Time for an overdue visit to the Bohemian enclave that is Lark Lane. I took a walk the length of the street photographing various locations before I started in Milo Lounge, a large popular cafe bar:
The fine decor in here includes some attractive (modern I think) arches between the knocked through rooms.
The place was doing very well at two on a sunny Friday, at first glance all the other customers seemed to be eating. I stood at the Please wait to be seated sign, and my "Can I just come in for a beer" was answered positively. A pint of Cruzcampo from the selection of foreign lagers started my day's drinking. On reflection I should have tried the Italian one I'd never heard of, Menabrea, but I'm saying that purely because it would tick a box, not because there was anything wrong with my cerveza.
Quite a few people were sitting outside in the street, enjoying the sunny weather. The same applied to many of the bars along the street as I walked up. I'm surprised they haven't gone the next step and banned cars altogether, although thinking about it this would make deliveries very difficult. And some people still live here, where would they put their cars?
As usual on Lark Lane, today I'm faced with the difficult question of the border line between bar and restaurant. This one is just on the bar side of the line, I think. I ordered and paid for my pint at the counter, and I could see one or two others who were drinking. Before coming in here I took a look at what used to be Que Pasa Cantina, now Minna which I decided to categorise as a restaurant. If anyone wants to complain, it's my guide so my arbitrary decision. No, actually, if you have a good reason to disagree let me know and I may revise my decision.
Next, the Albert:
No problem with the bar/restaurant decision because this is neither: It's a pub.
I selected Landlord and sat in solitude in one part of the traditional interior. Someone once told me that the "historic" interior of wood panelling and the wonderful bar back is entirely modern, and if you look closely it doesn't seem to have the decades of wear found on real examples. (Er, is that what they call patina?) Who cares, it's beautiful.
A slow trickle of custom kept the barmaid occupied most of the time, while I enjoyed the peace and quiet and a fine pint of Landlord.
Is it something to do with the artistic ethos of Lark Lane? There's no mobile data signal here, at least not from either of my providers.
Sky Sports was on the tellies, silently thank goodness. It's transfer deadline day, apparently, so football's business transactions take precedence over an actual international cricket Test Match, currently under way at Lord's. I wonder what the score is?
Across the road is Keiths, which has sat on the bar or restaurant fence for many years. I resolved to decide one way or the other today.
OK, that's settled. I walked in and up to the counter where the cheerful barmaid soon served me a pint of Timothy Taylor's Hopical Storm from one of the two keg taps I could see. A bloke standing at the counter was drinking from a Carling glass so maybe there were more taps elsewhere?
Having poured my pint the barmaid turned to the till to ring it up but left the tap on. Beer overflowed the glass in great quantities until I alerted her. No need to ask for a top up!
I don't think I've had this one before, it's quite a tasty keg pale beer.
Most of the people in here were eating, but not all so this new tick for me has certainly won the accolade of 'bar'! The main sound was happy chatter, pretty much drowning out the background music. More and more customers came in, the place was soon busy. The food I could see looked very good.
There was a better signal here and I could see Sri Lanka were at Nelson for six so it doesn't look good for them.
Moving along Lark Lane, the next possible tick is La Parrilla:
Now this one is definitely a restaurant but they were happy to serve me another pint of Cruzcampo after parking me at the least visible table!
Fun Mexican decor in here, plenty of customers outside and a few indoors, all dining except for me.
Now I have a quandary: This looks to me like it is not a bar, so it shouldn't be in my guide. But then I won't get a tick! I think I'll "do the right thing" and exclude it from the database and therefore from the guide. Have I wasted a drink? Of course not, a pint of beer enjoyed is never a waste!
Some very tempting sizzling food was delivered to a nearby table, it looked and smelled very good.
Good grief, a Spanish version of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. Where did that come from?
Another reason why this is a restaurant not a bar: I haven't paid for my pint yet. I hope I remember and don't just walk out...
Moving on, the next place is Love and Rockets:
I think this one had cask ale last time I was here, back in 2017, but it doesn't now so I had a pint of Neck Oil and selected a seat with a good view of the Test Match on the telly.
This bar is mainly aimed at pizza and burger eaters and I must say the food looked very good as it passed by.
On a sunny Friday afternoon the outside tables were full but there was plenty of space inside.
Five pints to the good I ought to head home, but there is one more place I want to visit; it was Ink In The Well when I was there in 2021, so it's not even a required tick, but it has since been taken over by the wonderful 1936 Pub Company and is now called the Green Man:
A typical "1936" pub, they've knocked the plaster off the walls leaving bare brick and added the usual stag's heads and other odds and ends. Most importantly they offer a number of real ales, including my favourite White Rat. It came in an Ossett Brewery conic making it taste even better!
Not packed but doing well, by now it was five o'clock and family groups, gangs of blokes, and even solo pub researchers were keeping the place going.
I tried to remember what the Ink In The Well was like; the answer is nothing like this, it was a restaurant with a small drinkers' area at the front, and I don't recall any bare brick walls although checking my notes I find it had some. It was rather unusual because it served quality cask ale.
Six! Taxi for Merseypub!
Beer of the day: White Rat
Miles walked: 0.8
Maybe coming soon: Southport, Cantril Farm, Kirkdale
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