Kensington pubs

As I walk along the Fulham Road in search of this pub I cannot help thinking that The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is to London what an ageing supermodel is to the female gender. It still looks beautiful on the outside and thinks it is better than anything else, yet beneath the surface there is nothing of value, just vacuous nonsense. Women with pinched, taut, surgically enhanced faces totter past in their high heels on their way to shops that sell pointless toss that’s too expensive for real people to buy. Eastern European nannies push prams containing the privileged offspring of the local residents. As I dodge past I am almost run over by a bell-end in a Bentley. This is all too much and my need for a pint suddenly becomes urgent. Fortunately for me, a side street containing a stucco-ed row of houses appears and the pub soon appears before my eyes. The pub, a free house, is beautiful. Wooden surfaces abound and the faded chintzy wallpaper depicting exotic flowers and birds of paradise gives the impression that you have fallen back through time. If the décor all becomes a bit too hallucinogenic after several pints, you can always venture outside where there is a small collection of tables. There is an impressive selection of beers available at the bar including six ales. The pub attracts a mixed clientele including braying locals, workers and some old men with a pen fetish. Definitely worth escaping the Fulham Road to find, but make sure you get here early as it gets pretty packed at the end of the working day. Charming faux-ancien establishment at the point where the bogus bohemianism of Rotting Hill (think George Osborne et al and their New Tory mateyness) blurs into the cholesterol-laden overt wealth of Kensington. The floral eruption on the outside is matched by a pleasingly eccentric interior, all dark and traditional, with a plethora of old junk hanging from the ceiling and a soft ambient glow struggling through the windows. It’s a Fuller’s pub, with their full range of ales on tap, and a generous food menu to boot. Very down-to-earth, and an unexpected delight.

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