The Royal Standard, Croydon

This is a fantastic traditional pub, just a short stroll from the chaos of Croydon's High Street beer barns.
There's not a great deal of space inside the pub, which makes for a cosy and lively atmosphere. There's a surprising amount of seating thanks to the way that the pub is laid out and they've even found room for a darts area.
The beers are from the Fullers range, and you'll struggle to find a better kept Fullers beer anywhere in the borough. Unlike many Fullers outlets, they also have guest beers on and as mentioned below, they recently staged a very enjoyable mini-festival. The only real downside is that the beer doesn't come cheap, but I can forgive that every once in a while.
Good for an extended session and a must for any serious crawl of Central Croydon.

2 Feb 2010 00:53

The White Lion, Aldershot

Decided to pay a visit to this pub prior to a match at the nearby Recreation Ground. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the station/stadium, but it was well worth making once I got there.
Showcasing beers from the Triple fff brewery, there were six hand pumps serving Moondance, Alton's Pride, Pressed Rat and a beer from the nearby Flowerpots brewery among others. The Pressed Rat was only �2 a pint and the Moondance was outstanding.
The pub itself is quite clean and modern, with a nice wooden floor and some kitsch scooter memorabilia on the walls, especially in the small front room.
Food was also on offer. I saw a small pizza menu offering four or five classic pizzas which looked very tasty as they were brought out under my nose. I think there may have been a more comprehensive menu as well, but someone pinched it before I'd had a chance to read it.
Aldershot is generally a terrible place for pubs, but this is a real winner and I'll be sure to make the trek down there next season.

2 Feb 2010 00:41

The Sun, Carshalton

Nice, clean, modern pub near to Carshalton train station. There was a good range of ales on offer when I ventured in last week. There were a couple of beers from the Wolf brewery, Sharp's Doom Bar, Rudgate Ruby Mild and an excellent RCH Old Slug Porter, as well as a decent selection of lagers including Hoegaarden and Leffe.
There seems to be a strong emphasis on food here, and much of what was labelled the 'family area', plus the area around the fire was full of diners, but I didn't feel out of place sitting at the front of the pub with a few beers.
The staff seemed pretty friendly and I got the impression that they are working hard to attract and keep new customers. There was also a very friendly and well behaved pub dog doing its best to charm everyone.
I really enjoyed my time in here and will head back again soon, maybe to try the food.

2 Feb 2010 00:27