The New Old Dairy

poxy

Would this be 'Nicky Wales'? If so, I've got spam too.

Mike from London

My gripe with the Old Dairy is that last time I darkened its door they served short measure pints. That was six months ago. Maybe they still do. Most galling of all, when I politely pointed this out the barmaid sneered and said 'That's how I've been told to do it by the manager!' But it's illegal! And it was insulting. Had half a mind to call up Trading Standards then and there. Not been in since.

Has anyone else experienced this?

matt

Not sure Poxy, I only noticed user Old Dairy asking to be my friend I refuse to do so, of course, because I think the place is shit

damok

mike - not true about the managment sanctioning of short measures, just that beer is to be served with a decent head... i am the manager. if you'd like to have it topped up to the brim it isn't a problem at all, we're happy to do so. nothing snide is going on although more conspiricy theories are welcome.

matt... thanks for the insightfull review

matt

hi damok sorry if the sounded mean, i've not been for a while - def not since last april - so I'm happy to reserve my new judgement until next time. past experiences were bad, generally due to slow service I'm a nice guy, honest.

Mills

Oh and damok, I popped in for a drink on my own yesterday. Had my laptop with me but your wi-fi was down so I'm afraid I went home with my glass of wine. Apols - I shall return the glass tomorrow!

Mia

I use to love the Old Dairy - I still do to a certain extent but it's become amazingly expensive.
I can't afford to eat there anymore, it is cheaper to walk over the hill into crouch end and get pub food from there.
Also, I visited a couple of times over the Xmas holidays and on both occasions the conditions inside the pub were arctic, my friends and I had to leave in the end because it was so cold.

Saying that, the Old Dairy is a wonderful pub... if you earn a small fortune, which unfortunately I certainly don't.

Reg

I O-D'd on Sunday afternoon. Having cooked Sunday roast at home for friends we de-camped to the Old Dairy for desserts, more drink and to watch the football. The desserts (sticky toffee thing and a blueberry thing) were awesome, as was the service.

Everyone there seemed to be equally content and our friends left much impressed with N4.

Good stuff.

David

We were in there briefly last night, never has the service been so quick. Have you had a word damok? I'm reticent to believe coincidence. Anyhow, all good, didn't eat but menu's look good, will be trying it out. damok, this is the waiter that wouldn't [give us more butter](http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/841/in-the-wrong-job/) many moons ago: 

Chapter none

I had lunch there yesterday and the food was great. Sausage and Mash was lovely (could do with a larger portion ans perhaps some peas or any sort of veg). For me the prices need to come down slightly or just make the portions bigger...

My house has been in there a few times for Sunday lunch, why does it need to be stacked up? Can it not just be spread out on the plate and covered in gravy??? We have always left saying "it could have been bigger, why am I still hungry?" and stopping in to Black sea BBQ for a cheeseburger...

Other than that I quite like some of the staff, the ones who are smiley and chatty, the rest are a bit depressing. Price wise it's a little over the top for what it is but at least it's not the Larrick. FFB is still by far and away the best pub in the area...

Ewan

I think the staff are mostly really nice in there. If anything it has become my pub of choice in recent months. Followed by the noble. (I used to love the Larrick 3 years ago but only go there now if there is a big crowd of us.

I had a sunday roast a few weeks ago. I thought it was very good. However £14 is too expensive. There are pubs and restaurants on upper street doing mains for cheaper than that. However people still seem to be buying them as they were very popular.

tosscat

I heard some talk about a new quiz night in the Dairy. Any details anyone?

David

Noticed this while in there with another SG.org member, but we decided I should post it as I'm already barred. Anyone think this is vaguely reminiscent of something?  Don't bar me for life damok, I am after all still posting your newsletter and think the BYO idea is a great one. Are you also willing to chill white like a typical BYO would?

mapsa

A new quiz at the Dairy? What night would this be on?

Damok - If you don't mind hearing the words "And next is our regular free jazz round", I've always fancied having a go at running a music quiz...

injoke

i miss the old old dairy pub quiz, i happened upon the chap who used to run it in a pub in primrose hill last night and from what i can gather he feels he was treated rather shabbily by the old dairy management - whether that's the current management or not i don't know.

i never won the thing mind, it always seemed to be neil young week, or UB40 week etc..

Chapter none

I could do a pop-punktastic round "the early years" mainly centering around bands from Boston and others called Screeching Weasel...

andy

My round would be "Giants of Cinema: The films of Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase". We once came second (or we might have won, I forget) the famous Prince of Wales quiz in Highgate. This was mostly due to there being a round on the Stone Roses.

David

I've never had the commitment to last an entire pub quiz, last time I went to one I think my sole input was _"burette"_.

unaesthetic

a kind of mexican food used in chemistry experiments?

Chapter none

@ Andy Good going that's notoriously one of the hardest quizzes in North London. It's had many a cocky journo writing a sad sad story after their abysmal attempt.

andy

True, but questions like "what was the single released by the Stone Roses doesn't appear on the first album", "who produced the first stone roses album" and "where in 1990 did they perform their biggest gig" and we were home dry.

graeme

Did you fight over So Young, Sally Cinnamon or Elephant Stone?

Met Jay Aston from Gene Loves Jezebel a while ago, and he was adamant that Leckie made Reni use GLJ drum samples on triggers for the album.

David

I stopped buying their 12" releases when I realised the b-side was _always_ the a-side played backwards.

damok

thank you for all your comments... don't know where to start first!

david... pompous italian waiter was 'relocated' to the oxford in kentish town - we now have some very friendly peoplpe working in the dining room who would be only too glad to replenish your butter. also the 'neither finsbury park nor crouch end' strap line - maybe it was subconcious plagiarism, i genuinely thought that i was being original!! bring your own bottle - we will chill your wine, but its best if you bring it cold as it takes 20 minutes or so to cool it down.

tosscat, mapsa, andy etc...... yes we're after a new quiz master(s), thought of perhaps running a quiz idol style competition to find the best quizmaster in n4. or else spread the love and have different ones each week??? genuinely would like some people to come forward and make themselves known if they're up for it. i'd like to do it on monday nights to avoid the champions league (we show both matches here on each night - shameless plug - sorry).

steve our old quiz master wasn't shabbily treated but its safe to say it wasn't working out between us, i'm sure his version of events paint us (or me) in a bad light, he's has a very dour 'the whole worlds against me' personna, i'll leave it at that if i may.

chapter none... our sunday lunches are evolving, the roasts aren't stacked up any more (the beef is still £14.50 whch is the most expensive item on the menu... roast chicken is £12.50 btw), we have a new head chef, as i've mentioned before, and now we have just taken on a new sous chef (who learnt his trade as a pastry chef so expect lots more amazing puddings and desserts) so there will be a change for good on both sundays and the rest of our menus. we've stopped doing the tapas style dishes on the pub menu and now its a lot more pub-like (the prices are on the high side, but i'm getting the guys to up the portions if appropriate) - on the whole i don't think its too expensive, there are cheaper places out there just as there are lots more expensive... rib eye steak and chip at £14.50 is usually the dearest dish we sell and thats not over the top compared to other pubs around here (not including weatherspoons!!).

oh, one final comment... i had neil morrissey in the pub the other day (soudnd like a black cab driver), he was talking to me about his beer being the official comic relief brew, 7p in every pint goes to comic relief. needless to say i promised to stock it and so we will endeavor to sell hs morrissey blonde ale for the next fortnight! do your bit for charity and have a few pints at the dairy!!

mapsa

The Morrisey Blonde is actually very drinkable, although I feel like a twat when ordering it.

andy

@optimo75 - it was a more specifically written question than mine , (something like "the one released betweeen Stone Roses and Second Coming but not on either album") because the answer, as any fule kno, was Fools Gold. Good Reni fact too. I was reading that when he left, they stopped doing a bunch of the classics live because the drumming was too hard. @damok - Matt is your quizmaster, as long as you can take a fair number of Mario Kart questions.

andy

Also, look at this: <http://www.johnsquire.com/>; this is the sort of person you hope that rock stars evolve into, rather than pantomime versions of themselves camping it up at the O2.

David

The drumming was too hard? It was rhythmic and demanding at times granted but they couldn't find a session drummer or something? John Squire was always the cool one, that solo stuff didn't quite work though did it?

andy

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fools_Gold/What_the_World_Is_Waiting_For>; *After Reni left the band in 1995, "Fools Gold" was essentially retired from the live set, since replacement Robbie Maddix could not emulate Reni's complex drumming loops.* I don't make this stuff up... ...people on wikipedia do.

Glyn

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