N4 PUB

Colette

Right, well I'm off on holiday very soon, but promise to go and eat at the Dairy when I get back. Hang on to that chef for another few weeks... and I'll report back!

tosscat

I think the service in the Fullback is good for a pub like that - they generally serve in turn and they look for people to serve. They keep on top of the glasses front and the food service is quick and efficient. And they have glasses in the fridge.

David

I'll defend the service at the Fullback too. Sometimes you have to wait but only when its ridiculously busy. The food is crap there but then again when you've managed to get a seat for an important game and need to line the stomach, the Pad Thai has been known to save me.

Mills

I don't mind the Dairy in terms of comfy seats if I am on my own and have my laptop (although the wifi is very intermittent) and I was very impressed with their opening on SNOWMAGEDDON day, but yes, it's Noble for friendliness and (pricey but good) food as I think the Diary is very overpriced for the quality.

andy

We ate there the other week and I thought the food (and the wine) was much improved and not unreasonably priced for the quality.

Mills

To be fair it's been a while. Myself and Poxy's missus went for lunch on the day Obama was elected in November and had a woefully overpriced sharing platter.

I do like it for sitting on my own afternoon drinking. Like the lush I am.

emine

Hi damok, I love the Dairy. Yes, service can be a bit patchy but none of the staff have ever actually been rude to me. I have never eaten there, mainly I suppose because I thought it was overpriced and whenever I've seen a menu, the veggie options were really quite rubbish. Also, I seem to have a £10 meal price ceiling in my head for this area, probably because you can get such an ace feed at Petek, Papagones/Porchetta and Dotori. But if the quality is good then I'll give it a go. (More imaginative vegetarian dishes though please!)

My only criticism is that everything seems a little overpriced - from memory, a pint costs more than elsewhere here, an (admittedly posh) packet of crisps is £1, bowl of chips £3.50... But I am a bit of a miser. Gripe over. The Dairy is my favourite pub in the area.

charis

I must say I've never personally had problems with the staff- in fact they've generally been rather nice and helpful- much better than before it was taken over, when the staff were almost hilariously bad/ rude.

The one thing that I really, REALLY miss is the difference in the sunday pub lunch. I know it's not terribly fashionable, and definately not cool, but on a sunday the roast used to be a veritable feast of pork and crackling (my choice), all the trimmings, and the crowning feature- an enormous yorkshire pudd, with loads of gravy. The ones on show now, are nice, and fine- but not a patch on the huge carb fest that was the previous sunday roast.

Actually I think I'm just wanting enormous yorkshire puds and gravy back. Can that happen?? Please?

Fin

I popped into The N4 last night.

Very nice decor, really terrible furniture, massive globe-spanning menu (Mexican, N American, British, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, plus sandwiches & jacket spuds etc...it's virtually every other restaurant in Finsbury Park combined!), no draught bitter on tap (only guiness & lager). Still not sure about the screen which last night was playing MTV.

An improvement on previous incarnations, but the decor-furniture clash and huge menu reiterate my previous comment that it appears a bit confused.

mapsa

No bitter on tap? I retract my previous commitment to visit this weekend. Despite apparently being confused as to what their target market is, they've clearly decided it isn't me.

Maybe I should give the Dairy another try instead. Hmmmmm.

Fin

Nor me, it's one for the lager boyz....

immmy

I really like the idea of the Dairy, but I can't justify spending over three quid for a pint. Addlestones is a nice cider, but at the White Lion (which I do deep down hate) they have several nice ciders all for around £2.50.

Sadly N4 doesn't sound like it's worth the trip, either. My boyfriend will only drink cask ales, and whilst I will settle for a Strongbow, it's just not the same.

Bernie

Have to say, I was in the Dairy a couple of weeks ago and the staff were really friendly. And responsive. Don't know if Damok did something to them but no complaints from me. I hadn't been in a while and I was really pleasantly surprised and would return. Thought the food was good and priced right. I'm looking for somewhere that stays open a bit later than 11 on Sat nights nearby for drinks, decent (varied) music and relaxed atmosphere. Suggestions welcome..

unaesthetic

big red, holloway road?

Bernie

Thanks for reminding me about that place. Never been but may try. Is it all metal on the jukebox though? A little bit's ok..

rainbow_carnage

@Bernie - A bit of metal, lots of rock, some country (Johnny Cash, not Garth Brooks).

injoke

my favourite pub around here is without doubt the nicholas nickelby, it's like going back in time to the great plague - but with bar billiards.

Bernie

Anyone been to The Hideaway on Junction Rd? I've been one and it was ok.. It's there or The Big Red I think.

staplejack

The Nick is an institution (hello, by the way. I'm new. But not to SG). When they got clobbered a few years ago for running a dodgy Sky connection I thought it might go under, resulting as it did in regular screenings of CSI and Columbo on C5. But somehow that just made it all the better, and you can't knock the bar billiards & darts.

Having said, it should be noted that the Theakstons in the Dairy last night was particularly fine ...

slats

Darts??? where is this place?

injoke

it's opposite the londis at the very southern end of ferme park road, make sure you're up to date with your injections.

tosscat

dear me slats, sg isn't just sgr you know

slats

apologies, my pub knowledge is a bit blinkered by living right next to the fullback..

injoke

i struggle to come up with good reasons to go anywhere but the fullback, mrs injoke on the other hand..

injoke

not that she prefers the nicholas nickelby.

are women actually allowed in there staplejack? :O)

graeme

Remember to bring your three toddlers and their bikes and leave your rollers in if you intend to spend the evening at the Nick. Is a weird old place.

Bernie

@optimo75 Thanks for the tip. You paint a good picture. They were all signing loudly when I passed the other evening. The Specials I think. There's always a whiff of menace but I shouldn't knock it until I try it.

tosscat

Signing loudly? Are they deaf?

Bernie

Blimey, you have to be quick on here. Was about to edit that. Yes, yes, signing loudly. Like they do in The Angel on City road, near my work, and the RNID.

unaesthetic

i once caught the last tube from hyde park corner (indeed, i frequently do) to be confronted with a large gang of yoofs, all hoodied up and so on, shoving each other around and generally acting in an aggressive yoof way. the situation quite quickly turned into a brawl on the train, with heads being shoved into the walls, punching and kicking and all the usual. what made this notable was that all the kids were deaf and were signing aggressively at each other in between the bouts of violence. it was a really freaky sight, and probably the quietest brawl i've ever seen...