The Cambridge, WC2

Of the two close proximity Nicholson houses my preference is for The Cambridge. Well described by Maldenman below, so not a lot to add, except to say that on my visit earlier this week the seven handpumps included Jaipur IPA, Daleside Blonde and Amber from the Otter brewery. And the Otter Amber had travelled very well from its Devon base

The Vaults have now been made quite a bit larger and is called The City Vaults

I ducked in here out of the rain the other day, not really expecting too much considering the location in the heart of the West End. A smallish single room with large windows giving light and also aspect to the traffic and throngs of passers by. A bare boarded floor, banquettes around the perimeter and a few high copper topped tables and high stools in front of the bar. As mentioned earlier the ceiling is fairly elaborate with a repeated green fruit pattern in squares, it looked like ceramic tiles to me, but that seems unusual. The large mirror on the end wall advertises "Allsopps Pale and Burton Ales". It's a Nicholson's pub, smaller than their usual type, although there is more room in the upstairs restaurant. The beer range raised an eyebrow, seven handpumps, all on, the selection being Pride, Taylor's Landlord and Golden Best, Doom Bar, Thwaites Wainwright, Adnam's Explorer and Ryedale Winter's Tale. I considered £2.95 for the Thwaites to be pretty good for round here and it was well kept and served too.

This is one of those pubs I have walked past a million times but rarely entered. Part of the Nicholsons chain and recently undergone a hefty refurbishment. Fairly small pub in a very busy area but there is an upstairs bar to take the overflow if necessary. Plenty of old London prints going up the stairs. Main bar has a very intricate ceiling and a few brass chandeliers. 3 regular ales (Bombardier, London Pride & Young's Best) supplemented by a guest beer (Landlord at the time of writing) and an extensive range of continental lagers including Starpramen, Amstel, 1664 and Stella. For the uninitiated beer drinker, they do a “try before you buy” deal (I have now come across this in a couple of Nicholson's pubs) and label them with a description. Quite civilised for a pub on such a busy tourist junction.

This is a very small pub that apparently has a restaurant upstairs. I had a few decent enough Heinekens whilst I waited for a few associates, but we had to leave as there wasn't really enough room to accommodate a group. I would probably go back if in the area, but wouldn't spend the entire evening.

Old style pub next to the palace theatre. Good choice of real ales which included timothy taylor landlord, hydes berry good ale,ringwood 49er, brewster's red hop lover.

Five real ales on during my midweek visit – three of the usual suspects (Pride, Landlord and Doom Bar) plus Nethergate Azzaparrot and something from Springhead - Polar Bear I think. I went for the Azzaparrot which was pretty good, and at the reasonable price of £2.95 a pint. This is a Mitchell and Butler pub, as evidenced by the trademark tasting notes (and price per pint) above the ale clips on the pumps. This is an old Victorian pub of course, but it now has a typical, largely characterless West End interior. There are some basic, but normal square/rectangular tables with banquettes/stools, plus a few high tables and high stools. The ceiling is quite impressive though, with either painted or tiled large bordered squares with a fruit theme. Quite unusual really, and worth a look up to see if you find yourself in here. There’s also a mirror advertising Alsopp’s Pale and Burton Ales – might be original. There was some jazz playing fairly quietly, which made a welcome change from the usual pop music one hears. This is far from the worst West End pub I’ve been in, and the not overpriced decent ale selection make it somewhere worth dropping into if you’re in the area and in need of a pint.

Official pages of the Cambridge, contains menu, wine list and real ale details - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

Official pages of the Cambridge, contains menu, wine list and real ale details - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk