The New Old Dairy

David

[Indeed it is](http://www.stroudgreen.org/search.php?PostBackAction=Search&Keywords='meh'&Type=Comments&btnSubmit=Search)

tosscat

We were in the Dairy on Friday night chatting to the new manager.
He was adamant that it was not a gastropub and when asked how to justify a £3 price tag for a side of chips said it was because they are handcut.
Exciting stuff.

David

That'll explain the Staropramen being £3.30 then, they pick up a glass and _hand_ pour the beer into it. I work in Covent Garden and it's £3.30 for the same pint in a rip off pub in the middle of the area. A marked up pint in a place with such high ground rent is at least understandable, but the top of SGR? hmmm.

Philistine'sMonster

Shocking. I popped in when it first opened and asked for a Guinness: BFFFLLLAAK! £3.20?! In Stouders! Good grief, woman, that's 2012 prices!... That said, I've returned a few times and, having sucessfully navigated the labyrinth of tables -- it's so bloomin' dark in there I nearly lost a kneecap -- I sat and spent a nice half-hour ruining my eyesight as I tried to read the newspaper. I thought their steak and kidney pie was nice but done up all posh like.

I think they've upped prices in a Basil Fawltyish attempt to attract a "better class of clientelle" (not me, then). Which is probably a bit snobby of them, but it strikes me as the kind of place to sit with your other half and demolish a half-decent bottle of wine (can't afford a full decent bottle). I prefer to take my daily Guinnesses at Chapter One where the prices are still the right side of 3 quid, and you get to talk to people like good old Mr. Patel the newsagent. He's great. The Harringey, in my opinion, is the best proper boozer, but it's over the hill in Crouchers, curse them!

Emma

I only went in Chapter One once - they had bangin' house on in the middle of the day (is 'bangin' house' even a genre??) so I walked straight out again. I should try it again then, should I?

Steering clear of the Old Dairy after hearing from friends about the astonishing price hikes...

Philistine'sMonster

Emma, if Bangin' House isn' a genre, then it jolly well should be. But in the middle of the day?... Hmmm... I expect that was Linda who usually works the afternoon shift. She must've been bored. :) There usually is music of some kind in the afternoon but it can vary. They seemed to play The Corrs continuously about a year ago so make of that what you will...

As for trying The Chapter, I suppose it depends on what kind of thing you like. It's not really a "pub" pub. DJ Toto on Friday is amusing. His "mixing" skills are unique.

Speaking of music, does anyone find the Fullback has a similar problem or are soft rock videos played on a continuous loop all the rage these days? If I see that Killers video again one more time I'm afraid I'm going to have to call the police.

David

I invariably have to endure Madonna's back catalogue when I go to the fullback. Only been to Chapter One once, and was too drunk to know whether they were actually playing any music be it loud or not. It's funny we've got an abundance of pub styles really but wherever I've lived, after a while I always feel there's room for one more.

andy

I'm loving "2012 prices". Are we being forced to pay an Olympic premium - £3.30 for a pint because some grotty corner of Stratford is hosting a fortnight of poorly disguised steroid abuse?

Four Eyes

Went to the New Old Dairy for the first time on Saturday. Nice atmosphere and good service. I appreciate Heineken on draught but definitely the wrong side of 3 quid as you guys above point out. Fed up of the surly staff in the Fullback after I walked out when they wouldn't stop fiddling with i-Tunes for 10 minutes and ignored me at the bar waiting to be served. Plus that stupid eejit with dreadlocks who is obliged to stomp his feet and bang his fist on the bar really gets on my nerves.

Ewan

I spent the lion's share of St Patricks day in the Old Dairy to give it a proper test run. I had monkfish which was nice. but they spent so long putting everything on the plate in a big trendy pile that it wasn't hot by the time it reached me. not good seeing as the price had indeed travelled back in time from 2012!

Also I was asked to refrain from using the gents in the dinning area (even though no one was eating there) and had to use the new nearly invisible gents in the pub bit.

Otherwise I quite like it in there. would defo say it was more of an evening venue due to the darkness.

Chapter One is a lot of fun and it can vary from the very very quiet with candles on tables etc to crazy party place. I think it is the most interesting drinking place around here but it definately helps to be drunk before arriving if you go on a weekend evening.

andy

Some entertaining reviews of the refurb http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/comments.shtml/1800/ *Bottle of Magners and a diet coke? £7.20. WTF?! You're at the bottom of a hill in FINSBURY PARK, not Park Lane.*

tosscat

Did we all see this? (Second one down)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/food/story/0,,2040367,00.html

matt

I'd had bad experiences of before the refit, so used it as an opportunity to give it another try.

What a waste of time. We waited 45 minutes for food, complaining twice along the way. After that, we had to go so I asked for a refund. I was asked what I ordered and given a cash refund, no questions asked, and they still couldn't tell me where the food was. In all that time, I only saw one other person eating.

andy

i had a cottage pie off the bar menu last night. £7. very good and came with cabbage, though possibly a teeny-tiny bit smaller than i would have hoped. Also, probably the first time in three or four years that i have eaten cabbage.

nonetheless, thumbs up.

service was good and fast enough, so no complaints from me. they do seem to be filling the place up though, which is impressive.

matt

I'm thinking they've sacked the chef from when I was there three weeks ago?

andy

I must take back the accusation that the New Old Dairy is expensive. I've just got back from Dorset, where it is 1973 and the restaurants have "Vegetarian Kiev" on the menu for £9.50.

A decent pub doing food with a nice short local menu would clean up. (Not entirely unlike the old dairy)

Colette

Went there the other night. It does actually look quite nice in there now, I think - quite atmospheric in the evening, and the music wasn't too loud (I'm such an old lady these days...). Having said that, we also had to wait *ages* for our food (about 45mns), and although it was quite good once it turned up, I'm not convinced it was worth the wait (or the money). I could have walked to St John's in Archway in that time - now that place is always worth the money.

matt

I really need to go to St Johns soon.

I added that to the map last week, it's worth going out of your way for it.

Colette

And you can get almost all the way on the 210

tosscat

I do like St John's, but again it's not all that for our vegetarian friends.

Colette

Oh I don't know about that, my boyfriend's a veggie and he's always been very happy there (and is notoriously fussy) - there's usually more than one option too, which is unusual.

David

That 210 route is sslllooowww. Turns a 15 minute walk into a 20 minute bus ride.

David

matt, we asked the other day when in there - they didn't sack the Chef, but as they were about to open the Chef's father died and he went back to Australia for three weeks. So there was c. a month of a makeshift kitchen until he returned.

matt

We went in last night and had heard nothing but good things about the food. The bar staff were still avoiding serving people, though!

I'm slowly coming round.

David

Service can be slow though my impression was that it was the kitchen that was slow not the serving stuff. That doesn't really explain slow bar service though.

matt

I walked up to one end of the bar, she looked at me from the other end, picked up the remote and went to change TV channels. On her return, she went straight into the "staff room" or whatever the little cupboard they have at the TV end of the bar. I had to walk the whole length of the bar and introduce myself with a "hello" before somebody served me.

In their defence it wasn't busy and there were only two bar staff. But still.

tosscat

I've had one of the staff roll their eyes at me before - not something I'm led to expect really.

David

Maybe you both just have really content expressions. Practice pained thirsty looks, they may respond quicker.

lucky

been there a couple of times, not really impressed. over priced beers, food was rubbish and very small though it was the lunch menu but what a beautiful building. maybe a bit too big though we were the only ones sitting in the main room and there was no atmosphere at all.

40 minute wait for a ploughmans??????????

matt

Getting "Facebook spam" from the Old Dairy. I've clicked "ignore" twice so far!