Latest reviews for Bars & Pubs in Temple, London, United Kingdom

Punch Tavern - Punchy by chrisp

chrisp — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:59:10 +0000

Review by chrisp

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7353 6658

Website: http://www.punchtavern.com/

Tags: relaxed, friendly, independent pub

Reading this blog, and others like it (For We Are Legion), you may be forgiven for being under the impression that London is stuffed full of buzzy gastropubs, exciting ethnic grills and gleaming temples of gastronomy, and finding somewhere good to eat requires little to no effort at all. Sadly, although things have certainly improved in the last 10-15 years, crap restaurants are still very much a feature. I've ranted about Angus Steakhouses at length before, but there's still no excuse for them, or Bella Pasta, or All Bar One, or any of the other chain pubs and restaurants that blight our city. Once you've been to your local Slug & Lettuce and paid Â£8 for a horrible "vegetarian dipping platter" it becomes all too obvious why it's so difficult to get a table at the Anchor & Hope.

That said, there's a part of me that realises that many gastropubs, with their fancy Mediterranean ingredients and hawing clientele, aren't for everyone. Some are more elitist than others, certainly - I've always found the Eagle on Farringdon Road to be very accessible, whereas the Swan on Fetter Lane is basically a restaurant in a pub - but surely there's room for just a normal, cosy little boozer which serves decent food for people who quite rightly consider paying Â£15 for bangers and mash a bit too much? Step forward, the Punch Tavern, on Fleet Street.

Newly refurbished and relaunched, with a chef of refreshingly humble origins and a menu of heart-warmingly familiar British dishes, the Punch Tavern is a beautiful old building that very much deserved the attention. I was invited to lunch with a couple of other bloggers to try out their new menu, and got stuck in right away to a pint of Summer Lightning bitter and a plate of devilled chicken livers on toast.

For your Â£4.50 you get an impressively generous mound of what is admittedly a budget cut of offal, with a marvellously rich sauce. Not very "devilled" perhaps - could have done with a bit more of the hot stuff - but no major complaints.

My main course of duck roast was similarly generous for the measly Â£8.50 price point. A nice moist duck quarter, with creamed leeks and a good selection of roasted vegetables, my only complaint was with the soggy, greasy Yorkshire pud. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if you can't do a proper Yorkshire pudding (and as far as I know, nobody in London can), then don't even try. There's a whole generation of people who have grown up believing a Yorkshire pud is a tiny cupcake-sized pillow of pastry, instead of the 15" square behemoths filled with gravy my gran used to serve as a starter. And it makes me sad.

Anyway, that aside, I can really recommend the Punch, and not just because I wasn't paying on this occasion. It's a friendly and accessible little boozer trying to serve fresh, hearty food without any pretensions towards trendy fads or eye-watering central-London tourist prices. It deserves to do very well.Reading this blog, and others like it (For We Are Legion), you may be forgiven for being under the impression that London is stuffed full of buzzy gastropubs, exciting ethnic grills and gleaming temples of gastronomy, and finding somewhere good to eat requires little to no effort at all. Sadly, although things have certainly improved in the last 10-15 years, crap restaurants are still very much a feature. I've ranted about Angus Steakhouses at length before, but there's still no excuse for them, or Bella Pasta, or All Bar One, or any of the other chain pubs and restaurants that blight our city. Once you've been to your local Slug & Lettuce and paid Â£8 for a horrible "vegetarian dipping platter" it becomes all too obvious why it's so difficult to get a table at the Anchor & Hope.

That said, there's a part of me that realises that many gastropubs, with their fancy Mediterranean ingredients and hawing clientele, aren't for everyone. Some are more elitist than others, certainly - I've always found the Eagle on Farringdon Road to be very accessible, whereas the Swan on Fetter Lane is basically a restaurant in a pub - but surely there's room for just a normal, cosy little boozer which serves decent food for people who quite rightly consider paying Â£15 for bangers and mash a bit too much? Step forward, the Punch Tavern, on Fleet Street.

Newly refurbished and relaunched, with a chef of refreshingly humble origins and a menu of heart-warmingly familiar British dishes, the Punch Tavern is a beautiful old building that very much deserved the attention. I was invited to lunch with a couple of other bloggers to try out their new menu, and got stuck in right away to a pint of Summer Lightning bitter and a plate of devilled chicken livers on toast.

For your Â£4.50 you get an impressively generous mound of what is admittedly a budget cut of offal, with a marvellously rich sauce. Not very "devilled" perhaps - could have done with a bit more of the hot stuff - but no major complaints.

My main course of duck roast was similarly generous for the measly Â£8.50 price point. A nice moist duck quarter, with creamed leeks and a good selection of roasted vegetables, my only complaint was with the soggy, greasy Yorkshire pud. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if you can't do a proper Yorkshire pudding (and as far as I know, nobody in London can), then don't even try. There's a whole generation of people who have grown up believing a Yorkshire pud is a tiny cupcake-sized pillow of pastry, instead of the 15" square behemoths filled with gravy my gran used to serve as a starter. And it makes me sad.

Anyway, that aside, I can really recommend the Punch, and not just because I wasn't paying on this occasion. It's a friendly and accessible little boozer trying to serve fresh, hearty food without any pretensions towards trendy fads or eye-watering central-London tourist prices. It deserves to do very well.

Cellar Door - Not sure what last reviewer was on.... by Melmoth

Melmoth — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:43:12 +0000

Review by Melmoth

Rating: 5.00

Website: http://wcukdev.co.uk/ryan/cellardoor/backend/page.html#

Tags: cool, friendly, underground

Had to write something after reading previous review... The place is intimate, ie small, you don't go there to lounge around on velvet sofas but to enjoy edgy cabaret, cool coctails, wacky loos and a brilliant text jukebox. Course its full sometimes - it only takes 60 - If you're after somewhere quiet and reserved the Savoy re-opens in a few months time...Had to write something after reading previous review... The place is intimate, ie small, you don't go there to lounge around on velvet sofas but to enjoy edgy cabaret, cool coctails, wacky loos and a brilliant text jukebox. Course its full sometimes - it only takes 60 - If you're after somewhere quiet and reserved the Savoy re-opens in a few months time...

The White Swan - Surprise! by foxie

foxie — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:03:51 +0000

Review by foxie

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7242 9696

Website: http://www.thewhiteswanlondon.com/

Tags: gastro pub, posh, food

My partner and I wandered into this place totally by accident, and were really surprised at what we found. Downstairs is a rather normal looking pub with the usual legal crowd for the area. Perhaps one clue should have been the extremely wine savvy workers behind the bar and a pretty unique wine list (who knew there was an English sparkling wine?). The barman mentioned that there were some seats upstairs if we wanted dinner (he overheard us talking about where we wanted to go) and on a whim, upstairs we went and the dining room we stepped into could have easily been Paris, smallish and extremely smart. We were rather underdressed compared to the rest of the patrons, but the head waiter didn't even sniff, showing us to a table without pause. Food was not cheap, but was excellent value considering the quality. I don't sadly remember what we had, but I do remember savouring every bite and being extremely well attended to. The wine list upstairs is even more extensive than down and our waiter was again very well versed in options that matched the menu.

Definitely recommended for a more upscale night out, though I am given to understand that reservations are required usually for Fridays.My partner and I wandered into this place totally by accident, and were really surprised at what we found. Downstairs is a rather normal looking pub with the usual legal crowd for the area. Perhaps one clue should have been the extremely wine savvy workers behind the bar and a pretty unique wine list (who knew there was an English sparkling wine?). The barman mentioned that there were some seats upstairs if we wanted dinner (he overheard us talking about where we wanted to go) and on a whim, upstairs we went and the dining room we stepped into could have easily been Paris, smallish and extremely smart. We were rather underdressed compared to the rest of the patrons, but the head waiter didn't even sniff, showing us to a table without pause. Food was not cheap, but was excellent value considering the quality. I don't sadly remember what we had, but I do remember savouring every bite and being extremely well attended to. The wine list upstairs is even more extensive than down and our waiter was again very well versed in options that matched the menu.

Definitely recommended for a more upscale night out, though I am given to understand that reservations are required usually for Fridays.

The Albion - Great Party Venue by jrinka

jrinka — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:04:18 +0000

Review by jrinka

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7583 0227

Website: http://www.thealbionlondon.co.uk

Tags: friendly, young professionals, cool & smart

I had my 30th at the Albion last week and had a blast!

The team were friendly and laughing which made for a great atmosphere. My friends had a great time and kept coming up to me saying how great the party was.

We were able to play our own music and had the upstairs bar to ourselves which was a bonus. The food selection was good too.I had my 30th at the Albion last week and had a blast!

The team were friendly and laughing which made for a great atmosphere. My friends had a great time and kept coming up to me saying how great the party was.

We were able to play our own music and had the upstairs bar to ourselves which was a bonus. The food selection was good too.

Knight's Templar - Wetherspoons chic by realalelass

realalelass — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:28:44 +0000

Review by realalelass

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7831 2660

Website: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/pub/theknightstemplar

Tags: pub chain, posh, food

This is another large Wetherspoons pub in central London (on Chancery Lane, so as a previous reviewer has commented, populated with members of the legal profession).

The interior is very grand. Get a table upstairs on the balcony, overlooking the pub if you can. However, this pub definitely isn't posh - it's a Wetherspoons! The beer is reasonably priced and well kept, but as with all Wetherspoons, it gets very very crowded, especially on a Friday evening.

The food is typical Wetherspoons fare, cheap and cheerful (and a little bit greasy).

The toilets (in the basement), are some of the grandest I have ever seen in a pub.This is another large Wetherspoons pub in central London (on Chancery Lane, so as a previous reviewer has commented, populated with members of the legal profession).

The interior is very grand. Get a table upstairs on the balcony, overlooking the pub if you can. However, this pub definitely isn't posh - it's a Wetherspoons! The beer is reasonably priced and well kept, but as with all Wetherspoons, it gets very very crowded, especially on a Friday evening.

The food is typical Wetherspoons fare, cheap and cheerful (and a little bit greasy).

The toilets (in the basement), are some of the grandest I have ever seen in a pub.

Walkabout Inn - It's a Walkabout! by damo1977

damo1977 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:17:51 +0000

Review by damo1977

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7395 3690

Website: http://www.walkaboutinns.com

Tags: sport pub, pub chain, food

What can I say? It's a Walkabout. A typical Australian themed bar.

All the staff seem to be Australian, however, so are most bar staff in London.

There are screens all around showing various sporting events, however, you can guarantee that the event you want to watch will not have the sound turned up.

The beer choice is pretty sparce, with exception of Stella, your going to try something new. Australian and New Zealand beers take preference. (Although there was not Castlemaine XXXX)

If you want a bar near to the District/Circle line then this is one for you, Temple station is behind the bar and the tracks run below the dancefloor. (See it wasn't that Heffer dancing!)What can I say? It's a Walkabout. A typical Australian themed bar.

All the staff seem to be Australian, however, so are most bar staff in London.

There are screens all around showing various sporting events, however, you can guarantee that the event you want to watch will not have the sound turned up.

The beer choice is pretty sparce, with exception of Stella, your going to try something new. Australian and New Zealand beers take preference. (Although there was not Castlemaine XXXX)

If you want a bar near to the District/Circle line then this is one for you, Temple station is behind the bar and the tracks run below the dancefloor. (See it wasn't that Heffer dancing!)

Ye Olde Cock Tavern - good old fashioned pub by jlonners

jlonners — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:07:28 +0000

Review by jlonners

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7353 3454

Tags: lively, food, good value

This is a Quintessionally English old style tavern. There are red and green high backed leather chairs with the button studding and the walls are all bookcases filled with leather bound books. It put you in mind of a gentlemenâ¬"s cub of old, you can imagine a well dressed man sat here smoking a pie and drinking brandy in days gone by. This is an old pub as well so itâ¬"s likely this that is how it was here log ago. The feel of the place isnâ¬"t stuffy though and you will feel welcome here and relaxed. This isnâ¬"t a hurried place, you can sit here on a Sunday with a pint and read your paper for as long as you like, no one will rush you.This is a Quintessionally English old style tavern. There are red and green high backed leather chairs with the button studding and the walls are all bookcases filled with leather bound books. It put you in mind of a gentlemenâ¬"s cub of old, you can imagine a well dressed man sat here smoking a pie and drinking brandy in days gone by. This is an old pub as well so itâ¬"s likely this that is how it was here log ago. The feel of the place isnâ¬"t stuffy though and you will feel welcome here and relaxed. This isnâ¬"t a hurried place, you can sit here on a Sunday with a pint and read your paper for as long as you like, no one will rush you.

Buddha Bar - mostly smoke and mirrors by Busi_78

Busi_78 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:50:11 +0000

Review by Busi_78

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 3371 7777

Website: http://www.buddhabar-london.com/

Tags: romantic, bar, pretentious

I wanted to like this place, I really did. I love the chillout tunes and the whole buddah vibe, what's there not to like?
I also liked the dÃ©cor, sumptuous exotic and expensive. The bits we could see anyway, as it was so dark we barely read the menu.

What I didn't like, plenty..

The door people in shiny suits and wires coming out their ears, don't like em.

The toilet attendant whose sole purpose there it seems, is to hand you a towel when you've finished washing your hands, unecessary in a restaurant, it gives it the whole west end nightclub vibe.

The food, a pan asian-japanese-everything-fusion. We had sushi to start, lovely and fresh ( we ordered hand rolls and got california rolls instead, not a biggie). My friend had a green thai curry with banana leaves. It came out as a curry 'n rice mix with a banana leaf garnish, pleasant enough, but not worth Â£19. Another friend had seared tuna with sesame seeds, again allright, not smashing. Mine was a duck dish with ginger, I had been warned it would be spicy - it was as spicy as a korma and the duck was over-cooked. In the Buddah Bar's defence, my usually picky vegetarian friend enjoyed her curry but grumbled about the tiny portion. I would recommend the spiced edamame beans as a side dish.

The cocktails were allright, not worth a tenner for a Russian Mule with no kick.

Overall, I would recommend this venue for drinks and to gawp at the truly fantastic decor ( the mock croc tiles in the toilets being a favourite feature for me, tacky-chic)
The food I would give a miss, Busaba does better for a whole lot less.
The hauteur of the wait staff should be reserved for Nobel Prize winners. And the souvenier thingie at the door makes it look like a theme park (Â£300 for a key ring). I think this place will appeal to people who like wag-chic, not quite my bag, but I can see how other people might love it.
I wanted to like this place, I really did. I love the chillout tunes and the whole buddah vibe, what's there not to like?
I also liked the dÃ©cor, sumptuous exotic and expensive. The bits we could see anyway, as it was so dark we barely read the menu.

What I didn't like, plenty..

The door people in shiny suits and wires coming out their ears, don't like em.

The toilet attendant whose sole purpose there it seems, is to hand you a towel when you've finished washing your hands, unecessary in a restaurant, it gives it the whole west end nightclub vibe.

The food, a pan asian-japanese-everything-fusion. We had sushi to start, lovely and fresh ( we ordered hand rolls and got california rolls instead, not a biggie). My friend had a green thai curry with banana leaves. It came out as a curry 'n rice mix with a banana leaf garnish, pleasant enough, but not worth Â£19. Another friend had seared tuna with sesame seeds, again allright, not smashing. Mine was a duck dish with ginger, I had been warned it would be spicy - it was as spicy as a korma and the duck was over-cooked. In the Buddah Bar's defence, my usually picky vegetarian friend enjoyed her curry but grumbled about the tiny portion. I would recommend the spiced edamame beans as a side dish.

The cocktails were allright, not worth a tenner for a Russian Mule with no kick.

Overall, I would recommend this venue for drinks and to gawp at the truly fantastic decor ( the mock croc tiles in the toilets being a favourite feature for me, tacky-chic)
The food I would give a miss, Busaba does better for a whole lot less.
The hauteur of the wait staff should be reserved for Nobel Prize winners. And the souvenier thingie at the door makes it look like a theme park (Â£300 for a key ring). I think this place will appeal to people who like wag-chic, not quite my bag, but I can see how other people might love it.

The Tipperary - The Tipperary by dartwolf

dartwolf — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:41:34 +0000

Review by dartwolf

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7583 6470

Website: http://www.greenekingpubs.co.uk

Tags: relaxed, food, friendly

One of London's hidden gems, well not so hidden as it's right on Fleet Street.

A traditional pub with no prententions, Bill and Wendy the licensees make everyone feel welcome whether you're stopping for a quick 1/2 or maybe a couple more.

Always a great place to pop in for a quick beer and chat with people at the bar.

The food is down to earth pub grub not gastropub nonsense,
you order bangers and mash that's what you get
.... not hand reared gloucestershire caviar fed pork sausages with mashed shiatsu massaged potatoes.....

All in all a great traditional pub, the only thing that detracts from the experience is the ridiculous smoking ban which means you can't enjoy a smoke with your pint.

One of London's hidden gems, well not so hidden as it's right on Fleet Street.

A traditional pub with no prententions, Bill and Wendy the licensees make everyone feel welcome whether you're stopping for a quick 1/2 or maybe a couple more.

Always a great place to pop in for a quick beer and chat with people at the bar.

The food is down to earth pub grub not gastropub nonsense,
you order bangers and mash that's what you get
.... not hand reared gloucestershire caviar fed pork sausages with mashed shiatsu massaged potatoes.....

All in all a great traditional pub, the only thing that detracts from the experience is the ridiculous smoking ban which means you can't enjoy a smoke with your pint.

The George - City pub, what more do you want? by t0m

t0m — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:06:15 +0000

Review by t0m

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7427 0941

Tags: food, independent pub, traditional pub

It's a pub on Fleet Street.. pretty standard. Some good beers on tap, but it's empty by 9.30pm when all the city guys and girls have moved on. It's a pub on Fleet Street.. pretty standard. Some good beers on tap, but it's empty by 9.30pm when all the city guys and girls have moved on.

Cheshire Cheese - Not bad for a city pub.. by t0m

t0m — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:06:31 +0000

Review by t0m

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7836 2347

Website: http://www.thecheshirecheese.com

Tags: food, pool, traditional pub

It's fine. I wouldn't get too excited about it, but given some of the competition locally (e.g. Walkabout), this is a good alternative. It's often possible to get a seat here, and usually quite relaxed.

In summer the city folk pour onto the street, you know how it is. It has pool downstairs, if you like that sort of thing. It's fine. I wouldn't get too excited about it, but given some of the competition locally (e.g. Walkabout), this is a good alternative. It's often possible to get a seat here, and usually quite relaxed.

In summer the city folk pour onto the street, you know how it is. It has pool downstairs, if you like that sort of thing.