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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Mobyduck on the Pub Forum

The Mansion Pub, Kennington, SE11

48 Kennington Park Road
SE11
SE11 4RS
Phone: 02075825599

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Tris C left this review about The Mansion Pub

An odd place is this because as the Mansion House Stores, it goes back to at least the early 19th century, but the current structure appears to date from the ‘20s/’30s, the original name still in use by at least 1944, meaning that this is indeed an original pub, not a conversion.
However, what’s inside bears no relationship to anything that could be remotely described as a pub, certainly not a traditional one. The interior is a mishmash of modern tropes looking like a hotel – cum - cocktail bar, with the likes of bare brick with ferns cascading over them. Furniture is mixed and seemingly zoned by style; an area to the rear looked geared towards dining. There were three large TVs showing either Crufts or the golf (no-one watching), sound off so as not to interfere with Oasis and lampshades are wicker. Customers were few in number but looked like a small clutch of lost tourists. One however stood out; an old codger drinking at the bar with his dentures resting by his pint. It was only when I approached that the brusque East European barman asked him to put them back in stating ‘Aye have err cuztomer’; I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t turned up; I was gobsmacked.
The association with Oakham now severed, there were four unused pumps, one paying lip service to cask with a reversed Sharp’s Solar Wave clip – fat chance – then a fizzorama dispensed from a staple tap, with a Prahva coming home at £2.75 a half, served by the aforementioned barman.
This is a poor place, the customer leaving his dentures on the bar finally doing it for me. The fabulous Old Red Lion is next door, for those seeking a quality pub to get their teeth into.

On 10th August 2023 - rating: 2
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Oaka at The Mansion House

Thoroughly modernised by the Oakham Brewery, this is now a shiny bar / restaurant (and thus at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Old Red Lion next door). That said, it retains seating areas in front of the counter and on the opposite side of the entrance in addition to the dining areas further back. Also has some wooden benches out front. Two doubled-up banks of five handpumps, offering JHB, Citra, Inferno, Bishop's Farewell and the seasonal Hangar 17 (£3.50).

On 10th September 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


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Bucking Fastard left this review about Oaka at The Mansion House

ORIGINAL REVIEW October 2013.
After many years of closure,Oakham have created a modern bar and popular Thai restaurant,there is no trace of the rough pub of years ago.Outside there are a lot of wooden benches while the modest interior splits into bar to the right,restaurant to the left.I didn't eat so can't comment on that,but plenty were and it seemed busy throughout my Friday evening visit.The furnishings are modern with a high bench seat running along the right hand wall below a sizeable flat screen turned off.Wooden stools , leather pouffes and tea lights completed the scene.On the restaurant side the flat screen was showing events in the kitchen,most unusual.
Throughout the evening the bar was popular with a young professional type crown,but never rammed.Many were sampling the excellent ale.Service was efficient and friendly.Although there are 10 ale handpumps,many were doubled up and the choice confronting us was Oakham JHB,Inferno,Citra (£3.80),Scarlet McCaw (£3.85) and Black Hole Porter.Sadly the Bishops Farewell had just gone off and the Green Devil IPA was still settling .However all pints sunk were in perfect shape if a bit pricey.You can order by the third,schooner or pint.There are suggestions on a chalk board for beer matching with certain Thai dishes.
Two handpumps were dedicated to real cider,and there was a large keg offering as well.There is a lot of Oaka branding around,and the motif Oaka @ The Mansion House is much in evidence,name change on the way ?
I can see how pub traditionalist may feel uncomfortable here but I really enjoy Oakham's great brews and the upbeat vibe together with good service help to make this a bar that I will frequent many times in future,despite the price tag.

UPDATE
There has been some minor tweaking of the interior and the strict left/right demarcation of the dining tables and drinking areas has been toned down with less tables set for dining and all tables along the frontage available for drinking.Gone are a few high tables by the door giving a more unified feel to this popular bar.Ale quality from the Oakham range was top drawer,and we also sampled some thai snacks while boozing which were very good.Pricey,trendy and hip but got busier as the Friday evening wore on,generally a good sign.

On 1st November 2014 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


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Alan Winfield left this review about Oaka at The Mansion House

The Oaka at the Mansion house has had a complete makeover since i last tried to do Mansion House a few years back,the pub is a short walk from Kennington tube.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room to the front with the bar facing,the seating was normal tables and chairs in the middle with a bench seat at either end,there was what looked like a seperate dining area to the rear left.
My problems started when i tried to order my half,i asked for a half pint of Oakham JHB,the asion bar lady started to serve me a pint when i asked for a half she said we dont do halfs only third or two thirds of a pint,so i ended up with a third of a pint,i have never in all my pub crawling drank a third of a pint.
The pub seems to be an Oakham tied house,i noted Oakham JHB /Inferno /Citra /Apple /Improbable and Bishops Farewell on the bar,my drink was very nice,but with all of the sliding doors open the drinking experience was spoiled by the noise of traffic bombing past on the very busy kennington park road.
I found my visit to this pub very dissapointing.

Pub visited 2/8/2014

On 2nd August 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]


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Moby Duck left this review about The Mansion House

Now known as Oaka at The Mansion House,it feels very much like a restaurant and indeed it heavily leans toward the food end of the scale,there is however a bar area for drinking purposes and although a little clean and sterile for my taste in pubs the beer more than makes up for it as it is Oakhams London outlet and was the main thrust of my visit,five ales were available plus one Cider,my choice and a personal favourite of Oakham Citra was to be critical a couple of degrees on the cold side in my opinion ,maybe restaurant influenced and this slightly suppressed the flavour which did start to come through as the pint warmed.Certainly worth calling in if in the area but not really my type of place.

On 6th April 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about The Mansion House

A short distance from Kennington tube station, this large, modern gastro style pub is the first London outlet for the Oakham Brewery. You enter through a glass porch into a bare boarded room with an unusual large circular metal decoration laid into the floor in front of the entrance. The area to the right is a notional lounge, with comfortable sofas, pouffes and padded high stools as well as a raised padded banquette along the end wall. A TV screen was turned on at this end of the room when I visited, showing a snooker match which one lone customer was watching, providing his own commentary, before the screen was switched off and loud music took over. The dark wood servery runs along the back wall and has a gong as a centrepiece on the bar back, presumably an oriental equivalent to the ‘last orders’ bell. An hint of the orient might well be what the pub has aimed for, considering the food on offer is almost exclusively Thai. The left hand side of the pub, which extends to the rear past the end of the servery, has been set aside for diners, with most tables already laid in anticipation. There are more padded banquettes and plenty of standard tables and chairs throughout this space which has minimal décor – the most striking feature being a mysterious set of valves on the left hand wall. A trip down to the toilets will see you pass an unusual bit of stonework which depicts some rather eye-opening scenes.
At the bar, Oakham ales are obviously well represented across the two banks of hand pumps. Options on my visit were Inferno, JHB, Black Hole Porter, Citra and Edgar’s Bazaar, plus Apple, which I assume is their own cider. A guest of Blue Monkey Bonobo was also on handpull whilst the keg options included the likes of Camden and Krombacher. A blackboard at the far end of the bar listed a few beer and food matching suggestions. I sampled the Porter and Inferno, both of which were in excellent condition.
The place was quiet throughout my fairly long visit, but I can’t imagine it gets all that lively given the emphasis on food. This place lacks the warmth and atmosphere of a great pub and I would suggest that it’s the weakest of the brewery’s four houses, but for top quality beer, there is no getting away from the fact that this is a must do.

On 6th February 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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paulof horsham left this review about The Mansion House

These days known as "Oaka at the Mansion House", this is Oakham Ale's London outpost. The left-hand side on entering houses a Thai restaurant; the bar's on the right. This area does very much feel like 'that bit where you get a glass of wine and wait for your friends to arrive'. You needn't order wine, as the bar holds two banks of 5 handpumps, principally devoted to Oakham's hoppy delights (though it should be noted that the actual number of ales on sale is no more than 5-6); one pump was serving a guest beer.

The pints I tried were certainly in good shape and at standard London prices. The bar staff are top-notch and the restaurant's already a big hit, doing good business on a Friday afternoon. Overall, though, it really doesn't have a great 'pub' feel. This one's going to appeal to Oakham fans and lovers of Thai food, I reckon. General pub-goers are, quite possibly, not likely to linger.

On 24th January 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 449 recommendations about 421 pubs]


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Aqualung . left this review about The Mansion House

I arrived at this former Whitbread pub today armed with a voucher from London Drinker that meant my second pint would only cost £1.50. I'm not sure whether this is actually a "tied" Oakham house or a bar / restaurant that Oakham supplies the beers to.
Inside it seems more like a restaurant than a pub.
Some of the 10 pumps were doubled up but there were 5 Oakham beers (JHB, Citra, Inferno, Edgar's Bazaar and Black Hole Porter) plus a guest beer Blue Monkey Bonobo Black IPA. I went for the Citra (£3.80) and the Black Hole porter with the voucher both of which were in good condition.
I also tried the Bonobo (£4.10) which for a black IPA lacked hop aroma and taste. Whether that is down to the brewery or the pub is hard to say.
The Oakham beers are the big attraction here, but to be honest I find them a bit over-rated as while I admit it is an excellent pioneering brewery there are plenty around nowadays that are as good or better. The pub itself is too much like a restaurant for me.

On 11th January 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]


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john mcgraw left this review about The Mansion House

Although you can't fault the beers the bar side of this pub feels like a waiting room for the attached restaurant and at £3.80 for a pint of Citra this is way over the top.Very pleasant staff.

On 24th April 2013 - rating: 5
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Malden man left this review about The Mansion House

This is a new venture, waiting to bed in, so time will tell whether 10 Oakham Ales plus two Weston's ciders can attract the throughpull needed to maintain quality. The interior is very modern indeed, this is unlikely to appeal to traditionalists such as myself, but the beers are a proper magnet. The beer menu is spread across two banks of five chrome handpumps with the stronger and more seasonal options situated towards ther bar end. I went for the Citra, a lovely hoppy beer of the type Oakham do so well, it didn't disappoint.
An L-shaped interior with the larger side set up for formal dining, the menu is Pan-Asian, the drinking end however has limited seating and of that nothing I'd consider comfortable, high cream benches, pouffes plus a hard bench at a risibly low table.
Folding doors to the frontage facing the busy main trunk road, lots of dark wood, globe lights, one end wall has some mock-up beer taps pouring water into a stainless steel trough.
It isn't pubby or traditional at all but the beer was good and the choice very different for the location, worthy of a look and an easy double header with the very good Old Red Lion next door.

On 15th March 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]

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