I always found Pub on the Park oddly disappointing. It should be great. It’s probably the best situated park in London (ie – three minutes walk from my house) and definitely has one of the best beergardens. In the summer you can have a cold pint and watch the cricket on the fields, or play boules on the mini pitch at the back.
But the actual pub was average at best, and in winter eminently avoidable. Despite being the closest pub to my house, I visited it rarely – put off by the soulless Weatherspoon vibe, and the scary looking fellas at the bar. Its only saving grace was that it could be relied on if you wanted to watch the footy. A rareity in an area where you are more likely to find buckshot in your pheasant, than a big screen blaring out the commentary in the local pub.
So when the mighty Blues were playing the scumbag Reds a few weeks back, it just about pipped the Perseverance (I pub I enjoy for its unreconstructed policy of fear) as the best place to watch the game.
But what was this? Arty neon signs hanging from the walls? Battered leather couches? Fresh carrot and ginger juice at £4 a pop? London Fields had evidently worked its magic. Apparently the pub has been under not-so-new management for about six months, which old supersleuth here had failed to notice.
And do you know what? It really is a lot better. Admittedly, it’s £3.70 for a premium pint, but the chairs are comfy, the atmosphere has improved and the menu offers more than frozen burger and chips. The bar staff, also, are much less inclined to snarl- a distinct improvement on the last lot. It’s not hipster nor hoodlum, but – very oddly for a London Fields pub – seems to attract people who care more about their pint than their winkle-pickers.
The best part of all is the upstairs “cosy”, a room done out much like a living room, all mismatched sofas, coffee tables, mirror over the mantlepiece and widescreen tele in the corner. When we were the for the Derby the nice folk even let me and the boys pull one of the sofas from along the walls and right in front of the tele. We all wedged in, turned up the volume, shouted at the screen, chatted to our fellow loungers, got a little fuzzy. It was a lot like watching the match at home – apart from with pints. So obviously better.
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