The Open Guide to London: the free London guide

• Brewery: Part of the Goose pub chain
• Telephone: (020) 8769 4625
• Address: 103 Streatham High Road, London SW16 1HJ
• Locale: Streatham
• Nearby Tube stops: None, really. Brixton or [Tooting Bec]? would probably be the closest, then get a bus. Or take the overground train to Streatham Station.
• Bus routes: Lots. The one that comes from the centre (Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus) is the 159 (or N159).

Drinks

Cheap, very very cheap. They had a rather nice bitter called Harvey's on at �1.85 a pint; we also saw posters for a promotion offering Tetley's for �1.25 a pint, and another offering doubles plus mixers for �2. [Prices as of May 2002]

Food

Decent choice of food, again cheap. Cheese and pickle sandwich for �2.50, prawn mayonnaise sandwich for �2.95, other sandwiches at roughly the same price. (Heinz) soup of the day with roll and butter �1.95. Jacket potatoes too, with various fillings including (Heinz) beans, and fried mushrooms and peppers. (They do seem to like noting the brand of stuff on the menu.)

I had the Mediterranean vegetable tart (�4.50), which was pretty good, if quite small: fried peppers and other vegetables inside a competent enough short pastry. I was a little worried it would be overly quiche-like, but it wasn't. It came with a large standard pub iceberg lettuce salad, and plenty of boiled new potatoes.

[Prices as of May 2002]

Service and Ambience

We Are London says this is a pub to avoid, as "the cheap prices attract Streatham's 'daytime' drinkers". I do vaguely see what they mean (being a South Wales valley girl and all), but although there were one or two people there who might have been a little over-tipsy for 7pm, I didn't feel at all threatened at any point, and the atmosphere was really quite friendly. We did leave before 8:30pm (to go to the [Streatham Odeon]?, which is just a few hundred yards north) so it might be different later.

Layout

A large, open room downstairs, with clusters of tables and bar stools/small armchairs. Lots of light at the front from the large windows.