Bars & Pubs

By Guy Dimond

In October 2007 this Victorian pub was spruced up by the new German owners. It has retained an ornate central bar, but the periphery has been reupholstered in black banquettes, and the walls also painted matt black like a nightclub. A few German flags brighten up the pub - not something you would have seen in the middle of the last century, when this part of Lambeth was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe.

It's the German beers which are the star attraction - on our visit, 36 of them, most of them bottled. The beers on draught cover most styles, from aromatic weiss (white) beers through light pilseners to darker, hoppier brews.

The dinner menu of simple pub grub is no less wide-ranging, with popular dishes from north and south Germany. Pork escalopes (schnitzels) feature heavily, but so do gemütlichkeit dishes such as Himmel und Erde (heaven and earth: cloud-like whipped potatoes with moist black pudding and baked apple), Schweinebraten in Biersosse (roast pork in dark beer sauce with plump bread dumplings and red cabbage), and Goulasch mit Semmelknödeln (beef stew with bread dumplings). These dishes were very satisfying, and better still, all cost under nine quid.

Two big-screen tvs were loudly broadcasting a football match on our visit, making this a far from relaxing place to enjoy a meal. Time your visit to avoid the footie if you want to avoid indigestion.

Guy Dimond May 2008