Chris_OGrady

Did the Balmoral on Belgrave Road last night. It's been refurbed and is much smarter than your usual desi pub inside, with prices still decent. Massive screens in there showing the footy. Was busy and the food and service was solid too. Another good addition, but food not quite as good as some of the others IMO.

haha i don't think I heard that. I was chatting to some lads who were off to the Broadway which naturally sparked my attention

Has anyone been to the micropub in Anstey? Think it used to be called Mash and Press and now looks like it's called The Kneaded Pint

I'm guessing there's no alcohol? Been meaning to try there or Pamson Grill but i always sack it off because i'm a slave to the booze

Some nice cask ales in the TTL after the game on Saturday followed by some scran at Indian Queen and another beer in the Swan in Sorrel after

In my first job in the city my team would seek out All Bar One on a Thursday and Friday night for it's excellent Nastro Azzuro. Fresh out of Uni I willingly obliged

Will add the Bell onto my maps for when I'm in the City No hard feelings brother! I would mainly be referring to the square mile, but I also think this extends to parts of the west end and beyond. I'm not saying it's bad, and there are still some good options scattered about, I just don't think it's anything special considering it's the capital city and the amount of people it serves. There's lots of amazing pub buildings but they're often run by M&B/Greene King/Sam Smiths/ Fullers (who I don't mind)/ Stonegate etc serving macro beer. Out in places like Islington, Kentish Town, Hackney I think it's amazing. My office used to be by Farringdon/Holborn. I thought it was decent, but nothing to rave about. Admittedly my finance colleagues wouldn't be up for the kind of interesting crawls that keep you occupied

London has a nice vibe with the pubs always busy and everyone spilling out onto the streets, but central London is pure pubco and chainville. Like everywhere really, the periphery and suburbs have the interesting places, but large parts of the centre are quite uninspiring. Wetherspoons is the best option in central London a lot of the time. I was in London yesterday and I've never seen so many people down there getting stuck into cask before. Harvery's, Five Points, and Landlord flying off the shelf in the Stonegate pub!

I swear every time we lose it just gets blamed on bazball. I guarantee if we change the coach and style we don’t suddenly win every game, and the batting collapses occur just as regularly as they have done in the last 10 years

yeah White Hart and Organ Grinder are the best. Needle and Pin is a decent micro pub and Swan in the Rushes is okay.

If a tradesman came round to your house and quoted you for a job which was say £3k, and you had the opportunity to not pay VAT (an additional £600), would you turn down that offer because it would conflict with your political outlook?

Looks like Teli's Spicy has gone on Walnut Street and been replaced by a Nepalese. Anyone tried it?

A few in the Organ Grinder in lough on Saturday night. Another great pub with great beer and also absolutely packed

I like the starters at Little Club- chilli lamb, chilli garlic prawns, lamb chops, crispy aubergine and the combo tawa main is decent (you can see most of them on the Only Scrans video). The service/experience is good there and it's all integrated, not the biggest fan of these separate bar/restaurant places. Best lamb chops i've had are from Indian Queen on Melton Road. No idea on the Thali front. Durham Ox and Broadway are good value.

Three Crowns used to be great for the football but it's never been the same since the previous tenant went and it turned into a Desi Pub. I think a lot of the old crowd now go to the Conservative Club in Barrow to watch the football. Have you tried the Working Men's Club in Sorrel? I assume they show the football

yeah I think they are just changing the carpets. I don't go out to watch football on TV much, but if I did it would be Soar Bridge or Three Crowns. What about you?

Yeah the Oak and Blacksmiths are the best in Quorn. Royal Oak is good but it's been taken over by middle class Mums and is near impossible to get in. Blacksmiths has great character inside but the beer can be a bit boring in there. Have you done the Navigation in Barrow yet? The only thing that lets it down is that it's owned by a pubco (Admiral Taverns), so the Landlord has his hands tied with beer selection. I think he does as well as he can on that front and he's allowed to do a beer festival once a year. He was telling us that it's an instant £5k fine if he puts on any beers which aren't through the pubco. Swan, Oak and Woodies are all freehouses which is why they are the best ones around here. These Pubcos just ruin all our fun... However, I was chatting to someone from Rothley who now comes over to Quorn to drink in the Oak rather than the Woodies, because all the new builds in Rothley has turned the Woodies into a Deano danger zone

completely agree, it's average on keg. Sorrel Fox was heaving on a Tuesday night. The cask is quality in Sorrel Fox, the keg is amazing in Pinsent (£6ish for 5%+ pints of Deya/Verdant etc), and then the Swan has a bit of both and the traditional pub feel. Gurkha New Delhi is also very good for a village curry house

Couple of Blue Foxes in the Sorrel Fox on Tuesday night. One of my favourite cask beers. I have to go to Mountsorrel because the Fox Cub never has it on. Said it before, but that end of Mountsorrel with Sorrel Fox, Swan, and Pinsent (Waterside is okay too) has everything you'd want from a drink perspective.

Did the Durham Ox on Tuesday. Pretty solid again. Value is exceptional- pint of Guinness is £3.75 and Stella £3.30. It was £29 a head for 6 of us and we had an absolute mountain of food (which we didn't finish) and a couple of pints each. Wasn't too shabby inside either as I was expecting it to be a bit run down. Balmoral in a couple of weeks and hoping to do a bit of a pub/curry crawl after the Sheff U game. Paddy's & little Club still the best two IMO

It's such a good little city. I'm meeting two mates there at the end of Jan and already can't wait. There's almost too much choice

Which ones did you think were the best?

There's loads. One of the best places in the UK for pubs/beer. Even the average pubs have good beer selection. A few suggestions below: York Tap in the station. Huge beer selection. The Swan and The Slip for more cosy traditional pubs (next to each other) Brew York and Market Cat for a more modern crafty vibe House of Trembling Madness or Pivni for something a bit different

haha. I think Paddy's gets some unfair criticism. It has got more expensive, but it's still right up there for me. Once you know the best dishes there you'll always have a good experience! I doubt I'll get round to this new one anytime soon. Wrong side of Leicester for me too. Did Chef's Flavour the other week which was solid. Doing Durham Ox (long overdue) next week and then Balmoral and Sharmilee in December. Will report back after!

They've got a little empire now with Broadway, Jungle Club, What A Shot and now there!