The Thirsty Bear is a London first - a pub where you can pull your own pint from the comfort of your table. And it's local to me. If only they had a few more beers on offer... Here's my post originally written for www.londonist.com.
You build your own furniture because it makes it cheaper. Before you head to the airport, you check in online because it’s faster. When you go to the supermarket you scan your own shopping because you like arguing with electronic women who think you’ve bagged double the weight you ought to. We are in a D-I-Y era.
With the opening yesterday evening of The Thirsty Bear at Waterloo, self-service has come to the service industry, with London’s first pull-your-own-pint pub.
The venue, which replaces the old man friendly Stamford Arms, is the first venture by the appropriately named Robot Pub Group, and though we’ve been made aware of this place in Manchester which uses a similar concept, it’s a brand new one to us.
London is awash with great restaurants. People often ask me about my favourites and I struggle to answer as there are so many that come to mind. If someone were to ask me right now about a favourite spot, though, I would have to spark controversy and pick somewhere.... outside London. Not only that, but in the North. Could it be? Really?
Yes. It could. In fact, a recent trip to Liverpool (hard research for an upcoming Blue Tomato travel feature) spawned many a gem. For a city that felt remarkably small, it certainly crams in some top notch dining destinations: bistro/ coffee shop The Quarter, old-school Italian Il Forno, modern British 60 Hope Street and London Carriage Works... the list goes on. The crown goes to Delifonseca, though. A relaxed all-day eatery kind of a place with a deli and food store built in, it literally exudes friendliness and comfort. Not to mention some tasty smells.
Here's a restaurant review originally written for my South London Press column. Zeitgeist is pretty much my local pub and I'm definitely a regular, though for me it's usually more about the beers than the food.
You can count London’s German restaurants on one hand. There’s The Hop Exchange German bar on Southwark Street, Stein’s in Richmond (which claims to be the very first), The Fest in Fulham (which keeps Octoberfest running all year round) and the only one of the lot that’s particularly well-known, The Bavarian Beerhouse on City Road. As the names of all of these places suggest, food isn’t really the main focus – it’s all about the beers. The almost unheard of Zeitgeist is one to add to the list, and it may be the place to break the mould.
Hidden inside The Jolly Gardener’s pub on Black Prince Road, Zeitgeist is mere minutes from the Albert Embankment and Vauxhall station, but could take a long time to find. You most likely would come across it having given up and gone in for a drink instead.
