Seeking Brixton - The Duke of Edinburgh

I don't know how it happened but my friends managed to get me South of the River! *gasp* On a very sunny weekend in London I made the glorious trek on the Victoria Line southbound to Brixton to have a bit of a 'girls-day-out'. I suppose it was a day of doing new things because I don't do girls days out!

It actually was quite fun and a nice pub that's a bit like the TARDIS: MUCH bigger on the inside.  While the furniture and bar area were pretty standard, it was the wall decor and garden statues that stood out to me the most.

There was also a generous landlord that dished out free drinks for having the winning horse during the Grand National.  Well, most people got free drinks.  Apparently there was a race to get to the bar as well and time limit on when they gave the drinks. #notcool #flaseadvertising

On the other hand, we didn't need more drinks - there was far too much white wine in our diet that day.

We also ordered some food, but that didn't get photographed due to my camera incident and my iPhone being a POS. It was about £10 per meal which feels a bit pricey, but they had a unique selection of food that you wouldn't expect on a pub menu.  We went for the jerk chicken and grilled halloumi which as far as I can remember was quite nice, but the wine didn't leave much memory of the end of that day! 

Would I go back? For sure, but you'd have to drag me south of the river first. There's a MASSIVE beer garden out back that looks like it's a great space not only for drinking but possibly entertaining as there was a stage!

The Duke of Edinburgh can be found at:

204 Ferndale Road

Brixton

SW9 8AG

Nearest Tube: Brixton

North London - Kentish Town - The Oxford

You know the whole 'looks can be deceiving' thing? Yea, that's what I think of The Oxford.

From the outside it looks like your standard high street pub; picnic tables, a beer garden, standard 'pub' facade outdoors. From the inside, it's gotten a bit confused and calling itself a gastropub.

I don't trust places that coin themselves as 'gastropubs'

Looking at my notes from this meal, I'm struggling to find one positive word.  If I could make a wanky word cloud, things like 'pretentious' and 'overpriced' would dominate the space.

The interior is separated into two areas that can be described as a 'pub' but really a seating area for light dining, and a back dining room for what I can only assume houses something like a carvery.  The menu is like a child jumping up for attention hoping its parents will think it's a pretty pretty princess with 'aubergines' 'asparagus' 'corgettes' and £13 salmon salads.  FFS, if you're dressed like a pub, act like a pub. No one wants to walk out £10 lighter after ordering 2 simple ciders. I settled for a £10.50 fish and chips which were far too fancy for my liking.

Apparently they have comedy on Thursdays and a pub quiz on Tuesdays. I don't intend on heading back there to check them out - at least not on an empty stomach.  I'd recommend The Oxford as a nice place for a drink, but only a quick one as there isn't much atmosphere.

The Oxford can be found at:

256 Kentish Town Road
London
NW5 2AA
Nearest tube: Kentish Town 

North London - Camden - The Camden Head

During my quest for the awesome-est pub in North London I decided that the route from Camden High Street to Junction Road would be the best place to start.  Camden is about a 20 minute walk from my office on Tottenham Court Road, making it even easier to decide on a whim that going to a pub on a Tuesday night is a brilliant idea.

I feel a bit old (like my parents) admitting this, but I absolutely love comedy nights, which The Camden Head puts on Monday and Tuesday nights.  Comedy here will set you back a mere £3 or £5 for 2 tickets.

We came quite early so grabbed we a pint and some food first. Even though I'm the American and the BF is the Brit in this equation, my pub meal of choice is always fish & chips while his is a burger. (WTF?)

Fish & Chips, £7

Classic Burger £7

Now in honesty, for a pub menu some of the items are taking the piss (wild boar & apple burger, pies that replace meat and beans with leak and butternut squash) but I will fully admit I am a repeat offender for their food.  So much so, that when Whitney Dunlap came to visit me from Ohio, I made sure to take her there.

Inside The Camden Head 

It's a beautiful pub with wooden interior and deep sunken sofas, books and board games for entertainment making this pub resemble a family lounge. And it's no wonder that it felt so cosy and comforting - The Camden Head was voted as having the best staff in 2010!  There's also a great photo of Camden High Street on the wall from 1903. 

You may have noticed that I've gone on for a bit about the food and neglected the comedy night.  I've only gone to their comedy night once, and maybe I came on an off night, but it wasn't that great of an experience.  We spent £5 to sit in a crowd of maybe 7 people, 3 of whom were the acts for the night.  I've been to free comedy nights that were astoundingly better.  

I love The Camden Head; the food is delicious, the atmosphere is relaxed and the cider on draught is crisp and refreshing. Definitely one of my must-visit pubs.

The Camden Head can be found at:

100 Camden High Street

London

NW1 0LU

Nearest Tube: Camden Town