The last post from “New Bradford”, and the sort of pub that makes you want to book an Ibis Budget room for an immediate return trip.
A short hop uphill (by Cambridge standards) to the Peacock Bar, with stops to search through McDonalds dustbins reflect on the majesty of Bradford architecture.
The Peacock looks a bit like a one-word Chorlton bar, but in Chorlton you don’t get the intoxicating smell of curry wafting into the street.
I’d have popped in even if it wasn’t a new GBG tick. You can’t come to Bradford and not have curry, even for breakfast.
Shame about the White Rose flag; clearly playing up to that Coldwell bloke.
“That’s a lovely smell” I said.
“Me aftershave, that is” said our pubman.
Just to annoy Richard, I went with the Farmers.
And just to be contrary, I had the vegetable samosas.
They were cooked from scratch, I’ll tell you that much. I had 15 minutes watching a couple of Londoners attempt to finish their Jalfrezi.
They were friendly Londoners, but clearly crossing the M25 and entering the North was a significant achievement. Note the giant goldfish gin bowls; perhaps they were off to Morecambe next.
The other customers were a couple of Glaswegians, so there was certainly a multi-cultural feel. As always, no-one understood a word I said.
That’s all I want from a pub. Folks from different backgrounds chatting rubbish with each other, cool drinkable beer, and tables with chairs. And a bit of weirdness.
Oh, and a chaotic soundtrack that boiled down to Prince vs the Space Invaders machine in the corner. Chaotic but wonderful.
As was the plate of steaming samosas.
The barman was chatty and entertaining, clearly delighted his array of Asian keg had won the Peacock a Beer Guide place.
Another one for the ever-expanding Bradford Pub Crawl List.
And Refresh, a loo stop on the way back to the Interchange was a proper café. £1.80 for the year’s hottest coffee.
Worth travelling from Chicago and Minneapolis for, let alone Cambridge.
retiredmartin 
Well worth it. Love that majestic photo. And no I don’t mean the samosas. Wonderful buildings. I really do think this city is a hidden gem. They need to gin up some tourist sites to draw people. On nobody understanding what you say. Is that a reference to the fens accent? I have never had that much trouble with it. Curious to me that they would not understand the accent. Or is it what you are saying and the tone?
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I’m just common, Dave. Had to repeat myself twice to a bloke at the bar in Lincolnshire today, and I don’t talk quickly. The number of times I get served a pint when I say “alf of Doom Bar” or whatever.
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That’s an error a lot of your readers would hate to have happen.
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Mrs. E is what some people would call “well-spoken”, but sounds pleasantly ordinary enough to me.
When we’re in Yorkshire, she’s often asked to repeat things. It seems to be the absence of their vowel shifts which throws them, with “York” being pronounced to rhyme with what most people would say was “shark”, for instance. The elision in the “o” sound is also often missing, with “phone” being rendered as “fern” in “posh” Yorkshire, otherwise as “fawn”.
I wonder how – or if – those asking can understand the news on TV?
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Until Russ gets to do some editing I struggle to fully comprehend half his blog posts.
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Winning 😁
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If they’re displaying a White Rose “playing up to that Coldwell bloke” they shouldn’t have it sideways on. .
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Love Bradford- a job at the tourist office awaits you. Had a great breakfast curry on the Leeds Road a couple of years ago. The new pubs look crackers so really looking forward to going back there.
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It’s good to see some newbies in Bradford after many years of those old favourites around the centre, good as they are/were.
Well done on the breakfast curry.
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I can’t prove it but I think that everyone who likes good beer also likes a proper curry.
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Some of us are contrary and prefer a Chinese.
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Not in Bradford, surely ?
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Would having a Chinese count as a Craft Indian?
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🤔
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A late-lamented, beer-loving acquaintance of mine refused all foreign food, I’m sorry to say, TSM
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They’ve got the Yorkshire flag up to warn off cheeky twats who take the piss, of which you seem to have a few on this post! You know the sort of cnuts who say ‘Barth’ instead of ‘Bath’ and ‘Grarse’ when everyone knows it’s not meant to ryhyme with arse. And of course it’s got a Leeds flag, it’s called Peacock’s. Oh and I ticked this one off a couple of years ago, got dragged in by a mate who’s surname is … Peacock.
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Well, Richard, as far as I’m aware, West Yorkshire is the only part of the UK where school children – from non-immigrant families – have to be taught English As A Foreign Language to make them capable of understanding their teachers, and so of learning anything at all.
Much as I love God’s Own County, you have to admit, that it’s often not the most articulate or eloquent part of these fair islands?
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F##k off! 😂
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That’s the spirit. Is the White Rose flag really the wrong way up ?
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To be fair I understand everything Richard says.
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I. Rest. My. Case.
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Yes we know it’s a Leeds pub. Their nickname is the Bantams which is part of the peacock family.
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A petal should be at the top. this one has been draped long ways over the bannister, hence it’s wrong. If flown properly (sideways) it would be correct.
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Yes, it’s wrong.
If they can’t give the county the respect it deserves and find space for a proper horizontal flag then they should have turned it just eighteen degrees so there’s a petal on the level at the top.
It’s details like this that are important to us discerning drinkers inspecting pubs, not that such a failure is likely to keep it out of the 2020 GBG.
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It’ll be OK when the wind blows.
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That TT Dark Mild sure looks tempting.
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interesting that the beer of the Glaswegian on he left seems to have half-decent lacings, whereas he one on he RHS is flat as a witch’s t*t? Wonder what they were drinking?
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That would be an ecumenical matter.
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“Me aftershave, that is” said our pubman. –Ha! That level of wit deserves some sort of medal.
That is a pretty impressive array of Asian keg, it must be said. Do you often see such a thing? I must have had Singha at some point, but I can’t remember if it was anything special or not.
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Mark,
Quite a lot that Cobra is sold in my nearest pub but I’m sure that that’s more because the lounge is effectively a curry house than that it’s local, brewed just twenty-five miles away in Burton on Trent.
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I don’t want to sound patronising, but the two Asian blokes at the bar had Manchester levels of humour, which is why I enjoyed the Peacock so much.
And no, never seen multiple Asian keg, even in big Indian restaurant. They were adding a 5th one too.
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This month – to try and stop my head spinning (or maybe that’s just my early onset dementia…), I’m trying a new ploy to try and keep up with your fast pace GBG ticking adventures…
So, half way through October, I’ve done a quick recap of you posts in October to date and note that you’ve posted on Worcester, Sheffield, Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf, Manchester and Bradford (think that’s all of them so far)….
Highlights of the headlines for me were definitely:
… Wobbling in Worcester and the beautiful tiled Eagle Vaults pub front, the tenuous title link to ‘Canary in a Coal Mine’, taking your Dad out, going to a beer festival (even though you don’t like them), revealing your affliction for searching through MacDonalds dustbins, failing to understand anyone in Failsworth (and discovering the arty photo editing software on your phone), experiencing the fabled rain of Manchester (which southerners never really believe happens), admiring the latest Banksian artwork while shoe shopping is in progress, taking the photo of the month so far – the Stones Bitter pump clip, arranging for your son’s toaster to be checked by an IT consultant (is that really necessary?)….
I think that covers it….:)
Can’t wait for the second half of the month (I’ll try to keep up – but fear it’s a hopeless task for me….)
🙂
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Thanks for that summary, Hermit. Scarily, I’m a week behind already so there’s trips to Luton, Watford, Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Northampton and now Dover/Folkestone still to come, but I appreciate anyone reading this rubbish !
But if you think I’m bad, wait till you see how far BRAPA is behind on London posts.
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Yes I saw BRAPA’s comment about 60 pubs behind – tsk tsk – it’s a slippery slope…
Enjoy reading your posts (or at least the ones I can keep up with)… 🙂
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