Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 8 and Version 7 of White Swan, E1 8DA

Version 8 Version 7
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category='Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2010,Good Beer Guide 2011,Good Beer Guide 2012,Good Beer Guide 2013,Pub Food,Pubs,Real Ale,Shepherd Neame'
category='Food Served Lunchtimes,Good Beer Guide,Good Beer Guide 2010,Good Beer Guide 2011,Good Beer Guide 2012,Good Beer Guide 2013,Pubs,Real Ale,Shepherd Neame'

Shepherd Neame pub in Aldgate, in the Good Beer Guide.

The interior is quite traditional, with burgundy banquettes around the walls and a wooden floor, though there's at least one large flatscreen perched up in a corner near the ceiling.

Kake visited on a Tuesday lunchtime in September 2009. There were only a couple of other customers in when I arrived a little after noon, but by the time I left an hour later there were about a dozen people in, and plenty of lively conversations going on. The flatscreen was showing a news programme with the sound off but subtitles on, which I thought was a nice compromise. Music was playing, but fairly quietly.

Real ales available on handpump were all from Shepherd Neame, unsurprisingly; Whitstable Bay (£1.65/half), Spitfire, and Masterbrew (though there may have been a few others — I only noticed as I was leaving that they had another bank of five handpumps on the side of the bar). Lime and soda was 40p/pint.

As of September 2009, food is served lunchtimes only, noon-3pm Mon-Fri (the pub's closed on weekends). The menu is reassuringly short, with just a soup, four or five cod-and-chips type mains (including a couple of specials), sandwiches, nachos, and potato wedges.

Kake tried the "rare roast beef sandwich with beetroot horseradish" (£3.80) photo. Pleasingly, the beef really was rare, and the horseradish was evident, though I wasn't sure where the beetroot was supposed to come in. The salad on the side was fairly token, and not dressed, but it wasn't advertised in the first place so I didn't feel cheated.

Accessibility: Level entrance, step-free access to bar and ladies'.

See also:

Opening times taken from the 2010 Good Beer Guide.

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