March 2026. Balham. London.
A second London pub tick in quick succession, the Southeastern service presumably making a request stop just for me at Balham, where I had a restorative double espresso in a cute station obssessed with the local football team.
Matcha seems the drink of choice. What even is matcha ?
What of Balham ? Weird art under the railway arch,
a scary street water dispenser (I overfilled my espresso cup, very badly),
and a first GBG newbie since the days of the Bowls Club and the Bedford.
The bar/Thai diner Firefly claims to have been around since 2004, which almost suggests a Long Service Award of Guide inclusion for a landlord called Mr R. Jenkinson Esq. But actually it’s not bad at all.
CAMRA tells me the freeholder is (deep breath);
“The Provost And Scholars Of The House Of The Blessed Mary The Virgin In Oxford Of The Foundation Of Edward Ii Of Famous Memory Sometime King Of England“.
I’m guessing the Provost and Scholars don’t personally choose the beer board, a thoroughly modern list,
from which Hophead is a well conditioned NBSS 3, and for a fiver in SW12 is practically a bargain, even if it’s been neutered to 3.4% for the duty savings.
A good allrounder, reminscent of that Oakham Thai place in Kennington.
Quite a Clapham crowd, mind, who seem to get animated as the soundtrack moves from “Against All Odds” (RIP Phil) to “Clocks”.
Coldplay is ALWAYS my queue to leave.
retiredmartin 
Would you have stayed if it had moved to Clock DVA?
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“Beat the Clock” by Sparks, probably.
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Indeed, what is matcha? The same goes for bubble tea, which you can get in Lerwick, no need to go to the Canary Islands.
Today, the ubiquitous soundtrack was Latino cocktail jazz. Did manage to go to the Cathedral to connect to my inner Catholic and get to the top of the tower via the Otis Elevator of Salvation.
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