Glassy Junction

This Indian enclave in west London is drenched in silver and gilt, the carpet's loud 'n' lairy, signs for Punjabi towns adorn the wall alongside scenes of rural idyll and it generally looks as if an elephant in the room has peppered a standard English boozer with Indian nick-nacks. It's also the only pub in Britain that accepts Indian rupees. About 320 rupees (£4) will get you a pint of Kingfisher, Cobra or one of several lacklustre lagers. There's sweet or salted lassi too but disappointment awaits those wanting a hoppy India pale ale, because there isn't any ale at all. As well as a serious-looking pool room, a giant plasma screen (gilded, naturally) was blaring out a fairly absurd Indian interpretation of 'Pump up the Jam' and Bollywood-style music videos. There's a roaring fireplace too should you consider that entertaining. Bar talk? Two Asian lads from Leicester pondered the current number of rupees to the pound (78), the ban on cycle rickshaws from Chandni Chowk in Delhi (while London's West End has been introducing them), and the phrase 'going for a glassy' - Indian shorthand for a 'cheeky pint', while noting that while beer measures are still imperial in the UK, in India they are metric. Amid plenty of scintillating sizzle and smells, the kitchen serves up terrific no-frills karahi-cooked dishes, chicken tikka, dhal, and other subcontinental culinary classics. The regulars are both urban and turban. Elders pop in from Europe's biggest Sikh gurdwara (place of worship) opposite, while the Southall 'yoof' (all hair-gel, bling and pimp-rolls) hang out in the pool room.

http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/12514.html