Dalston/Hackney/Stokey news

IdleRich

IdleRich
Anyone been to this place called The Working Rooms on Kingsland Road? Seems to be an art gallery/club space but I'd be interested to know what it's like?
 
Have you ever considered moving to the suburbs of Belfast? They've got off licences and everything. everynow and again you come across a Spar. Simple pleasures
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Just north of the canal I think. It might actually be that it is just off the main road but that it has a KR address.

"Have you ever considered moving to the suburbs of Belfast? They've got off licences and everything. everynow and again you come across a Spar."
What like a naturally heated outdoor swimming pool? Sounds cool, we have to make do with lidos.
 

hucks

Your Message Here
I'm all ears! There's a couple of half-decent boozers around here but I dunno about the 'best' pub.

Really? Do tell...

Palm Tree is ace, agreed, but the others are some way short of half decent, imo. I pretty much never go for a pint round Bow.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The Bow Bells is actually not too bad, it's fairly cheap and has some decent beer and a pool table. There's often big-screen footy which I don't go in for but others you might, I dunno. Then there's the King's Arms almost opposite, a real Irish pub with real Irish people - a couple of my housemates went there the other day and the barman, who was a bit pissed, asked them if they lived locally and, if they did, why he hadn't seen them there before! They asked him for a packet of crisps, but he was clean out of crisps so he offered them some peanuts from the pack he was eating. :p Hot whiskeys are available which are great when it's nippy, and I've met friends there who were watching a premiership match with Arabic commentary since they were showing it on al-Jazeera to avoid the Sky fees. :D

Up Coborn Road, there's the Morgan Arms which is admittedly a wanky gastro job, although they do a decent pint of Timmy Taylor's. Not eaten there, though I hear the food is very good (albeit at proper restaurant prices). On the same road there's the Coborn Arms, a much more normal working class 'proper pub', though it's Young's so there's respectable beer, including the amazing Double Chocolate Stout. Cheap (i.e. cheaper-than-off-licence cheap) offers on bottled beers for take-out, or at least there was last time I went. Dartboard. Decent music (if you like Hendrix!).

I've been to the Little Driver a couple of times recently, but the beer's not very well kept and last time I was there they called last orders at 10.38 and hustled us out the door at 11.04! (Yes, I was that annoyed I remembered the exact times - OK, I'm a sad git, so sue me.) Looks nice inside, though.

So yeah, there's a few half-decent pubs, although when I can be arsed I will always go to the Palm Tree for preference. There's a good chippie on Grove Road that can be visited en route there or back, which is an added bonus.
 
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IdleRich

IdleRich
Which is the Palm Tree? Is that the little one by the canal that has music on in the evenings on a weekend and grass where you can sit outside on a sunny day?
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
There's a good chippie on Grove Road that can be visited en route there or back, which is an added bonus.

The Britannia is a fine chippy.

Your write-up of the Bow Bells is a little generous, though i did enjoy the pub quiz when i lived nearby. One round each for music, film, sport and general knowledge. That's my kinda pub quiz right there. We did well out of that, except the time my mate's pissed twat Aussie mate dropped the crate of Becks and smashed half of them and didn't help the landlord sweep it up.
 

hucks

Your Message Here
Ah yeah (@ Mr Tea), I know those ones. And "half decent" is a perfectly good description. I was being a bit sniffy before.

The Victoria on Globe Rd (I think) has been done up and is now trendy indie. I think - I haven't been in. It has a dress code pinned up outside which can basically be translated as "No one from the estate. Thanks".

@ Idle Rich: That is indeed the Palm tree.
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
And since we're swapping info, what's the Rio on KHS like? Better than Rich Mix? Last time I wsa in there the air con was louder than the film. Time before that thyey waited half an hour while all the latecomers took their seats, like it was a fecking plane.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The Britannia is a fine chippy.

Your write-up of the Bow Bells is a little generous

Maybe, I've only been there a couple of times. Which is probably quite telling as I only live a few minutes away. I guess I don't live in an overly 'pubby' household, and when we can be arsed to go for a drink together it's an 'occasion' so we toddle off the Tree.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"And since we're swapping info, what's the Rio on KHS like? Better than Rich Mix? Last time I wsa in there the air con was louder than the film. Time before that thyey waited half an hour while all the latecomers took their seats, like it was a fecking plane."
Never had any problems at Rio - but never had any at Rich Mix either, in fact I thought it was nice of them to wait for us before they started the film. Anyway, such an amazing building it deserves our support I think

rio_cinema_dalston.jpg


edit: why can't I see that picture? Can anyone see that picture? Mr Tea, you have eyes, can you see it?
 
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Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The image is working fine for me. It's of the outside of the cinema during the great snow-storm of January 1957, right after they'd painted the whole thing completely white, right?

Edit: wow, 5,000 posts. Do I get a prize?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"The Bow Bells is actually not too bad"
Why the hell is it called The Bow Bells though? I thought that the Bow Bells you had to be born within the sound of to be a cockney was on Cheapside not in Bow. Did the person who named the pub just get it wrong or do they know something that I don't?

"The image is working fine for me. It's of the outside of the cinema during the great snow-storm of January 1957, right after they'd painted the whole thing completely white, right?"
Yeah, it was the cinema, cheers. Anyone ever been to the cinema further to the north that's closed now? What was that like and when did it close? Went to a party last week that was supposed to be in there but it moved to another venue unfortunately.
This is the place I'm on about (no more fancy links from me)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/8281608_f837995b54.jpg?v=0
 
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