retiredmartin

February 2024. Soho. London.

This blog is now exactly a week behind with the posts, as we progress our day of London culture from sewage pumping stations to Soho.

A mere 25 minutes from Abbey Wood back to central London,

and a very rare foray into the heart of tourist land.

You’ll recall I’ve noted how few new Beer Guide entries there are in W1 these days, but it remains a great place to get lost, admire new art,

and old pubs,

and even a little tranquillity in Soho Square;

Mrs RM really wanted to pop in a Soho pub (“for my blog“); I’d have been happy never to go in a pub again after Monday’s tickathon, but when the Dog & Duck appeared in front of us I succumbed.

Since my own visit many years ago, a flurry of celebrities have beaten a path to the Dog & Duck, and I don’t think that can be a coincidence.

Here’s William helping out the hospitality staffing crisis last year,

and 20 years before that Madonna was seen sipping Landlord, probably starting the inevitable rise of that most premium of cask beers this century.

“I’ve become one of those English drunken girls. All it takes is a half a pint. I’m a cheap date, yeah,” she joked.

I invite you now to not the astonishing resemblance between Ms Ciccone and my own Madonna, Mrs RM, as she waits patiently for her Tim Taylor’s having impressively nabbed a seat under the tiles.

I would have got Mrs RM a pint of Keighley’s finest, but line cleaning was in progress (during the day ?).

“Half of Nicholson’s Pale Ale” says Mrs RM, brooking no argument.

The friendly barperson starts to pour a pint. “No, just a half !” and it takes a consultation with the manager to have two-thirds decanted into a half glass and the rest in the sink. That 94ml of beer would have cost about a quid I reckon.

My pint of 0% ABV Lucky Saint and that half (NBSS 3.5) cost £9.55,

but I’m not going to complain as it’s worth a visit just to admire the Heritage Victorian interior,

which is what most of the tourists seemed to be doing.

As with many of London’s best pubs, much smaller than you’d think,

so quite how they fit the standard Nicholson canteen in here is quite a feat.

A real treat,

but I’ll wait till the Landlord lines are pulled through before I come back.