The Greyhound, Richmond

The attractive black and white timbered exterior and curved front windows with leaded stained glass upper lights gives an inviting look however once inside is when the traditional look stops. The angled light wood and mirrored bar counter is unusually low, grey painted wood panelling and large oval high tables are a distinct contrast to the exterior. The bar gantry is also mirrored and hangs from tubular steel fittings, the beamed ceiling is painted white. To the rear a marquee now fills the garden where there are also apparently service booths with TVs. Strangely there are three cakes or gateaux under glass on the end of the bar, not my first choice of bar snack with my pint. Four handpumps with a bit of a mainstream selection of Doom Bar, Pride, Tribute and Purity Mad Goose. The menu is rather upmarket and is best described as ambitiously priced. The log fire blazing away on a chilly day redeemed the place a bit as far as I was concerned but there isn't much here to entice me back.

Official site of The Greyhound - www.thegreyhoundkew.co.uk

Official site of The Greyhound - www.thegreyhoundkew.co.uk

This doesn't really look like a pub as you enter, mainly because of the modern, light pine coloured, bar counter that they've plonked at an angle dominating the front of the room. On this counter there were three cakes/gateaux under plastic containers, making it look a bit like you've wandered into some tea rooms by mistake. To one side of the counter is a hot plate with casseroles, vegetables and the like on it keeping warm. That's a bit of a traditional throwback to the 70s - or perhaps to The Harp! Having said all that, there were four handpumps on the counter, clipped for London Pride, Doom Bar, Old Hooky, and Tribute (£1.90 a half). As well as the food on the hotplate, I also saw a menu offering such delights as fish and chips (£12.50), and "our famous Greyhound 8oz beefburger, red onions, chips and salad" for £10.50. There was nothing really straightforward - the "New York style club sandwich with smoked cheddar, bacon, etc, skinny fries" was £8.50. All par for the course I suppose. The main bar area at the front is furnished solely with two or three tall tables/tall stools, and there are a few normal tables and chairs back and to the right of the bar counter. The floor is bare boarded of course, all the furnishings are a light pine colour, and any flat surface is painted a light grey. There's a bit of Victorian tiling by the entrances (only one of which is in use now of course), as well as some coloured glazing in the upper sections of the rather delightful arched windows, but anything else of heritage interest has long gone. The modern gastro look is enhanced by the wall to the right of the counter, which seems to be one large wine rack. I saw a sign on a door at the back apparently leading to a beer garden, but I didn't investigate. I also saw an advertisement for some live entertainment - a Rod Stewart tribute on 18 December. It wasn't clear whether this was a one-off special Christmas treat, or if live entertainment is a regular event. The exterior of this pub looks quite special with its impressive Tudor style frontage, but the interior is just like any old ordinary and characterless bar. But the beer choice is OK, and perhaps a lot of people like pubs that look like an Ikea store with cakes and beer.