The Spice Of Life, W1

Published on 16 May 2005 in , , ,

In the never ending quest to review pubs that sell Mild, Sunday saw Catherine and myself in The Spice of Life in Soho.

Owned by Hertfordshire brewer McMullen, the main reason for this pub getting a listing is that McMullen is one of the few London brewers to still brew a mild, in the form of AK – although the pump clip hasn’t described AK as a mild for many a year and it’s generally known now as a session bitter.

So enough of the beer and onto the pub. Located at Cambridge Circus in London, The Spice Of Life is a pretty bog standard, slightly trendy looking pub in the centre of London. All plain walls painted in beige and newish looking seats. Pretty bland and boring actually.

That said we sat in the small basement which was quieter than the larger ground floor bar, listening to Led Zeppelin which can’t be a bad thing. That was until the Karaoke folders started going out, and the hoards of Nathan Barley lookalikes started slowly filling the place. Flat caps and pencil thin beards? No thanks. Thankfully it’s only in the cellar that the travesty that is karaoke takes place, meaning if we’d wanted to, we could have escaped upstairs to relative tranquillity.

But what was ultimately noticeable was that if it wasn’t for the mild and the karaoke, this would be an instantly forgettable pub. Competent (the beer was fine) but bland. Indeed, on the top list of interesting and exciting pubs to visit, an All Bar One is probably above it – and that’s saying something.

Rating:
1 out of 5
Address:
6 Moor St, Cambridge Circus, London W1D 5NA
Website:
http://www.spiceoflifesoho.com/
Beers On Handpull During Visit:
McMullens AK, McMullens County Bitter. There was a third handpull in the main bar, which appeared to be a guest. However at the time of visit, the pump clip was turned round.