Watsons General Telegraph and Inside 72

[Earl Aelfheah]

I think Sandi Toksvig and Neil Buchanan lived opposite inside 72.*

*slightly obscure 80's kids TV reference

[JoeLeg]

Hope they show more sense with these chefs than they did at Exhibition. There's a reason the food went downhill there.

[Sue]

JoeLeg Wrote:

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> Hope they show more sense with these chefs than

> they did at Exhibition. There's a reason the food

> went downhill there.

Oh? What was the reason?

[JoeLeg]

Old head chef left, the (then) sous chef ran for ages without being paid for it while the owners dragged their feet, eventually installing some (allegedly) mate of theirs who wasn't up to it. The sous left (last I heard had gone to work at the French Cafe restaurant on Forest Hill Road), and the food generally continued on a downward trend. No one I know has gone back in a while, so they maybe turned it around by now. Still not great practice.

[Sue]

Oh dear :(

[suzza22]

I'm so pleased someone has taken on this pub and is making a real effort. I haven't been in yet, so can only pass judgement on the outside. However, I am a designer (graphics, and interiors) and I'm afraid I'm really not keen on the logo. Before this went up everything was looking great. I love the simple white capital lettering with the black background, but when I walked past yesterday and saw the rather large 'Adventure bar' style WGT signage, I was very, very saddened.

Please, please, please, to all the people out there in the process of creating a frontage for your premises, please consider this extremely carefully. It can make or break a business.

To the owners of Watson's General Telegraph, is there any way you will reconsider? Everything else appears to look (well through the window and on your website anyway) really stylish and I'm really excited about popping in!

[alice]

didn't you make exactly the same comment a few days ago

[suzza22]

yes, but on the other thread about the Rose closing :-)

[Otta]

Personally the signage is about the last thing that would attract me to or turn me off of a pub.

[annabel42]

Went there yesterday for lunch. Excellent turkey and leek pie with peas and broccoli ?8. Very friendly and helpful staff. Double gin and tonic slightly more expensive than at the Herne but cheaper than the Dartmouth Arms. Lunch time food menu small but very reasonably priced.

Lunch served until 4pm with an hours break until 5pm when they start serving evening menu.

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> ???? Wrote:

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

> -----

>

> > *Bob* summed it up brilliantly a while ago

> with

> > his comment along the lines of that Inside72 was

> a

> > bit like the Sex Pistols seminal first

> Manchester

> > gig in 1976 - every musician of a certain age

> in

> > the NW claims to have been at it whereas the

> Sex

> > Pistols say about 7 people were there :)

>

>

> And one of them was Mick Hucknall. The Pistols

> have a lot to answer for...

One word that proves you / one was at inside 72 is .... "Lowenbrau"

[DulwichFox]

Was there last night...

An improvement to what was there before but that would not of been difficult.

Was nice and cosy with a warm fire...

...but with Burgers at ?13.00 and Ale selling for ?5.70 - ?6.00 a pint some one is taking the P***.

Not even strong ales ?5.70 for 4.2%. .. Shocking.

Pumps on back wall makes it difficult to read/see what is on offer.. Certainly lacks 'Pub' feel.

Bar covers what were once windows.. not much natural light.

DulwichFox..

[Earl Aelfheah]

Wow, those prices are pretty steep. I remember the Great Exhibition had some fairly crazy prices when it opened which were later reduced. Maybe they'll follow suit in time.

[Jeremy]

Yes the prices are steep... ?13.00 for burger or f&c in a pub is a bit too much IMO.

But Fox.. the ?6 beers on the back wall are craft keg, not real ale. Ales (hand pull) are on the main bar, and are a couple of quid cheaper. Maybe you missed them?

[steveo]

I popped in and popped straight out again. It looked like a play school. No pub for old men.

It was rammed though so good luck to it.

[DulwichFox]

steveo Wrote:

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> I popped in and popped straight out again. It

> looked like a play school. No pub for old men.

>

> It was rammed though so good luck to it.

I think you have it the nail on the head.. I was struggling to come up with something to describe the place..

Odd Table layout.. Plastacine and crayon boxes would fit in well even if no small people present..

All very odd...

Foxy.

[fizzmoll]

There was a live jazz band last night playing Django Reinhardt-style guitar jazz. It was wonderful.

[woodland]

I have been on once - it is a great improvement but could do with some different tables/furniture to stop it looking like a classroom/make it a bit comfier. Haven't eaten there yet but am happy to see it is busy and hoping it sustains itself ! The price of food generally in the area can be a bit steep.

[Jeremy]

steveo Wrote:

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> No pub for old men.

Well I'm not an old man... but I felt like one in there.

[BrandNewGuy]

If the EDT can do burger and chips for a tenner, so can any other local pub. And ?5.70 for Fourpure's Session IPA at 4.2% is over the top, even if it is a craft beer. I'm happy to pay more for getting more, but this is past my limit.

[Jah Lush]

Popped in over a week ago for a couple of early snifters with an old girlfriend. We liked it a lot though we spent most of the time in the fabulous outside space out the back, which is a bit like being in a Bedouin tent and we could happily suck on our smokes to our hearts content.

Inside, the furniture did resemble school dinners but the ale selection was fairly impressive. I didn't peruse the wine list as we weren't there to eat. I imagine that is similar to the The Great Exhibition and The Old Nun's Head and if so wouldn't have much to grumble about if they were the same.

Though the barstaff were very friendly I'd have liked them to have been more knowledgeable about the craft beers on offer. I was happy to sample a few though and liked what I had. Unfortunately, craft beers are bloody expensive wherever you go so it's a good job they have plenty of real ales on that are more reasonably priced.

All in all a vast improvement on previous incarnations of this old boozer and I'll definitely be going back.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Curry club were in there last night and most of us liked it.

Somewhat generic in that many refurbished pubs have gone for a variation of that shabby-chic look.

However, if it works, I am not criticising, and it works.

It probably needs to re-calibrate some of its pricing but it has the fundamentals right.

Just goes to prove that if you create an attractive space, people will turn up and spend.

[Earl Aelfheah]

It sounds like a great improvement all in all. I'm hoping to pop in over the weekend.

[DaveR]

I was also there last night. I didn't feel old, or at least not older than most of the people in there. And I'm definitely not young. Maybe I'm just in denial.

I like it - as with the CPT - Gt Exhibition conversion, taking out the central bar and opening up the room just works, somehow. If they can keep it half as full as it was last night it'll be a massive success.

[*Bob*]

Yes, there?s some hipster bric-a-brac, but behind it - there?s also a very nice and sympathetic refit. Nicely spaced tables, good acoustics, good vibe. Nowhere else around here has an outside space like it.

Great beer selection.

The menu looked overpriced-pub-grub-plus-bog-standard, which was initially slightly disappointing. But when the food arrived (not burgers FFS.. why are people so obsessed with burgers on here?!) it turned out to be a good deal more ambitious. One swallow does not etc etc - but if (IF!) they can keep that standard up, what they dished up to us would give a good many other places around here (restaurants included) a run for their money. Those who resent having to order a few side dishes with a main to fill-up will complain.

Jazz was not in operation at time of visiting.

Time for The Dreaded Herne to get its thumb out of its ass and realise some built-in potential.