Midsummer Tap, Milton Keynes

Once a Slug & Lettuce, this pub is primarily a sports bar. Although it also seems to serve a wide range of fairly standard craft beers, along with food. Sharp's Doom Bar is the real ale, whilst they also had a real cider in the shape of Sandford Orchards Devon Scrumpy. TVs showing live sports are everywhere you look. Both a Championship game and a Scottish game were being shown on our visit. Practically every table was reserved for later in the day, presumably for a live Premier League game. A wide selection of board games were also available to play, with one table possessing a video game console you could play. Not a bad option if in the centre of Milton Keynes. Although I could imagine that this place would get packed and be too noisy when a popular sporting fixture is being shown.

Official site of Midsummer Tap - www.craft-pubs.co.uk

Official site of Midsummer Tap - www.craft-pubs.co.uk

Popped in to see what ale was on but a little disappointed to find only St Austell Tribute available although it was fine.

Curious-looking, semi-circular building in the 'Theatre District', with the usual anonymous, light, modern furniture and decor in the single seating / dining area. However, there are also a reasonable number of patio tables around the periphery which are quite a pleasant spot for a bit of people watching on a sunny afternoon. Two real ales on handpump: Pedigree and a decent pint of Hobgoblin (quite a bargain at £2.95).

This pub is housed in a modern and unusual building being completely round and with a domed roof. It’s sandwiched between a Lloyds No. 1 and a TGI Friday’s which no doubt suits it’s target clientele but didn’t really do much to inspire me. It is however a convenient pit stop for the nearby theatre, cinema, shops, snow dome, etc. Inside it appears smaller than might be expected, although it looks as though there may also be an upper floor which was closed off on a recent Tuesday evening visit. Seating is a mixture of tables and chairs towards the rear along with brown leather armchairs at the front, and a number of low sofa’s in front of the window. Decor wise there is little of any note, although the windows do cover most of the front wall which no doubt gives a light and airy feel in daylight hours. The ceiling was a pale lemon colour and the flooring was a mixture of slightly tatty looking dark wood strip and cream tiles around the bar. Numerous strings of fairy lights hung at the windows and adorned the air conditioning ducting, and there were a couple of plasmas up on the wall although all they were showing was Slug & Lettuce adverts. The menu was extensive and divided in to numerous sections such as wraps, baguettes, salads, meat, fish, chicken, burgers, vegetarian, curries and so on. Main prices ranged between £6 - £10 or so, and there were also a couple of meals deals such as 2-4-1 curries on a Tuesday. My Open Chicken Pie with a Puff Pastry Case arrived alarmingly quickly and came with a sauce that was allegedly smoked applewood cheese and bacon although these flavours weren’t discernable. On the whole it was distinctly average – a generous portion I suppose, and there were bottles of branded sauce on the table which is better than those minuscule sachets or indeterminate makes of sauce served in small dishes, but it certainly wasn’t worth the £8.95 that it cost. If it had been about £3 less I’d have recommended it as a good value hearty meal. But it wasn’t, so I won’t. Beers on tap were Greene King IPA and the local (from Olney) Hopping Mad Brainstorm, which to be fair, is much more than I expected in an establishment such as this. Ciders were a little disappointing with just Strongbow and Magners Golden Draught.