Railway Tavern

The Railway Tavern in Dalston? That one next to Dalston Kingsland Station with the peculiarly segregated front and saloon bars? No, not that one.

Has the one on the corner of Dalston Lane and Ashwin Street - now a bookies - been reappropriated? No, it's another one again. The Red Lion may be Britain's most popular pub name, but Dalston prides itself on being different. A bit.

But St Jude Street, where this recently reopened pub is found, is technically in Mildmay, not Dalston, and so part of Islington - a borough thoroughly deserving of its own Railway Tavern. And this name isn't new - although the pub was previously known as Old Henry's Freehouse, it was listed under its current name as far back as 1896.

The full name is Railway Tavern Ale House, which neatly sums up its purpose. It's housed in a pleasant little curved corner site in a pleasant little area of London, and the new owners (who also own the Pineapple in Kentish Town) have done a fine job of smartening up the space while retaining original features.

The result is a sort of mid-twentieth-century austerity take on Victorian propriety - walls are painted in sedate shades of grey, and the bar is an unfussy 1950s panelled number. A few vintage film posters, some transport-related memorabilia and a cosy corner with a fireplace and some armchairs complete a very welcoming room.

In the taps were a couple of beers from Warwickshire's Purity; Redemption's Trinity, made in Tottenham; plus two Adnam's. BrewDog in Aberdeenshire is a company we're spotting more and more down here, and this is another place to try its heavenly 5am Saint.

In addition there's Meantime's London Lager, a German duo of Licher Weizen and Köstritzer Schwarzbier, and Aspall cider. Nine proper beers - an impressive offering in a local like this. In the fridges is a select range of British beers, with London's microbreweries well represented.

Food is available, and somewhat at odds with the solidly English countenance of the place the menu is Thai, but it's a cut above the usual pub standard: slow-cooked beef massaman curry was notably good, and a stir-fried veg noodles was generous with the cashews.

Outside on an A-board, a chalk rendering of a teddy bear, for some reason, asks: 'Do you like beer?' I do, and I like this pub. It's the sort of place anyone would be delighted to have in their neighbourhood, whether you call it Dalston or Islington.