The Magnolia (used to be The Magdala)

[Emma_DB]

According to friends, it was open yesterday, and they're planning on going in after work tonight.

[EDOldie]

Oher, they must have hidden when I went by. I'll try tonight.

[Cassius]

Just walked past and had a look. The opening times on the window are actually the old MagDALA opening times - new ones aren't up yet.

Have to say that it doesn't look quite my thing although I will give it a try. The bar front has been wallpapered in a flowerly brown and white pattern and all the old back of the bar has been ripped out and replaced with tiles that look a bit like someone's kitchen and not many bottles of spirits, although the pumps are still there.

Instead of the high tables and stools in the front there are what (to be honest) look a bit like furniture from a school canteen, whilst further back are those little wicker chairs with cushions (but no table). I couldn't see as far as the back room though.

It most certainly does NOT look the place for a pint or two after work - but I will give it a try.

[standswithfist]

I went in yesterday - looks very clinical, floral wallpaper, what look like small chairs and tables not like a pub at all. Even pizza man is bricked in and the booths have gone to make it look more food type place. And it is definately called the Magnolia - this is up where the screen used to be over the bar. Rose definately does not want the sport on and she said she told staff to not answer the phone on saturday as people keep phoning up asking when/if the sport will be on... she also said no food for a few weeks as she needs to now sort out staff. doesn't look like my cup of tea but wish them luck. no definate opening date/time though was what she said.

[Cassius]

Any idea what sort of clientele she is aiming for?

[standswithfist]

from what i could gather mainly mothers

[Cassius]

Mmmmmm - I was trying NOT to come to that conclusion - hey ho another door closes and another door doesn't open!!!!

[louisiana]

Not all bad. We had some very decent Islay malt (Lagavulin) in there on Saturday night (yes, it was open) for a very nice price. Look like they have some okay ales on too.

Not sure about the decor though.

[Asset]

Excuse me, but I'm a mother and it certainly doesn't sound like the sort of place I'll be going. Don't generalise.

[EDOldie]

I take back everything I said. Went in for a drinkie tonight and it's very nice. It's just so different from 'a pub'. Met the landlady, Rose?, and she is a delight, really wants to get it right without being over ambitious. I still don't like the name change but who cares. Must be a destination for the EDF drinks. Metamorphose the pubs, thats what the old hypocrite Oldie says.

[lizzie]

The Mag was my local and I loved it in there, both for the quiz and to watch footie. And I'm a mother. I've just walked past the 'Magnolia' and my heart sank - it looks clinical, canteenish and shite. At least the quiz has moved to the Herne but where to watch footie? Forest Hill Tavern? CPT?

[Huguenot]

I hope it's great. It sounds all Footballer's Wives though.

'Magnolia' as a colour reminds me of talentless interior designers. It's not whimsical or ironic, it's insipid and washed out, devoid of personality. It's not 'subtle', it simply has nothing to say.

It's all 'nouveau riche'. You can imagine busty bottle blondes in tight fitting tiger print t-shirts turning away from the baby pink lipstick applicator for a moment to announce tonight's destination to their emasculated husbands.

You can hear the neighbours.... "Oooooh, 'ark at 'er, in't she posh"

Like Boycey and Marlene, 'Magnolia' suggests art means taking a word you've recently learned and writing it with curly letters on cheap plastic frontage with neon lights behind. It's garish and barely skin deep. It's all fakery and pretention. Like a stage set, the lights are on but no-one's home.

Having said that, I hope it's a nice place. It strikes me that they're going to struggle to fill the place by targeting mums in the evening, they'll be tucking up little Tyler.

Is there perhaps a secondary target audience at the effeminate end of the gay market?

[Moos]

Nice post from EDOldie, it's good to hear someone giving the new place a shot.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I popped my head in last night to have a chat with Rose about the upstairs function room and you can colour me impressed

By no means do I think it would appeal to a WAG community - it does have floral wallpaper on the bar but the rest of the decor is almost austere. Those tables mentioned in previous posts do add an element of school-hall to the place but I prefer to think of it more like the drinking halls of Bavaria

It remains to be seen what's going to happen to the kitchen area at the rear but for now I say it has a lot of potential and everyone should give it a go

[Pierre]

candj Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> EDOldie, 12pm is 12noon no? And 12am is midnight?

> I could be missing something!?

Pedant alert: p.m. is post meridiem - after noon - and a.m. is ante meridiem - before noon.

Therefore noon and midnight cannot be am or pm as they _are_ noon and noon's opposite.

"12am" is the same as, and as ambiguous as, "12pm".

Sorry...

: P

[EDOldie]

Hmmm, so I was right in a funny sort of way.

[Pierre]

It gets worse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-hour_clock#Confusion_at_noon_and_midnight !

: P

[Jeremy]

I don't buy it, Pierre. It is only *absolutely* noon or midnight for a single point in time. It is impossible to pinpoint a time where it's bang-on noon or midnight, it will always be slightly before or slightly after.

So in practise, 12am actually means a time ever so slightly after midnight, perhaps even an infinintely small period of time after midnight. So therefore I'm happy with the simplification of declaring 12am as being equivalent to midnight!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Pedantic query: isn't it meridian?

[EDOldie]

It's my fault, I just wondered what was correct. Didn't mean to take it off topic.

[Administrator]

No problem, now keep it on topic of the Magdala/Magnolia please.

[candj]

Pierre Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> candj Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > EDOldie, 12pm is 12noon no? And 12am is

> midnight?

> > I could be missing something!?

>

> Pedant alert: p.m. is post meridiem - after noon -

> and a.m. is ante meridiem - before noon.

>

> Therefore noon and midnight cannot be am or pm as

> they _are_ noon and noon's opposite.

>

> "12am" is the same as, and as ambiguous as,

> "12pm".

>

> Sorry...

>

>

> : P

I was answering EDOldie's question specifically. Good God!

[David Mc]

For the sake of our easily-confused residents, I hope the Magdala has a 24-hour clock or at least moves to using it when publishing its opening times!!

It is "meridiem". The prepositions "ante" and "post" in Latin take the accusative case. The accusative of "meridies" (see Wikipedia link above) is "meridiem".

[SimonM]

"The Magnolia"?? So will it have a picture of Tom Cruise on its sign then???(6)

[Moos]

I'll be giving the new Magnolia a go - in spite of its silly name.

P.S. National Maritime Museum refers to the Prime Meridian and Meridian Line.