Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 26 and Version 25 of Holly Bush, NW3 6SG

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category='Cheese,Food Served Evenings,Food Served Lunchtimes,Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2007,Good Beer Guide 2008,Good Beer Guide 2009,Good Beer Guide 2010,Pubs,RGL Recommended,Real Ale,Real Cider'
 category='Cheese,Food Served Evenings,Food Served Lunchtimes,Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2007,Good Beer Guide 2008,Good Beer Guide 2009,Pubs,RGL Recommended,Real Ale,Real Cider'
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host='217.147.81.2'
 host='213.165.225.132'

Good Beer Guide pub in Hampstead.

It has a really nice interior, with nooks and alcoves, candles on the tables, lots of wood, exposed floorboards, and wines written up on a blackboard on the wall. There's a separate dining room upstairs in a light, airy space with comfortable seating and proper table service. Allolex held a birthday dinner here in early 2007 with about ten friends, and they had a table big enough to accommodate all of us. 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.

According to the Holly Bush website as of September 2009, food is served noon-4pm and 6pm-10pm Mon-Fri, noon-10pm Sat, and noon-9:30pm Sun. There are also bar snacks available, including home-made sausage rolls (£3 as of February 2008).

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. 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 seemed 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.

All the food we tried was good. Mixed olives (£1.50) were a very nice mix of different kinds of olives. 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 thought 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 we felt the quality of the food was worth it.

Bradders visited for Sunday lunch in September 2009. The Holly Bush is evidently very popular; I turned up early (11.55) and there was already a small queue outside! Most of the tables were already reserved when I got in, but I was able to nab an alcove. I had a pint of the Old Hooky, which tasted perfectly fine, and had the sea marsh lamb (delicious) followed by the chocolate brownie with pistachio mousse (also superb). My dining companion had beef (which as per her request was served without horseradish sauce) and one of the dessert specials, tiramisu with poached berries. It's worth noting that although we didn't notice that the specials were listed as only being available from 6 onwards, the bar staff offered to check if they could be done earlier and quickly confirmed that they could (although obviously this may not always be the case.) Having ordered at about 12.45, we were eating by one; the portions were very good, as well as nicely prepared.

The only issue we had was that the bill seemed a little high, but on checking it (it was clearly itemised) it was obvious that one of the staff had entered another table's drinks against our bill. This was immediately rectified with a prompt apology and I think this was just bad luck. Overall, a very good Sunday lunch experience and I'd definitely come again. Booking strongly recommended, though.

Getting here: Come out of Hampstead Station and head to the right around the corner. Cross the road here and then go up the steep hill (Holly Hill) just to the left of the other side of the crossing. As you near the top of the hill, you'll see an old Benskins sign on the left hand side of the road photo taken from the other direction; the pub is in a little courtyard off the right hand side of the road just opposite this.

See also:

Last visited by Bradders, September 2009. Opening hours taken from the Holly Bush website, September 2009.

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