The Drayton Arms, 153 Old Brompton Road

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.

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