22/07/21 - Dirtily Pleasant - A Soho Pub Crawl

Freedom Day (passports may be required) was announced on Monday.  By Thursday, I am off for a long weekend in London.  And for me, London means Soho.

I've done many pub crawls in Soho - but never before in shorts.  How not to look like a tourist, eh?

This crawl is from a 2003 Book - Ted Bruning's London by Pub - influenced by a quote from HG Wells.

The devious, vicious, dirtily pleasant exoticism of Soho.

So what's changed?  For a start - it's all pedestrianised which create a carnival feel, as people can safely spill out into the roads.  I mean, the "post work, lets pop out for a couple to let the tube die down" were always falling in front of rickshaws after nine.  Its now a little safer to do so.

The Pubs?  Well, they are nearly all there - and as the crawl includes the Coach and Horses - this will do as a guide to meet some old friends - not seen since before the plague.

De Hems, Macclesfield Street

Little Belgium, Soho

To save me writing about the history of the pub, a handy guide is included in the beer menu.

Most of what you need to know

The guide book adds that De Hems collected the oyster shells and used them to decorate the walls of the pub.  By the time they were removed, there were 300,000 of them.

The menu perused, I went big.

How to start a night

The French House, Dean Street - A Len Deighton Top 10 Pub

Before global events got in the way of hobbies, I had a plan to start visiting the 10 ten pubs detailed in Len Deighton's 1960's book - The London Dossier.  This crawl gave me the chance to resume - incorporating the French House.  Possibly one of London's most (in)famous.

Its Narrow

The stories of this place are legendary.  You can google the details, but can be summarised;

• 1840s pub - losing its frontage to a doodlebug
• Charles de Gaulle formed the French Free Government from upstairs
• Dylan Thomas got pissed here and left the only typescript for Under Milk Wood under a bench
• One of the unholy trinity of three pre all day opening drinking dens - including the Coach and Horses and the Colony Room

For the tourist there's only one fact that you need to know.  They never sold pints.  You could get wine. You could get halves.  There used to be one exception - April 1st - when the first pint of the day is pulled by Suggs.

I battle my way to the bar in full knowledge of this from previous visits.  Even in shorts, I don't want to look a tourist.  However, most other blokes are drinking pints.  

Post pandemic, the staff wanted to try and limit the amount of times people were coming to the bar.  Covid.... not all bad, eh?

And the pint?  A decidedly un-French Theakston's Best Bitter. 

Keeping with tradition, fags are compulsory

Its a fine place for eavesdropping, getting into conversations and looking at the last of the bohemians.  You can tell them by the hats they wear.

The pictures inside provide plenty of distraction to while away the time too

Coach and Horses, Greek Street

So much written about this place - including my previous blogs.  I was never coming to London and not visiting.  As always in the last few years, I was also keen to make sure that Fullers had not made any changes.  I am delighted to report the only changes have been to the toilets, where even the gents trap is safe to use.  It never had an attached toilet seat before.

Oh - and the beer quality has improved exponentially.  Who says things only get worse?

The same outside

The same inside

The Three Greyhounds, Greek Street

Unassuming pub a little further up the road.  It's in the guide, so I pop in and it was memorable for a very tiny bar.  This wasn't a problem, as the fun had spilled out onto the street.  The music was very loud.  When Depeche Mode came on, people started dancing.

It was time for me to scan the Cask Marque certificate and make my excuses.

Lively Three Greyhounds

Pillars of Hercules, Greek Street

A literary pub that was the regular haunt of Ian McEwan, Martin Amis and Julian Barnes.

No more - its now called Jimi loves Gloria (or some such nonsense) and was closed up.

My only dead pub from a 20 year old guide.  

Sad Sight

Dog and Duck Frith, Street and the Crown and Two Chairmen, Dean Street

Two that I will lump together.  They were both ornate and served good beer (Dog and Duck is in the good beer guide and previously blogged).

The Smaller Dog and Duck

Beautifully ornate within

The larger Crown and Three Chairman provided the first TT Landlord of the week

The Lyric, Great Windmill Street

Another Good Beer Guide Entry previously blogged and once again, it comes at the end of a crawl.

Things I noticed this time?  Well, it was more a case of what was missed.  13 Cask Lines on - I missed out on Harvey's Best Bitter - not sampled since before you know when.   Its seemingly unavailable in the Midlands but is a lovely pint.  

I'll re-blog so that you (or me) don't make that mistake again.

The Lyric at closing

13!  and I missed Harvey's

13 lines provides ever changing decor options

Time to call it a night but what a delight to be back in the Smoke.

And to find it almost exactly as how I last enjoyed it.   No masks.  No checking in.  Ordering at the Bar.  Blaming yourself for whatever you missed.