Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 70 and Version 27 of Star Tavern, SW1X 8HT

Version 70 Version 27
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[[Category Fuller's|Fuller's]] pub in [[Locale Belgravia|Belgravia]], a long-standing entry in the [[Category Good Beer Guide|Good Beer Guide]] and a long-standing favourite of several RGL contributors.
Fuller's pub in Belgravia, in the Good Beer Guide. We've been coming here for years. It used to be a truly great pub. Now, the beer is still excellent, but the food is neither as cheap nor as good value as it used to be.
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There's no TV and no piped music, which makes it a good place to actually talk to people. It has an upstairs room, whose purpose has varied over the years, but according to the pub's website as of February 2018 it is once again a bookable function room. Tables downstairs in the pub can also be booked, with advance selection of food requested for parties of more than ten people.
Following the February 2008 refurb, the function room upstairs has been converted into a "dining room"; tables can be booked for dinner, but they no longer accept function bookings. There are separate menus, but food from the dining room menu can be ordered for consumption in the bar.
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On [[John]]'s Friday afternoon visit in July 2008, it was pretty much empty at 4pm (fewer than 10 customers), although it was a bit busier by 6pm; on a second July 2008 visit on a particularly warm Thursday evening, it was very busy at 6:30pm, but by 7pm there were a few empty tables and by 9pm it was pretty quiet. When [[bob]] et al. visited on a Wednesday evening in May 2013 it was quiet throughout the evening from when we arrived about 6:15pm. On a Sunday lunchtime in February 2018, it was unsurprisingly quiet at the 12pm opening time, but became moderately busy between 1-2pm.
The pub part always used to be quite full till about 9pm most nights; not sure yet if the new dining room has affected this.
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Beers available on [[Kake]]'s August 2008 visit were the usual Fuller's quartet (London Pride, ESB, Discovery, Chiswick) and a guest ale, Ossett Pale Gold (£3.05/pint); both Discovery and Pale Gold were well-kept, as one would expect from this place. In February 2018, they again had four Fuller's beers on: London Pride (£4.35/pint), Front Row, ESB, and Oliver's Island; Adnam's Mosaic was marked as "coming soon".
[[John]] visited in July 2008. On a Friday afternoon, the pub was pretty much empty at 4pm (fewer than 10 customers), although it was a bit busier by 6pm. On a Thursday evening (particularly hot day), the pub was very busy at 6:30pm, but by 7pm there were a few empty tables and by 9pm it was pretty quiet. There's no TV, which makes it a good place to actually talk to people.
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Food service times as of February 2018 are noon-3pm and 5pm-10pm Mon-Fri; noon-10pm Sat; noon-4pm and 5pm-9pm Sun.
A pint of London Pride was £2.75 in April 2007.
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On our visit in May 2013, the food was pretty good. [[Richard]] was very happy with his steak if not so enthused by the jenga chips (&pound;15) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/8789270628/in/set-72157633887907748 photo]</small>. [[Robbie]] enjoyed his fish &amp; chips (&pound;9.80) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/8789286080/in/set-72157633887907748 photo]</small>. [[Martin]] had a decent burger (&pound;9.80) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/8789410064/in/set-72157633887907748 photo]</small>. [[bob]] had a basket of whitebait from the specials menu (didn't note price, but about &pound;5-6) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/8783146705/in/set-72157633887907748 photo]</small> and a portion of chips (&pound;3.80) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/8783161287/in/set-72157633887907748 photo]</small>, both of which were very good.
According to the Fuller's website (as of February 2008), food is served Monday-Friday, noon-2:30pm and 6pm-9:30pm.
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In February 2018, [[bob]]'s bacon chop (&pound;12.50) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/38665011690/ photo]</small> was tasty but the eggs weren't runny, which was disappointing. The roast beef Sunday lunch was good, with a good selection of vegetables including cauliflower cheese, beetroot and turnip. [[Robbie]]'s burger was fine, if not outstanding. Fish and chips was good, although the chips were a little soft. It was noted that the Sunday menu on offer <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/38664185900/ photo]</small> was different to that on the pub's website.
The quality and value of the food has varied quite a lot over the last couple of years: here are some comments from different visits.
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[[Kake]], [[bob]], [[Martin]], [[elvum]], [[Richard]], and [[Robbie]]'s collective verdict: We've been coming here for years and the beer is always excellent. The food isn't as cheap as it used to be, but the prices still aren't too bad given the area.
[[Bob]], [[Martin]], [[elvum]] and Richard visited in late May 2008. The quality of the steak was excellent, but the portion size was still a little on the small size.
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Accessibility: Belgrave Mews West is cobbled throughout, with no smooth surfaces. There are two or three steps up into the pub. The gents' is on the same level as the rest of the pub, but the ladies' involves several steps (and is rather cramped). As of February 2018, the pub was described as "wheelchair accessible" on its website, though it's not clear what this means.
[[Bob]], [[Martin]], [[elvum]], Richard, Jacob and Hannah tried the food on Thursday 25 October 2007. The general consensus was that the steak was small, overcooked, and generally worth closer to &pound;6-7 than the &pound;14 that it cost. [[elvum]] commented that approximately 4oz of steak for &pound;14 is not a good deal. [[Bob]] also wished the [[FAQ|pie heresy]] (puff pastry on top of a bowl of stew) to be noted.
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The general food situation as of October 2007 was thus: Starters range from &pound;4.25 (bruschetta) to &pound;5.45 (selection of European meats). Mains range from &pound;7.55 (bacon and cheese burger) to &pound;14 (chargrilled ribeye steak with chips, grilled tomato and mushrooms). There are four vegetarian dishes on the menu: Waldorf salad (&pound;7.55); goat's cheese salad (&pound;8); and saffron risotto with wild mushrooms and Parmesan (&pound;7.75). Another item listed as vegetarian contained oyster sauce. Desserts are also available, priced at &pound;3.25-&pound;4.

Following the February 2008 redecoration, the facilities have been much improved - spacious toilets for both sexes are now provided downstairs.

== Line 19 ==
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjw1/sets/72157633887907748 bob' photoset on Flickr]
* [http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub933.php Fancyapint review]
* [http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubreviews/22865/ Pubs Galore comments]
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* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080205023738/http://www.timeout.com:80/london/bars/reviews/11341.html Time Out review]
* [https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/star-tavern-london Yelp comments]
* [http:
//web.archive.org/web/20091026203802/http://barblog.co.uk/london/marble-arch-and-park-lane/the-star-tavern-hyde-park-london/ Barblog review]
* [http://fancyapint.com/pubs/pub933.html Fancyapint review]
* [http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/11341.html Time Out review]
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[bob]], [[elvum]], [[Robbie]] and others, Feb 2018. Opening hours and food times taken from website, Feb 2018.</div>
<small>GPS data collected by [[Kake]] on a Garmin eTrex, 12 April 2007, and released into the public domain: OSGB 528113, 179347</small>

<
div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Bob]], [[Martin]], [[elvum]], etc, May 2008. Opening hours and food times taken from Fuller's website, February 2008.</div>
== Line 31 == == Line 33 ==
category='Circle Line Pub Crawl 2012,Free Wireless,Fuller's,Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2007,Good Beer Guide 2008,Good Beer Guide 2009,Good Beer Guide 2010,Good Beer Guide 2011,Good Beer Guide 2012,Good Beer Guide 2013,Good Beer Guide 2014,Good Beer Guide 2015,Good Beer Guide 2016,Good Beer Guide 2017,Good Beer Guide 2018,Good Beer Guide 2019,Good Beer Guide 2020,Good Beer Guide 2021,Pub Food,Pubs,Real Ale'
edit_type='Minor tidying'
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category='Food Served Evenings,Food Served Lunchtimes,Free Geodata,Fuller's,Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2007,Good Beer Guide 2008,No TV,Pubs,Real Ale'
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formatted_website_text='[fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=4&itemid=287&task=View">Fuller's] '
host='88.97.5.61'
hours_text='11am-11pm Mon-Sat; midday-10:30pm Sun'
latitude='51.498042'
== Line 39 == == Line 42 ==
longitude='-0.155739'
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map_link='http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=528110&y=179336'
node_image='https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2788393512_d79f664023_m.jpg'
node_image_copyright='Kake'
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node_image_url='https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/2788393512/'
opening_hours_text='11am-11pm Mon-Fri;
noon-11pm Sat; noon-10:30pm Sun'
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opening_hours_text='11am-11pm Mon-Sat;
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== Line 51 == == Line 51 ==
website='[http://www.fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=4&itemid=287&task=View Fuller's]' website='http://www.star-tavern-belgravia.co.uk/' website='[http://www.fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=4&itemid=287&task=View Fuller's]' website='http://www.star-tavern-belgravia.co.uk/'

Fuller's pub in Belgravia, in the Good Beer Guide. We've been coming here for years. It used to be a truly great pub. Now, the beer is still excellent, but the food is neither as cheap nor as good value as it used to be.

Following the February 2008 refurb, the function room upstairs has been converted into a "dining room"; tables can be booked for dinner, but they no longer accept function bookings. There are separate menus, but food from the dining room menu can be ordered for consumption in the bar.

The pub part always used to be quite full till about 9pm most nights; not sure yet if the new dining room has affected this.

John visited in July 2008. On a Friday afternoon, the pub was pretty much empty at 4pm (fewer than 10 customers), although it was a bit busier by 6pm. On a Thursday evening (particularly hot day), the pub was very busy at 6:30pm, but by 7pm there were a few empty tables and by 9pm it was pretty quiet. There's no TV, which makes it a good place to actually talk to people.

A pint of London Pride was £2.75 in April 2007.

According to the Fuller's website (as of February 2008), food is served Monday-Friday, noon-2:30pm and 6pm-9:30pm.

The quality and value of the food has varied quite a lot over the last couple of years: here are some comments from different visits.

Bob, Martin, elvum and Richard visited in late May 2008. The quality of the steak was excellent, but the portion size was still a little on the small size.

Bob, Martin, elvum, Richard, Jacob and Hannah tried the food on Thursday 25 October 2007. The general consensus was that the steak was small, overcooked, and generally worth closer to £6-7 than the £14 that it cost. elvum commented that approximately 4oz of steak for £14 is not a good deal. Bob also wished the pie heresy (puff pastry on top of a bowl of stew) to be noted.

The general food situation as of October 2007 was thus: Starters range from £4.25 (bruschetta) to £5.45 (selection of European meats). Mains range from £7.55 (bacon and cheese burger) to £14 (chargrilled ribeye steak with chips, grilled tomato and mushrooms). There are four vegetarian dishes on the menu: Waldorf salad (£7.55); goat's cheese salad (£8); and saffron risotto with wild mushrooms and Parmesan (£7.75). Another item listed as vegetarian contained oyster sauce. Desserts are also available, priced at £3.25-£4.

Following the February 2008 redecoration, the facilities have been much improved - spacious toilets for both sexes are now provided downstairs.

See also:

Getting here: The Star can be quite hard to find, but it's worth it for the beer. It's easy walking distance from several tube stations: Knightsbridge Station, Sloane Square Station, and Victoria Station.

GPS data collected by Kake on a Garmin eTrex, 12 April 2007, and released into the public domain: OSGB 528113, 179347

Last visited by Bob, Martin, elvum, etc, May 2008. Opening hours and food times taken from Fuller's website, February 2008.

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