Gloucester Road pubs

A bohemian style pub housed within an attractive Edwardian building on the south side of Old Brompton Road. The owners, after having been inspired by visiting pubs in Clapham and Shoreditch, have obviously unpacked their large trendy net and cast it across this part of Kensington in an attempt to catch some wealthier punters. In their bid to appeal to the masses they have tried to cater for everybody: they serve cocktails, host regular disco nights and their food menu makes regular incursions into gastro territory, yet still includes weekday breakfasts and roast dinners on a Sunday. They purportedly serve ales too but these were all off on our visit. The pubs lofty aims would be difficult to achieve anywhere and realizing them in the rich environs of Old Brompton Road is rather like ascending the north face of the Eiger in an icy blizzard. As if to prove this point, the barman struggled with a round of “lager-tops” that had been ordered by a group of builders who had just wandered in. Whilst the barman grappled with their order, the group gazed around the pub in disbelief at the objects dangling from the ceiling, the enormous house plants and the dusty antique till that had been placed incongruously in one corner as a means of proving some sort of artistic point. In the background, a repetitive whining noise escaped the speakers. After a while, the penny dropped and we realized this noise was actually a bad Pet Shop Boys remix. In spite of garnering some favourable reviews from other websites, we found it hard to warm to this place. In fact, rather than creating some utopian pub experience, the pub comes across as a fashion victim that tries too hard, fails and leaves you feeling disappointed. This place sits across the road from the smart, white-rendered facades of Hereford Square. On our visit it was busy, a great sign in these credit-crunched times, although it's difficult to imagine that the cash-laden residents of this borough would ever be hurt by an economic downturn. Despite its location, the pub seems to attract a diverse range of punters and it's easy to see why: a good beer selection and tasty pub grub served in enormous portions all served by competent and polite staff. It even opens at 9am on weekdays in case you fancy a late breakfast. It has an over 21s policy which is probably wise given that South Ken and Earls Court and their thousands of students and Aussie backpackers are not far away. The man who sat next to us certainly did not need to produce ID to get served. His demeanour and unintelligible version of the English language reminded us of the great Rowley Birkin QC from the Fast Show who was always very very drunk. At last! A decent pub in Kensington! This has a beautifully carved bar, a high ceiling, bloody good food and a funky Jukebox. What more could it need? All forms of life can be found populating its tables

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