Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 23 and Version 22 of Holly Bush, NW3 6SG

Good Beer Guide pub in Hampstead.

Really nice interior, with nooks and alcoves, candles on the tables, lots of wood, floorboards, wines written up on a black board on the wall. There's a separate dining room upstairs in a light, airy space with comfortable seating and proper table service. There are a few seats out the front too; the pub is actually situated in a very nice little courtyard off a very steep side street.

Kake, ilmari, Bob, and Phil visited on a Thursday evening in February 2008. Many of the tables had been booked, since it was Valentine's Day, so Kake arrived early to bag a table; this turned out to have been a very good idea. Don't know how busy it normally gets on a weekday evening.

Beers available were Broadside (£3.05), Harveys Sussex Best (£3), London Pride, Batemans XXXB (£3), and Tinners Cornish Bitter (the guest; £3.05). The staff seem to know a fair bit about the beers and wines on offer; we overheard them give sensible advice on both. Cider is sold in the summer, according to the Good Beer Guide.

Bar snacks are available: mixed nuts (85p), Fairfield crisps (like Kettle Chips; 95p), mixed olives (£1.50; we liked - very nice mix of different kinds of olives), and home-made sausage rolls (£3).

The proper food menu has lots more on it, and everything we tried was good. Half-pint of prawns (£5) turned out to be six huge shell-on prawns photo. One warning: although the Adnams rarebit (£5.50) was described as a starter, it was enormous photo. Salmon fillet with mash, spinach and tarragon and white wine sauce (£12); duck and cherry sausages with cheddar mash and red onion and marmalade gravy (£9); and organic beef and Harvey's pie with cheddar mash and salad (£9) were all sampled and deemed to be very good. The pies were true pies, with pastry all the way around. We were less enthusiastic about the desserts, but Bob said the cheese plate (£6; Stinking Bishop, Denhay mature Cheddar, and Blacksticks Blue) was very good.

These prices are slightly higher than you'd pay in most pubs, but the quality of the food is worth it. Food is served noon-10pm Mon-Sat and noon-9pm Sundays and Bank Holidays, though they warn that availability will be reduced between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays as they ramp up for the evening.

Bob and Kake's verdict: We will definitely come here again.

A visitor named Ash comments: The Holly Bush has been one of my favourite pubs for years. However, recently it seems that the food is very hit or miss; either excellent as usual, or really really bad. On a summer 2008 visit along with ilmari, we were kept waiting an hour for our pies, and then they were dry and overcooked, one was slightly burned, and the carrots served alongside were uncooked. The only positive aspect was that the manager was happy to refund the money we'd paid. If they'd only told us when we arrived that the kitchen was going crazy, we'd have gone elsewhere. In addition, when I visited a few months later in October 2008 I was told by the manager that following my previous complaint I was now banned from the pub.

Allolex comments: I had my birthday dinner here in early 2007 with about ten friends. They had a table big enough to accommodate all of us and the food was quite good. I had been previously, always at the weekend and was put off by the lack of seating when I wanted to eat. The walk up to the pub is lovely.

See also:

• Beer In The Evening comments
• Fancyapint review
• Time Out review
• Layman's London review
• Gourmet Chick review
• Qype comments
• Hip-Hops review

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