.