GREATER LONDON PUB OF THE YEAR 2006
The Winner of the SPBW London Pub of the Year 2006 is :
The Royal Oak @ 44 Tabard Street, London SE1 4JU
. If you need a map then
HERE IT IS.
5 judges showed sufficient stamina and
managed to stay the course and visit all 12 of the nominated pubs. Doing
this in reverse order like Miss World, 3 of these placed the winner first,
and all of them had it in their top 3. The Robin Hood and Little John, an
excellent freehouse in Bexleyheath received one first choice vote, as did
the Harp in Covent Garden. On a countback of top 3 places The Harp was voted
as runner-up.
The Harp is a small single bar pub, in the heart of the West
End. It always seems crowded, but the service is always very good. It sells
a range of beers, and the last time I went in there the Timothy Taylor
Landlord was excellent. For food their sausages, done on a grill behind the
bar are recommended.
The Royal Oak is the only pub in London owned by Harvey's brewery and it
serves their full range of beers. It's a classic two-room pub, friendly and
well run, offering good food to wash the beers down with. Miles Jenner,
Harvey's MD and a good friend of SPBW, has been invited to come along to the
presentation night.
The winner then for the 2nd
time in 2 years (the winning pub is not allowed to enter the next year's
competition), was the Royal Oak in Borough Se1. This is a very
friendly Harvey's (of Lewes) house. The landlord Frank always gives his
customers a warm welcome. The 2 room traditional back street local, serves a
full range of Harvey's beers, Best, Pale, Mild and a seasonal guest, which
varies from the strong special winter ales to the Knots of May light mild.
All of these are always in tip-top fettle. The menu is comprehensive, and
the portions are large at reasonable prices. Halibut, rabbit, roast lamb and
various pies and casseroles are usually available.
All in all the Royal Oak is a well-deserved winner in the
face of some stiff competition.
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