The Pembroke, Coulsdon

A Stonegate 'Spoonsalike' in a large, rectangular former retail premise, a little bit shabby but actually generating a bit of a pub atmosphere, despite rather too many sports screens in all directions. Not only family friendly, but actually having a cache of games, toys etc. to keep the little blighters amused. A small yard at the back and some pavement tables at the front offer a minimal outdoors. Ales on were TT Landlord, Tribute and Doom Bar - condition not great.

This is a large, shop converted Stonegate pub in the heart of Coulsdon, providing the kind of mass appeal venue the town is in desperate need of. The place is pretty vast, as might be expected in a former supermarket unit, with a huge single room space which sees the servery run midway down the left hand side. You enter into a bare boarded area with tartan tub chairs underneath a wall with map themed wallpaper on the left hand side and a bare brick walled space to the right with a fireplace, plain mirror and additional tub chair and standard seating options. The servery has a bit of the flat-pack assembly look to it, with a shelved bar back surrounding a boring pub mirror in the centre. High tables and stools are arranged opposite the bar and some large pillars here break the sightlines up a bit, helping to shake of the 'former-supermarket' vibe. Further back there is a raised seating area with nice button backed banquette booths and a few standard tables and chairs underneath wood panelled walls with large art prints of seemingly random, unconnected images. To the rear right there are a few more booths which give views out towards the tidy, compact pub garden which was nicely lit on my evening visit. TV screens dotted around the room broadcast a muted news channel whilst dance music played quietly in the background and a remarkable array of slot machines flashed away in silence. The pub has been around for a few years now, but still had a bit of a 'new pub' feel to it, inasmuch as there was no real character to the place and that it still needed to bed in a bit. The ale range is much wider than you might expect, with ten handpulls offering seven beers, although the selection is perhaps a little unadventurous. Options on this visit were Fullers London Pride, St Austell Tribute, Courage Best, Adnams Broadside, Greene King Abbot Ale, Sharps Doom Bar and Cottage Duchess. Another Cottage beer had just been taken off (Somerset and Dorset Ale) and a real cider clip was also reversed. I tried the Duchess, which was in good shape, although I have to wonder who thought the best way to supplement such a bland ale range was to get some Cottage ales on. The barmaid was extremely friendly and welcoming, making idle chat and profusely apologising for forgetting to turn the clip of the unavailable ale. This pub didn't really get the pulse racing, despite expectations that this would be the highlight of a crawl around Coulsdon. It is however, a decent option if you are in the area, the kind of place that will satisfy a broad range of tastes without wowing anyone and a good bet for a decent pint.

Official site of The Pembroke - www.pembrokecoulsdon.co.uk

Official site of The Pembroke - www.pembrokecoulsdon.co.uk