Wednesday 22 August 2007

Feeling Moved

Moving house, one of the three most stressful things you can do in life apparently so I'm currently panicking that I'm doing something wrong! Apart from the truly terrifying amounts of money fleeing from the bank account I'm relatively calm... which is actually now beginning to worry me - this could be a vicious circle!

Anyway, as the packing has commenced I have not only discovered beers I forgot I had, I've discovered some real doozies - a bottle of Thomas Hardy's and a presentation glass and bottle of Chimay Grand Reserve 2005, which I got when I was in Belgium.

I think perhaps this should be savoured as the moving in drink - and I suppose I'll have to share!

Anyway, the domestic abuse of my long suffering better half aside, the reason for this post is that I've heard a few comments floating around the place recently about the White Horse in Parson's Green, some of them negative.

Now for those of you who aren't aware of this beer mecca in the middle of sloane country it's been the benchmark for all things beer for a number of years, undoubtedly because former manager Mark Dorber carved out an impressive niche in a big pub company and ran the place like a freehouse - offering amazing beers and being incredibly knowledgeable about them all.

Now the new manager Dan, I'll admit, is a mate of mine BUT he is always quick to criticise my work so I'd be equally quick to criticise him if he wasn't doing a good job - but he is! He's doing an outstanding job.

The beers are all immaculately kept, the range has been maintained and his staff are just as well trained. For example, he put every single champion beer he could get his hands on during the week of the GBBF and not one of them that I sampled was in anything less than great condition (and I tried a few!).

What bugs me is that these people seem happy to damage the reputation of a great pub - yet if their bad-mouthing became financially damaging they'd be the first to scream if mainstream brands were put on the bar to make up the losses!

1 comment:

Stonch said...

I agree that Dan is doing a great job. He managed a pub that was local to me when I first moved to London, and wherever he's gone he's brought interesting real ales from micros with him. As such he's the perfect fit for the White Horse, a colossus on the London pub scene thanks to Mark Dorber.

I don't get down there often enough due to the location. If I could move the Sloaney Pony out of Fulham I would, but it is where it is!

To those who don't like certain elements of the clientele - get over it, bring your own party. After all, sloaney birds can be very fit and the blokes in pink rugby shirts are utterly harmless.