Acton Arms - Review of sister pub
Yesterday we spent most of the day at another pub that has just been taken over by the Antic group: The Catford Bridge Tavern.I'd never been to Catford before and i always imagined that it wasn't very pretty. I was right. The pub itself is located on a very busy road and looked a bit run down from the outside so i wasn't expecting much.It was quite empty inside but the staff greeted us with massive friendly smiles and a big hello, which was really nice.Decor wise it's kind of what you would expect, stripped floors, Farrow and Ball colours etc.In the dining room they had gone for the look of a 1950's school room. The chairs were mostly fashionably mismatched and most of them were clearly from schools or colleges or libraries as they had those sections on the back where you can put books and papers.It wasn't a slick makeover but I have to say though that it was very charming. There was also a bit of a jubilee theme going on with handmade papercut bunting here and there.The Menu was short, with a focus on roasts, (including a veggie version that we had ) they also had some nice sounding salads and another Veggie special.This seemed like a Sunday menu so I expect that the menu is different on other days. The wine menu was quite short, but that wasn't really a problem - we had a Rosé which was a good price and was nice enough.They have a bit more of a focus on beer and Ciders and had a separate menu for this. I'm not a beer drinker so I have no idea if it was a good list.The staff are very much what makes this place work. They were friendly and helpful, knew the menu and drinks well and they really pitched the service just right.We were with a friend who now lives and the area and who has also been to the Redback in the past. He reckons that the Catford pub was much worse that the Redback.It used to be a pretty terrifying place apparently. As if to demonstrate that a local problem drinker came in and started causing a real scene. It was really quite scary but the staff ( mostly very young ladies ) dealt with it really well and managed to usher him out after a while.i suspect that the staff at the Acton Arms will have similar problems to deal with.On to the food. As i mentioned we had the veggie roast which consisted of a mushroom tart and all the usual sunday roast trimmings. I must say it was great.All the dishes ordered by our table got a thumbs up and they were all presented nicely.All in all I was very impressed.Antic who own the pub have two other places really close to this. Our friends have been to them all and they rate all of them.Hopefully if the Acton Arms succeeds, Antic will expand to the wider Area.Given the similarities between the Catford Bridge tavern and Redback, i think that we are in safe hands. : )
Jamie James ● 5224d35 Comments