Randomness Guide to London Menu

Hall & Woodhouse pub very near Charing Cross Station, in the Good Beer Guide.

Note: The Ship and Shovell was temporarily closed in early 2012 "due to collapsed water pipes"; as of May 2012, Pubs Galore reports that it has now reopened.

It's actually in two entirely separate halves, one on each side of an alleyway, with a smaller bar in the southern half. They have a bookable room (the Crows Nest) for up to 35 people, or you can book one entire half (the smaller half) of the pub. When not booked, the Crows Nest is usually quieter, and the smaller southern half tends not to be opened until around 5:30pm.

Pumps visible on our visit included Tanglefoot, Badger First Gold, Fursty Ferret, and King & Barnes Sussex Bitter. They also do the seasonal ales, so in November 2008 they had a very tasty Pickled Partridge. The bar in the southern half has less of a range, but still has three handpulls for ale. bob sometimes finds the beer here to be a bit disappointing; it's just not as good as it really should be. Though I suppose I've only ever been there before noon, so perhaps we always get stale beer.

"Traditional British food" is served noon-3:30pm Monday to Friday, and noon-4pm Saturday. Sandwiches (e.g. mature cheddar and tomato chutney, or garlic chicken) are £4, chips are £2, olives are £1.75, snacks (e.g. tempura battered vegetables) are around £3-4, and mains are between £6.25 (caesar salad) and £8 (e.g. beef lasagne, or brie and broccoli bake). The steak and ale pie (£8) is described as being encased in short crust pastry, i.e. it's not faux pie. Photos of the menu as of October 2007: page 1, page 2.

See also:

• Fancyapint review
• Pubs Galore comments
• Beer In The Evening comments
• Ultimate Pub Guide review
• Kake's photo of the interior
• Qype comments
• Freaky Trigger review