Pub Review - The Garrison, Bermondsey, London
Once upon a time there was a boozer on every corner in the East End. There's still a good few left around Bermondsey but many have been replaced with cool office blocks or trendy sandwich bars.
The Garrison, on the corner of Bermondsey Street and White Ground, has evolved to fit in with its trendy city-slicker surroundings - it's only a stone's throw from Zandra Rhodes' Fashion and Textiles Museum.
From the outside it looks quirky, with the pub's name written in a crazy font. The theme continues inside as low lamps with odd shades are suspended a few feet above vintage-style "distressed" tables.
The staff are young and informative - reeling off a list of beers on tap and escorting us to a table for two. Leffe blonde and brun, Staropramen, Guinness and Adnams are on tap and the wine list is, in a word, long.
As for the menu - it's lunchtime and we can pick from bar snacks such as fish finger sarnies to gastro gourmet including bream on a bed of crushed celeriac. I went for pine nut, feta and spinach spring rolls to start - a really interesting idea and the feta gave them a real bite. I opted for mussels in chilli and white wine cream as a main. The mussels were plump and complemented perfectly by the sauce. My co-diner ate a smoked bacon, avocado and tomato sandwich on fresh crusty bread. It came with home-made chips, served in a silver bucket - perfect for the quirky surroundings.
The dessert menus were being changed but our super-efficient waiter reeled off a list including our choice of banana and dark chocolate spring rolls with home-made rum and raisin ice cream and maple syrup. It sounded so rich we decided to share it and have coffee as well. The dessert proved to be another dish that was perfect for the season.
Prices were reasonable with snacks such as fish finger sarnies coming in at about £3.50; slightly bigger options like the bacon and avocado were around £6 and the gastro mains were about the £10 mark. Reservations are recommended for dinner and it's the kind of place you can take your mum, your friend, your partner or even just go on your own. The staff treat you like you're in a restaurant, but with the friendly banter you'd expect to find in a pub.
PubChef rating (out of 10)
Ambience 9, Value for money 8 Flavour factor 8, Overall impression 8.5
BEERS: Staropramen, Adnams, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brun on tap.
MAIN COURSES: From £5.50 to about £14
WINES ON LIST: 24 white, five fine white, 17 red, six fine red, seven champagnes and two ports.
ANOTHER THING: This pub has a cinema room downstairs and would be great for parties.
