PickledPorcupine

Youngs pubs are notorious at ripping off the middle classes when it comes to Sunday dinners, even more so on Christmas Day. They are far worse than you could cook at home., but obviously 5 times the price. And then there are the mental drinks prices. People really ought to have wised up to this scam by now.

It is very much encouraged in the pubs of ED. Many of them resemble a genuine creche or nursery during the day, even on weekends. I couldnt believe the amount of buggies and colouring in going on in 'The Actress' one Saturday recently. Later in the evening there will still be many children around, whether its eating expensive dinners or having a 'family gathering', the different coloured pencils and running around the premises will be still be evident. After 8pm i think most pubs are empty. None of them seem to show sport anymore (except The Castle) which would have previosuly drawn in a crowd for Champions League matches, as most residents prefer rugby.

It used to be cheaper, before inflation. And maybe even people on a low income are allowed to treat themselves with a meal in a pub from time to time. And its certainly more affordable than the £17 the Cherry Tree charges.

That was when Antic ran it. For all their faults, they did have an in house policy of always having at least 1 lager and ale on tap that was affordable, and i dont know if anyone noticed (unlikely around East Dulwich as prices are rarely an issue here) but they always priced a dish of sausages and mash at an affordable price, around £8. The idea was that even those without wealth could still come to the pub and have a meal and pint. I doubt that'll be the case now, with a new Pubco who own pubs in places like Bank, Fitzrovia, Clerkenwell and Highate Village.

Sounds as expected and obviously firmly catering towards the middle classes who can afford to drop £80 on a meal for 2 with a round of drinks without breaking a sweat. I dont suppose they have an affordable lager for those who dont fit into the above group? Do they have a pram/buggy park like they do at a creche? As that would come in handy im sure. Its a shame because going back before covid it was still an affordable pub, mostly used by drinkers.

Im well aware of the The Castle (which i like) and The Hill (not so much). Neither do cheap food, or in fact any food at all apart from crisps. The Royal Legion Club is not a pub but a members club in what looks like a house from the outside, with a bar. I doubt they do food either, but 'you're welcome' to correct me on that. Also anyone suggesting the Fox on the Hill, in Camberwell, i would suggest its better staying away. The place was an absolute shambles the other Sunday when it was sunny. The bar staff genuinely knew nothing about working behind a bar or even pouring a pint. It would have been amusing if we didnt have to wait 25 minutes for a drink. And thats without joining the ridiculous queue that muppets form around the pub. There were a lot of pissed off people in the pub and garden, and plates and plates of food just left on the side of the bar where people had given up receiving it having waited over an hour for it, and presumably initiated a chargeback via their bank.

Id like to see the temporary skate park closed off and got rid of now, its getting too cringey listening to do gooders who own £1.5 million houses crow about 'how amazing it is that some local teenagers turned an unused area into a fantastic community hub' etc etc...they probably wouldnt say that if they lived beside it. Ideally we would have a Wetherspoons in its place so that those without huge salaries and mortgage free high value propreties (paid off with inheritance money) could have somewhere to go for cheap food and drink. Nowhere like that exists in Dulwich and the loss of The Capitol still resonates with the local hoi polloi. Unlikely to happen of course, since Spoons are now concentrating on opening pubs beside train stations and charging double the price for a pint compared to the usual Zone 3 neighbourhood Wetherpoons pub.

The new EDT will not be an improvement on the old, even if had turned into a middle class dog and buggy haven with high prices by the end.

I went in on Saturday and it felt much the same. Seems the staff and their dresscode have been retained, and all the same beers on tap.

The Castle will eventually go bust as the main customer base that props up these type of pubs throughout the week are older men, they are naturally dying out (faster than most due to alcoholism) and not being replaced by the next generation. The latest generation of drinking age drink much less and get their kicks out of social media sites/apps. If you think pub closures are bad now, wait until in about 20 years times. The ones that will survive will the the semi resturant ones that the middle class can afford.

Yes i always assumed it was a freehold. I wouldnt blame him if he just wants to retire now being at the mercy of that crowd.

Bit of advice. If you see someone letting their dog shit on the pavement, dont do the righteous middle class thing and tell them to pick it up, then boast about it to your chums at the next dinner party. Its far better to follow them home, at a distance, and take note of where they live. Later that night, go back to the address and leave some poo (a dogs or yours) all over thier doorstep. You can add a note too about cleaning up after their dog if you so wish.

Just had a bit of a dig around and can see that the lease is up for offer rather than renewal. Is Con retiring then? Hopefully whoever takes it on it keeps its Irish roots.... https://www.stonegatepubpartners.co.uk/find-a-pub/blythe-hill-tavern-forest_030276

The Dartmouth Arms is crap, an expensive burger place, and The Bird in Hand also in Forest Hill was ruined about a year and half ago by our friends Antic, who seemed to have weasled out of their bankruptcy by making up another company. Both of them however are far better than the pretentious, stuffy pubs in East Dulwich full of Ralph Lauren jumper around the shoulder types. Im sure the Blythe will be fine. Although if Con puts his lager prices up anymore ill be going less and less. I presume if their lease is up for renewal the rent will go up and inevitably consequently so to the drink prices.

Very cute stencil, bless. Sadly for you, there is a similar stencil in support that is being shared around the kids socials, you know how glued to their phones they are, well there is likely to be hundreds of these that have made their way to the council. To cut a long story short- the festival is going ahead and it sounds like it will be bigger than ever. It would be better for your health just to let it go, and try to imagine that people gathering to enjoy music in an open space is not the end of the world.

How incredibly entitled of you to have the chutzpah to go over and interupt workmen doing a job they have been asked to do because you think you might disagree with it. You are extremely lucky they gave you the time of day, and didnt threaten you until you rightly jogged on. Do complete random people come to your work place and demand to know whats going on, and ask for documentation? I bet you were quite disappointed that the reason it was being cut down wasnt linked to the annual fantastic music festival this area is luckily enough to have. Plenty more trees around the area, one that is dangerous to remain where it is should absolutely be cut down as soon as the danger is realised. If you love and cherish a particular tree so much, then perhaps you can plant a new one that may grow for many years after you have gone, to replace the one that has come to the end of its life.

It is having its whole character and inside ripped out and changed to suit the mundane, bland middle class enclave it now finds itself in. Its been rubbish for ages anyway, Antic have been treading water since the pandemic and couldnt afford much upkeep of their pubs whilst pushing prices up. By the time they did finally go bankrupt it was almost as expensive as all the other spectaularly boring and stuck up pubs nearby, and was filled with families looking awkward if a nearby Hooray Henry uttered a swear word. Whoever called it 'iconic' must literally only ever visit the EDT and not have a clue about public houses, as there are thousands of pubs across London that would be more deserving of the 'iconic' label 🤣. I expect there be will be focus on food, 'small plates' etc. No more sport- apart from 'rugger' of course! The middle classes will love it, theyll merrily trundle in with a pram and a dog in tow, remark about how different it was to the 'EDT', but then not even flinch when dropping £100+ on a few plates of roast dinner and a round of drinks. The only remotely decent pub left in the area is The Castle. Im actually amazed it is still going in its current guise. They are part of a small pubco and their most recent opening on Kirkdale in Sydenham they tried to go more upmarket, but its always empty. How long before The Castle too is swept away and rebuilt to suit the moneyed middle classes?