White Hart, E1 7RA
- 020 7247 1546
- 89 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7RA (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
A slightly shabby pub halfway between Aldgate East Station and the bottom end of Brick Lane, making it a good rendezvous before a curry. Of course, the Pride of Spitalfields is even handier for Brick Lane, and serves a better range of better-kept real ales, which may tempt you elsewhere.
The decor is traditional, with decorative cask ends, portraits of Churchill etc. The interior is divided into two parts, with the bar running alongside both. The seating at the front is mostly high stools, though there's one table with regular stools; at the back are normal tables and stools and unpadded pew seating. The back part is pretty dark, despite a skylight and a couple of windows framed by swagged velvet burgundy curtains. It's worth noting that the music also tends to be louder in the back part.
Although the bar actually has fifteen handpumps in total, there were only three real ales on tap in November 2008, averagely kept. A pint of Spitfire cost £3.40. In April 2011, there were only two; London Pride (£3.35/pint) and Spitfire (a reversed TEA clip was also visible).
As of April 2011, Thai food is available noon-3pm and 5pm-10pm Mon-Fri, and noon-10pm Sat-Sun. They also have a small selection of English dishes. Kake tried the tod mun pla (Thai fishcakes; £4), which had a nice bouncy texture, a clear lemongrass flavour, and enough chilli heat for me at least. They weren't greasy at all. I also had some Thai prawn crackers (£1.50), which came in a huge portion, enough for three or four people to snack on.
Accessibility: A small step to get in. There's a steep ramp to get to the back room, with a ridged rubber mat laid over it. Once you're in the back room, there's level access to the toilets.
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