The Carpenter's Arms, Cheshire Street

Pipsywoo says:
I love this pub. When we discovered it last summer I felt as though I'd found a new local, it has great vibe, great service, tasty food, a fabulous selection of drinks and a small outdoor courtyard out the back.
There are so many great things to mention about this place, where to start...firstly, the staff are friendly and good at their job, when it's quiet they are warm and welcoming, when they are busy, they are professional and quick.

The food is varied and freshly made. I've eaten many things from their menu, my favourite is the 'Potted Smoked Mackeral' and a 'Basket of Bread', the mackerel is tasty and filling, which is accompanied by bread and salad. The 'Basket of Bread' is what seems like a whole baguette with lashings of Breton butter. Their 'Chips' have the skins on and are delicious. Their 'Homemade Scotch Egg' is a large egg (we assumed Duck) wrapped in sausage meat and breadcrumbs. I could go on and on about their menu, but I'd definitely recommend the 'Escargot', I haven't had them, yet, but they always smell delicious!!!

The drink selection is vast. From Breton Cider to Aged Whiskies to Wines of the month. The walls are filled with boards of their drinks selection, which is surprising as the bar seems too small to load such a selection.

The music is varied but normally stays in the 80s category.

I could carry on ranting about how great this place is, but I won't as there are some downsides: There are only two toilets for the ladies which have a high turn over but are normally kept relatively clean, unless extremely busy. It's very popular, during the summer you need to arrive mid afternoon to get a seat outside or in the pub, obviously when it's busy it can take some time to get served. Plus, it's a little on the small on the inside and courtyard but that's to be expected as it's a city pub. These are the only downsides I can think of, which I suppose is a good reflection of the pub.

The overall pricing is rather reasonable also.

Interior *****

Exterior ****
Price ****
Food *****
Staff ****
Toilets ****
Music ***** (if you like the 80s)

Overall ****3/4

The Royal Oak, Columbia Road

Pipsywoo says:
We went to this pub in the evening of a Sunday, the pub was relatively busy, but the bar not so, which made me a little unimpressed by the barman flirting with two girls for 3-5 minutes, while I waited to be served. Anyhow, I won't allow this to put me off and will revisit to develop another opinion, I'm not sure why, this placed seemed too nice to let the staff perturb me!

The actual pub is inviting, warm and has a pretty cool vibe. The selection of drinks seem vast within spirits, if not lacking a little in pumps. The staff seemed friendly enough (once I was being served), although one of the staff seemed rather moody and distracted (she was pregnant, so it's understandable).
There was a nice back garden area and the food looked good. I can't quite remember but I'm pretty sure it's the typical London prices for drinks, £7 or so for two pints.
Also, I didn't attend the toilets but my friend informed me that they were lacking, a lot! The gents were out of action, so two toilets for a whole pub is a little gross, but we all have bad days!

It's a great shame to let this pub have such a bad mark due to the staff and unfortunate state of the facilities, upon a future visit, I might re-review it.

Interior *****
Exterior *****
Price ***
Food ****
Staff *
Toilets *
Music ****

Overall **1/2

Pipsywoo:
I've been back to The Royal Oak a few times now. I still feel that the bar staff aren't interested in serving, which is irritating, yet I still like the pub itself and the drinks selection.

Captain Kidd, Wapping

Pipsywoo says:
Right, I'll come straight out and admit it, I love Samuel Smith Pubs! I do! I adore them! I love their home brews of ale, beer and spirits. I love that they are all a little quirky and that the staff are generously friendly! Gushing over!

Approaching the Captain Kidd, from the road it looks boarded up/closed. Upon reaching the door, you realise it has a courtyard and looks rather charming. Inside it's very nice, bright windows looking over the river and a large patio'd area to one side, also over looking the river.

With all Samuel Smith pubs, the range is good, if a little basic; two types of white wine, etc. The lady working that day was extremely pleasant and it seemed that nothing was too much trouble. We didn't try any food, or see any being consumed, so that review will be short. We arrived shortly before the city workers, so it got busier throughout the few hours we were there, with a nice crowd. The ladies toilets were clean and well stocked.

Interior ****
Exterior ****
Price *****
Food n/a
Staff *****
Toilets *****
Music (I can't remember but I'm assuming it was inoffensive)

Overall ****
If you like Samuel Smith, you'll like this little gem.

The Marksman - Hackney Rd

Pipsywoo says:
I liked this pub straight off. It's been thought about and loved for. There are windows that peep through to the kitchen, inside and outside of the building. The staff were overly accommodating and lovely, we happened to be with a dog and they instantly offered a bowl of water for her; a very nice touch.
The surrounding clientele all seems pleasant, we ended up having a chat with a couple sat near us, which I feel always says something about a place. And the toilets were clean and well stocked.
They had a good selection of spirits, wines and taps. They even represented a independent brewery, Meantime.
There were bar snacks on offer, as well as a full menu.
We ordered two Bloody Marys and two pints of London Lager - all well priced (London wise). They added red wine to the Bloody Marys which gave it a really lovely flavour.
I'm looking forward to a return trip.

Interior ****
Exterior ****
Price ***
Food "We only consumed the bar snacks but they were all very nice. The food on the menu, also looked good".
Staff *****
Toilets ****
Music **** (Good variety)

Overall ****

Tom says:
This is a great little pub on the all too cool Hackney Rd. but like many of it's surrounding drinking spots, you don't feel like you're drowning in a pool of what I like to call 'pretentious pricks'. The staff are all nice, drinks classic London price (£3.50 a pint) but the best thing about the place is the fact that you feel comfortable and one drink easily turns to four (or until you fall over outside......). This is easily one of my favourite pubs in the area and easily worth the 15-20 minute walk it takes me to get there.

Interior ****
Exterior ****
Price ***
Food "We only consumed the bar snacks but they were all very nice. The food on the menu, also looked good".
Staff ****
Toilets ****
Music **** (Good variety)

Overall ****1/2

The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping.

Tom says:
Some pubs enjoy the benefit of having a great location. The PoW, is one of these pubs being situated right on the river, with views of Canary Wharf (if that can be considered a view) and the river (if that can be considered a view). The pub is basically 'alright'. It's a chain pub (Taylor's), with dark panelled walls, and plays it very safe. The best aspect of this place are definitely the outdoor areas but even these are not all that great and tend to get very busy on a sunny day, forcing you to sit inside. In the dark.

The staff were nice and accommodating and the drinks were typically London ie.  £7.70 for a Stella (I was feeling reckless) and a Staropramen top, but considering these are both considered premiums, it wasn't overly pricey.

Overall, an alright place to go if you're in the area (which you most probably never will be) but not one to go out of your way for.

Interior **
Exterior ***
Price **1/2
Food "It looked like your normal, average pub grub"
Staff ****
Toilets ***
Music * (one word - Dido)

Overall **1/2


Pipsywoo Says:
I don't disagree with Tom, much. I do think that it's a nice pub. Nicely located, although I think the outdoor areas could do with a little colour (flowers, table pots, or something), and maybe the glass be cleaned a little, in the downstairs outside area. I found the interior quirky yet, but due to the building being rather old and kooky but it is quite dark in there, I think customers who suffer with sight issues would find it extremely hard.
There isn't anything too exciting about it, the drinks menu is predictable and decor basic.
Although, the staff were very accommodating and polite, and the toilets clean and well stocked.

Interior ***
Exterior ***
Price ***
Food "We didn't eat but the food looked like classic pub grub!"
Staff ****
Toilets ****
Music *** (Classic background, inoffensive lift music)

Overall ***

I feel bad, there is nothing bad about this place at all. It was even kind of pleasant and yet, I didn't gel with it. There was something I didn't like. It's a personal thing and that is why I've rated it relatively high in the individual markings, it's my personal opinion that wants to mark it lower.