Brewhouse & Kitchen, Hoxton, E2

This is a fairly new brewpub from this rapidly expanding chain, set in the railway arches beneath Hoxton overground station. You enter into the right hand arch, passing a smart, fenced off seating area outside the front of the building, into the well appointed main bar area. The room has a large, high brick vaulted ceiling and parquet flooring with a decorative tiled strip around the servery which runs along the rear wall. The bar has a rather snazzy looking counter front and a dark wood and mirror bar back that is dominated by a row of keg taps and the beer paddles that hang above them. Banquette seating is available down both sides of the room, with high tables and stools arranged through the middle and some rather comfy, low slung chairs filling the gaps between. Folding doors along the front wall must allow easier access to the front patio area in the summer and above there is a large arched window with a somewhat sad looking little neon 'Brewpub' sign in it. Decor is fairly understated, allowing the grandeur of the arch to speak for itself, with a large beer board on the right hand wall, fresh flowers on the end of the bar and some large beer tanks being the main points of interest. A door leads through to the left hand arch, which appeared to have been set-up in a more formal manner and has plenty of additional seating in a room broken up by shelving units used as partitioning screens. The room appeared to be empty on my mid-week evening visit but there was a decent crowd in the bar, creating a nice buzz of atmosphere over the quietly piped music. As with other b&K outfits, it is the on-site home brews that occupy the hand pumps, with three options on this visit comprising Aerial Istanbul, Pig's Ear and Joseph Markovich. The barman was a totally uncommunicative cretin who thrust a card machine in my face without telling me the price of my pint as I stood there holding out a fiver. No further communication occurred, but I was able to deduce from the 30p he eventually returned to me, that the Joseph Markovich costs £4.70 for a pint. This place is very different from other Brewhouse and Kitchen venues I've visited, which generally seem to occupy former pubs, whilst this is set in a railway arch, which tends to be the preserve of trendy craft beer outlets. I thought they'd done a good job of presenting this bar in a smart, contemporary fashion, without resorting to corrugated iron cladding or bare concrete floors and whilst it doesn't have the 'pubby' feel of their other bars, still struck me as a decent place to try some locally brewed ale.

Official site of Brewhouse & Kitchen - www.brewhouseandkitchen.com

Official site of Brewhouse & Kitchen - www.brewhouseandkitchen.com