Bars & Pubs

By Guy Dimond

You can't have it both ways. Or can you? This smart-looking gastropub not only does a decent pint and food, it also has several plasma screens dotted around the room permanently tuned to sports channels. During the World Cup, they're even charging entrance for the England fixtures: £10 per head, but that includes a pint and a choice of fish and chips or a burger to go with it.

Even if you're not going for the football, the Kensington Arms is a handsome pub, all cream tones and lots of natural light. It's the London branch of The Mariner's Rock pub in Rock, Cornwall, and as such has lots of Cornish references, from the maps and photos on the walls to the food and drink. On tap there's Sharp's Eden or Doom Bar bitters, brewed in Rock - high-octane real ales that you should slowly savour. If wine's more your tipple, there are a dozen okay wines by the glass, including Fairtrade wines from South Africa. Don't try the cocktails, though; we witnessed one customer instructing the clueless bar staff how to make a Margarita. Service on both our visits was well-meaning but very disorganised.

The pick of the dishes were the fish and chips (nice thin beer batter), the deep-fried whitebait with tartare sauce and lemon, and a Cornish pasty that was packed with prime steak and served with a separate jug of stiff gravy. There are also sausages, puff pastry pies and various new-style pub staples such as tuna steak to choose from, plus good-looking sandwiches and a cheeseboard.

Here's a useless pub-conversation fact: nettle-wrapped Cornish Yarg cheese is not a traditional variety, but takes its name from the cheesemakers, who are called Gray.

Time Out London Issue 1864: May 10-17 2006