My 2 Pints
A lot of pubs claim to be brown. Well no they don't, but a lot of pubs decorate and put out the impression that they are pubs, when actually inside it's all sofas and Fruli. Not so when entering a Sam Smiths pub. The John Snow, The Fitzrovia and now The White Horse, Sam Smiths have proven to be something of a stargate for me since moving to London. Their placement in all the central areas of the capital combined with the fact they look like any Nottinghamshire based pub and the prices are about the same has helped me ease in to life down here.
And if we're talking brown pubs then the new champion has got to be The White Horse. Located just down the road from possibly the seediest street in the whole of Soho, The White Horse shouldn't really exist. It's like Count Duckula's castle. Transported from rural Underwood to bustling Soho via some arcane magic. In amongst the neon sleaze it sticks out like a pimp cane. It's got everything you'd expect. Cheap beer [Sam Smith's own brewed so don't expect Fosters or John Smiths], bar stools and depressed old men at one end of the bar wearing faded denim jackets and reading the paper. The only real concession it's been willing to make to the present is that the barman is Polish.
Since this is a "real" pub, there's no food beyond the honest barsnack, which seems to exist quite nicely without the intrusion of handbaked Estonian kettle chips or Nobby's Nuts. Asking for a packet of Dry Roasted won't get you sneered at by anyone. You might win some respect. The people inside are also the typical bunch. Not much in the way of tourists or London art-fags, The White Horse seems to cater largely to people who have lost their way and somehow ended up in Soho, seeking shelter in the familiar. The toilets are truly awful but then they all are, and the outside smoking area is free of heaters or seating, like God intended.
Essentially if you're after going to the pub to sit and drink and not much else then rock The White Horse. Beware depression though.
BEER SELECTION: Same Sam Smiths brewery action as all the pubs carrying his name. Luckily he makes about 9. ***
COST OF A ROUND: Between two people, under a fiver. ****
STAFF: Just the one guy, but he doesn't mess about with chitchat. ***
FOOD: Nuts. Crisps. Done. **
SKIRT RATIO: The odd Busman's wife and bewildered tourist. *
Overall: Pubs like the olden days. ***
The White Horse - Leicester Sq - Brought to you by Gazz Wood -