Bars & Pubs

By Ben McFarland

At the common end of Battersea Rise (common as in a big piece of grass, that is, not as in chav or keeping the wrapping on new furniture), the Merchant is pretty new and pretty darn good. Open for just a couple of months and spread over three levels, it’s eclectic without being annoyingly ker-razy. Beneath the stucco ceiling, there are felt booths, clairvoyant lampshades, swish suede stools, a grandiose wooden bar, shelves decked with old hats and big, gilded bay windows that open out on to a front patio. In the mezzanine-back-room there’s Billiards, the thinking man’s pool, while the new-fangled Dyson Air Blade dryer in the Gents is a whole world of fun. Sunday sessions are to be had upstairs on the U-shaped sofas.

A bountiful, shrewdly-chosen selection of beer features Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn Lager, Vedett, Erdinger, a couple of Meantime’s finest and two beers brewed at The Florence - the sister pub in Herne Hill: Bonobo, named after a particularly horny monkey, is a fruity fellow while Weasel is an aromatic, hoppy drop.

Imaginative and not starring your usual pub grub, the menu boasts home-made beans on toast, rhubarb and pear crumble, salt and pepper chicken wings and chicken, crayfish and asparagus pie.

On our visit, Europe was the topic of the day for two chaps. Apparently, it’s a bad idea. Not any particular aspect, just the whole thing. Next week: Africa and Asia.

Time Out Issue 1976: July 3 - 9 2008