retiredmartin

2nd February 2020

Now Walton gets interesting, a bit like The Waltons gets interesting when John-Boy joins CAMRA in the 3rd series (it’s on Netflix, check it out).

Part II of my Elmbridge evening, rather more exciting than the first half as Dire Straits make their customary appearance. There are 1.2 million people in Surrey, and 1.4 million of them own “Brothers In Arms“.

Oddly, my second GBG tick was playing stuff you expect in Woking

I’m greeted with “Going Underground” from the Jam’s live LP, followed by a succession of Oasis greatest hits.

The four other customers seemed less than impressed as they were hoping for Aneka and Sinitta, but enjoyed the post-mortem on England’s tonking in Paris.

You don’t get many Shepherd Neame pubs new to the Guide this century, and you can’t really drink Spitfire in halves, so I swigged a pint from a new barrel the Landlord put on.

Yet another solid NBSS 3+ in the Surrey new entries, which leads me to a terifying conclusion;

Kingston & Leatherhead CAMRA pick their GBG entries on the basis of beer quality. A crack team is on their way down from St Albans to sort that out.

Ticks done, I just had to sort out the Chinese takeaway. Sadly Mr Turtle, recommended for me by Richard Russell on this blog, failed to answer their phone. It’s hard for turtles to pick up receivers, I guess.

So I walked down to the Thames for a nosey.

Let me be honest (“really !”), Walton is a bit dull on a Sunday evening in February. But if I’d been there three hours earlier I’d have complained about the rugger ****** so you can’t win.

The pubs were very quiet, so I picked the one with smokers outside.

The Anglers looked quite smart, but inside it looked like the fall-out from a toddlers birthday party, Peroni and Prosecco bottles littering the high tables. Clearly recovering from a busy lunch session.

It’s a bit Brunning & Price after a landslide, the Battleships about to disgorge its contents onto the dining room floor.

But here’s the rub, as no-one says, ever. Much as you’re going “Ugh” right now, the Doom Bar was a cool, foamy 3+, lacking that cloying sweetness that ruins it in Spoons.

The staff were young and cheery, as they often are, and sang along with “Sweet Talking Woman”. With GBG rotation being what it is, the Anglers is a Guide outsider, but will never make the Beer & Pubs Forum itinerary. Booooo !

I ordered a crispy beef and Singapore rice from Oriental Chef, and popped back to what was the Spoons last time I was here.

Stonegate has the Regent now. They’ve added loud music, taken out the homebrew and added a few ciders.

And a perry, which I was drawn to, as you are at 8pm in Surrey.

Rather nice, an ideal accompaniment to the Sunday Dire Straits karaoke, including the best worst version of “Money for Nothing” you’ll ever hear.

Just think what he’d have done to Sultans of Swing.

To cap a great night, the Chinese takeaway was superb (NCTSS 4).