The Blue Boat, W6

This is a modern riverside pub with a large front terrace affording good river views towards Hammersmith Bridge and back upstream towards Fulham. Part of the exclusive Fulham Reach development (Hammersmith really) and place feels deliberately upmarket to suit its setting. A long more or less rectangular room with an open to view kitchen one end and a caged bottle store behind a raised area of seating at the other. The lengthy bar runs along the rear opposite the entrance and is possibly zinc topped, don’t think it is pewter. The floor is some sort of engineered wood blocks and the ceiling is exposed concrete with downlighters on tracks. Seating is mixed, at the kitchen end the tables were pre-set for dining. Decor is mostly river based stuff in frames although there are stuffed gulls and a heron which I thought a bit distasteful. It’s Fullers here, just Pride and Oliver’s Island repeated on the pumps, the barman was totally nonplussed when I produced cash and actually had to call for assistance. The pub is too modern and polished for my taste but it did a job for me while walking the river on a warm day.

A very modern Fuller's tied house,if you want river views you will need to drink in the front patio but don't try to take your drinks onto the towpath,signs warn of dire consequences ! To the left of the entrance is an area with some sofas and small tables and chairs in plastic and metal,opposite the long bar there are copper topped high tables while to the right is a dining area with some seating booths besides set dining tables.Behind the bar there are further seating booths,with a wine store to one side.Fullers have spent some money here and the overall affect is stylish.Food is a major draw,there is a lunchtime menu,a dinner menu and after 5pm a bar snack/ small plate list.The prices will reflect the area and the open kitchen was doing a good trade . The bar has lots of handpumps but both London Pride and Olivers Island were trebbled up,leaving Hophead available soon but thankfully a very decent Day Dream at £4.40.This feels much more restaurant than pub,and it's all too swish for a session on the ale.

New-build Fuller's pub in the upmarket Fulham Reach development; beside the Thames Path, but with the river just obscured from view by the flood wall. As you would expect, it makes much of its aspect with a sizeable front patio beer garden (which was where most of the customers were on a swelteringly-hot summer's day). Inside, it has attractive modern furniture and decor, although much of the seating was either reserved or set aside for those dining). Disappointingly, just Pride, Oliver's Island and Cornish Orchard pear 'cider' from two banks of four handpumps. However, given the temperature, I opted for one of the keg offerings anyway; Montana Red (a nice refreshing pint, but so it should be for £5.60...).

This is a brand new build Fuller's pub in the upmarket Fulham Reach, where I don't reckon there's much "social/affordable" housing about. It's ultra modern inside, with bare-boarded flooring consisting of a herring-bone parquet design. All the "normal" banquettes and standard tables and chairs were laid for diners, leaving some tall tables/tall stools (including a strange round fixed pedestal thing), and some armchairs on a raised area on the left, for drinkers. That's not to say that the former seating can't be used by drinkers at quiet times. The decor is generally quite interesting, with prints and other stuff on the right hand wall, and a large shelving array near the raised area with more knick knacks on top of it, and containing loads of books, some of which may actually be worth perusing (River Thames; Fulham Past). The long bar has a pewter top, which tends to add to the modern look. As you would expect with a riverside pub, there's plenty of outside seating from which to enjoy the views. The anomaly was the ceiling, which looks like an Antic-esque work in progress. Being a Fuller's pub there were no great surprises on the beer front, with London Pride; ESB; Spring Sprinter; and the fairly new Oliver's Island (£2.15 a half) available on handpump. There was a large choice of lagers available (including Veltin and Estrella), plus a couple of ciders. Obviously food is important in any modern pub like this one, and although I only glanced at a menu on the way out, I did note that main courses were £12 upwards. Again, as you would expect in a newly built establishment, an accessible toilet (which I guess must mean that it's suitable for disabled customers) is located by the other two toilets. This pub is just fine if you like large, modern, newly built pubs. The beer selection is OK without being very exciting, but the big plus with this place is the riverside setting with its outside seating - a great bonus on a nice day.