pub

The Castle Inn, Castle Street, Cambridge

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The town of Southwold on the Suffolk coast is a relaxing place to visit, one of the special features being the Adnams brewery right in the centre. Some of their excellent beers are available in many East Anglian pubs: The Castle Inn next to the historic Castle Mound in Cambridge is an Adnams pub carrying a large range and seeing the array of taps takes me back to good times spent in Southwold (and its pubs) through my life.

Walk in and you realise that you are in a ‘proper’ pub. Wooden floors and fittings, genuine old features, all a bit dark and timeless. The main bar is in the centre, serving the front traditional area and two more secluded rooms. Don’t despair if it seems full, it is actually quite a large pub, there is an upstairs space too and a substantial terrace with seating outside. Prices are what you might expect in this part of Cambridge just outside the city centre, but for the quality of the beer and the surroundings any slight premium is worth it.

No distractions of fruit machines and TV screens, instead there are books to borrow and occasionally some interesting choices of background music and of course, lively conversations. The menu boards sound tempting, as does the food you see being taken around but I must admit the only meal I have eaten in here was the simple perfection of fish finger sandwiches, sometimes that’s all you need to supplement a quality pint or two….

 

http://thecastleinncambridge.com/

The Wrestlers, Newmarket Road, Cambridge

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As you leave Cambridge city centre along Newmarket Road you encounter a strange mix: a stretch of wide tree lined boulevard, surrounded by bland retail outlets, recently built giant budget hotels, bus lanes, endless traffic lights and a giant Tescos. In amongst this unattractive background there are a few gems: the Leper Chapel (reputably the oldest building in Cambridge), Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium (almost as old?) and in an area where pubs have been demolished and converted there is still the Corner House (musical oasis) and dating from 1897, The Wrestlers.

The future of The Wrestlers seems ensured, it has carved a niche as a supreme provider of Thai food, and every time I venture in there are plenty of customers. It deserves its reputation, the food is excellent (try the king prawns..), reasonably priced and efficiently served. Your order is freshly prepared, so if the wait is longer in busy periods the staff will give you an accurate timescale for this.

In the meantime, the beer is always worth sampling, although it is on the expensive side, even for Cambridge (around £4 a pint). Try a pint of  delicious Hook Norton ‘Lion’, a bronze (golden-ish) 4% beer, along with five other guest ales and the house beer, the powerful Adnam’s Broadside. There are plenty of lagers and a ‘craft beer’ too (a subject I will return to…). The staff seem keen to encourage the traditional pub aspect of the Wrestlers, I was offered a taste of the beer while deciding, always a good sign.

It is mainly a pub for passing through to eat, the lights are a bit too bright and tables can be booked out long in advance so you may end up standing at the bar rather than a comfortable collapse into an armchair, but I assure you that once you have eaten there you will definitely go back….

 

http://www.thewrestlerscambridge.co.uk/

 

The Hopbine, Fair Street, Cambridge

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Easily overlooked down a side street near the Grafton Centre, the Hopbine was opened again three years ago as a re-energised free house. It is a large pub with distinct areas, pool at one end, armchairs and relaxation space in the middle then mostly tables for dining at the back. Food seems to be a popular feature (including dishes cooked on volcanic rocks at your table) but does not dominate the ambience of the pub, when eating there recently in the sacred ‘friday-after-work-best-time-of-the-week’ slot the quality, service, choice and price ticked the boxes perfectly well.  This is important, many pubs and restuarants will fail on at least one of these criteria creating that little bit of unwanted tension between customer and venue.

But enough of food, what about the beer? Offering a taste of a beer before you commit to the pint is such a simple and civilised gesture it should almost be the law of the land (perhaps it is, but ignored by most places?). At the Hopbine the friendly and experienced bar staff realise the significance of this and ensure you are happy with your pint. The 10% discount for CAMRA members helps the happiness too. The beer is fine, temperature good and the real ale and cider on offer changes quite regularly. Around Christmas there were festival beers served straight from the barrel, always a treat (especially the 8% brew that not surprisingly I can’t remember the name of…)

The staff seem to have made their modern versions of compilation music cassettes to challenge the identification skills of the listeners, no surprise that this pub is linked to The Portland Arms, the premier pub/music venue of Cambridge.

So it is a traditional drinking and eating pub along with a good array of quizzes and events (including wine and gin tasting, separately.) There is also a loyalty card available for discounts. The dark wood lined interior hopefully will remain that way and the varied clientele who drop in after work and many other times of the day will continue to be pleased with what they find….

 

http://www.thehopbine.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

St Radegund, King Street, Cambridge

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The Moon Under Water is a fictional idealised pub described by George Orwell in a 1946 essay, a pub based on the basics of ale, food, convivial company and attention to important details.  Before refurbishment the St Radegund  possessed many of these attributes, in a timeless environment of intimate size, with unique features….a six inch wide table, signatures of regulars burnt in the ceiling, a cluttered back of bar with cassettes, CDs, jars of nuts, books and guides and random pillars and barriers dividing the dark drinking space. The beer was excellent, especially the poetically named delights from the Milton Brewery.

So what has changed?  Well principally the whole pub is now higher and lighter with more windows exposed and the ceiling raised, the burnt signatures have gone and the bar has moved and been tidied. A long-lost fireplace has appeared, though not hosting a fire yet. Milton Brewery beers seem to have gone. Some of the original tables and wall decorations have been retained, such as the history of the Saint, sports team photos and a picture of Vera Lynn as this pub has an appreciation society…

The atmosphere is still buzzing, the regulars and others having enjoyed the six nations rugby viewed on the usually discretely hidden television above the bar. The size of the pub is a strength, it is the smallest pub in Cambridge. If I was a visitor to the city I would feel very lucky that I had found this compact gem, but as a long-time resident I can’t help but feel that something has been lost…

 

https://twitter.com/radegund