The Cat's Back, Wandsworth, SW18

Offical site of The Cat's Back - www.thecatsback.com

I paid my first visit to this pub the other night since it was taken over by Harvey’s Brewery, as their second London pub. It’s been tarted up a bit, and I have been told that all the bric-a-bric has gone to The Armoury down the road. The walls are now covered by loads of mainly black and white photographs, some of which are Lewes themed, but a fair number are of local scenes of Wandsworth, Balham, etc. There is also a copy of the photo of the late Queen Mother pulling a pint of Young’s Special at the Queen’s Head in Limehouse. It’s the first time I’ve seen it other than in a Young’s pub, but of course it doesn’t look out of place. The furniture’s all new – or at least new to this pub – and consists of normal tables and chairs. The place had the smell of being newly decorated. I’m told there is also now a small beer garden at the rear, as well as a function room upstairs, but I didn’t visit either of them. There are no TVs, fruit machines or others of their ilk, although there were some old songs being played. Rather worryingly, at least a couple of the PuG members present were able to identify songs by Perry Como, Doris Day, and Tony Bennett. Being a Harvey’s pub you get Harvey’s ales in here, which is not a bad thing. Available last Tuesday evening were Lewes Castle Brown; Harvey’s Best; Olympia Golden; and a light mild called Knots of May. The latter was a low ABV (3%) ale that they were doing at a special price of £2 per pint. It would have been churlish not to sample a pint at that price, and it turned out to be a surprisingly good pint for such a low ABV ale. The Olympia Golden and Best were of course also superb ales. A had a quick glance at the menu, and saw that pub grub main courses were around £10 or so. This pub has not been spoiled by the refurb, remaining an excellent pub and being something of an oasis in the surrounding desert of modern developments. I will undoubtedly be back here before too long.

Hidden away between the fancy new apartment blocks and office units of the Riverside Quarter, this is an odd little local's pub that has done well to survive the gentrification process. The interior is a bit hectic, with lots of unusual pictures and items on display, well documented in the reviews below. There are a few heavy-looking tables and chairs around the room as well as plenty of stools at the bar. Seating extends to benches outside the front door and an odd decking area to the rear. My visit, early on a Saturday afternoon, may well have been poorly timed, as the pub was empty with the punters all sat outside, so it was hard to get a feel for the place. There were two ales on (Tintagel Gull Rock (£3.20) and Sambrook's Wandle) plus a cider and a fourth pump with a turned clip. The Gull Rock was very good and had there been a bit more atmosphere I would have stayed for another pint. Difficult to rate based on my visit - I may well have to return when it's a bit livelier - but it seemed nice enough and well worth inclusion on any crawl of the area.

Small one room pub with a central bar, a few careworn tables and chairs but also pew type seating, wooden floors and a random mix of nic-naks including an old (50's?) fruit machine(1d), pics of Elvis, a red indian chief, more strangely a display case of Barbie or Cindy dolls; the petrol pump remains outside. There is a fireplace to the right of the bar. I found a friendly welcome from the barmaid and the small gaggle of regulars seated around the bar. Previous comments about beer quality are noted but all was fine with my beer yesterday and filled to the top of the glass too. Downton's Quadhop,Adnams Bitter and Sambrook's Wandle on yesterday-nice to see some locAle-even if some wag suggested my pint was pumped straight from the nearby river. Biddenden Bushell Cider also on handpump. I liked this rather boho place a lot. Not sure about the rear decked outdoor area though with its uninspiring view of the car park of a dull 90's apartment block.

The name of this pub does not refer to a part of the feline’s anatomy, but I believe instead celebrates the return of a much loved cat to the pub after a prolonged absence. The exterior of the pub is nothing special, although it is a beacon of welcome when one walks down Point Pleasant overshadowed by all the modern buildings that have been erected there. The petrol pump is an unusual, and possibly unique, outside decoration. Inside, the flooring is mainly parquet, with some rugs that have clearly seen a considerable amount of use over the years. There are half a dozen or so solid wooden tables, with normal plain wooden chairs, and settles that have also seen better days. There is plenty of bric-a-brac around the place, including what looks like a gold coloured life-size torso of a Greek God (Zeus perhaps?) on the gantry above the bar. There are masses of photographs and other artwork on the dark red painted walls; I spotted photographs of Terry Thomas and Audrey Hepburn in her iconic Holly Golightly guise in the corner where I was sitting. There were no one-armed bandits, or games machines and suchlike, although there was some latin American music being played, although not too loudly. A fireplace on the right looks like it gets used sometimes. An upstairs restaurant is advertised for evenings, but I didn’t venture there. The lunch menu is reasonable fare, and although they do sandwiches at reasonable prices, for some reason they are not mentioned on the menu. There were two real ales on during my visit – Downton Quadhop, and Hepworth Dark Horse, with a Sambrook Wandle pump reversed, plus a draught cider whose name I failed to note. This pub has that lived in look that has been achieved by pubs like The Wenlock that gives them real character. It is definitely worth seeking out this excellent pub in an otherwise uninspiring area.