Tasty Fever!

Pub #29 was visited along with friends Matt and Jasmine, and new friend Jess (whom I haven’t seen since, but she was very nice, and if she’s reading this, hello!).  We had just done a volunteer stint as the SOAS FoodCycle group in Kentish Town, and after a morning of cooking and baking, it was time for the pub.

It was a lovely day in the waning moments of May (I’m a bit late in writing about this pub), and after a walk, Jasmine and Matt and I arrived at The Garden Gate in Hampstead.  Funny enough, I had been to the area once before, but hadn’t noticed that particular pub, although I did notice one up the road from it.  Anyway, we went in, and there was a large selection of different types of ales available.  I was spoilt for choice.

I was really tempted by the Adnams Stout, because a heavy, mellow beer quite appealed to me at the moment, but instead, I went for another choice: The Guzzler from York Brewery.  You can see the tap for it on the left, featuring some sort of goblin-like creature with an affinity for ale.  Here’s a better look at it:

So yeah, I went for the Guzzler then, and received my pint in one of the glass mugs that pints sometimes come in.  I’m a fan of these glass mugs, and would like to buy one at some point.  I’m sure I could probably nick one, really, but that really wouldn’t be nice, especially considering the plight of pubs and all.  Plus, my bag would just smell of ale afterward.  Which might not be so helpful when turning up to meetings or at work.

Matt, Jasmine, Jess and I had already eaten well earlier some of the food we had prepared with FoodCycle, so I didn’t really have a look at the menu on offer while we were there.  Having a look at their daily menu, though, one sees some regulars (burgers, fish & chips, sandwiches) and some rather impressive choices that lean towards the more upmarket range of pub food (duck breast, crab and wasabi cakes).  Whoa.  I love burgers, so if I were to have gotten something at The Garden Gate, it would probably have been the Lentil Burger at £8.00.  But no, my tummy was well-satiated, so I was content with the ale.  The pint had set me back £3.20.  I had a few sips of the Guzzler while waiting for Jasmine and Matt to order, and found the ale to be a very satisfying choice.  I snapped a quick photo of my pint in its awesome glass mug on a table in the pub’s interior, but considering that we were at The Garden Gate, and that it was a nice day, my friends opted to go out into the pub’s garden.

And what a garden it was.  There were a large number of tables available for people to soak up the rare London sun and to have a smoke or three at their respective tables.  The garden was actually quite busy–it seemed that everyone who was at The Garden Gate opted to sit outside rather than in, although I quite liked the interior of the establishment as well as the exterior.

Well, we sat outside for a while and had a chat until Jess showed up, and we sat around some more and talked more about things, as one does when at a pub.  Maybe perhaps from our lunch earlier, I was still a little full, and I wound up drinking my pint a bit too slowly.  The Guzzler, perhaps, may get its name as one may need to guzzle it–or at least not take tiny sips of it–to prevent from it getting too warm.  I didn’t care for it once it had been out in the otherwise meek May sun, and in the end, I didn’t finish my pint.  Shameful, I know.

All in all, though, a successful pub visit with wonderful people.  Jess is to be credited with the suggestion of The Garden Gate as the pub to go to post-FoodCycle volunteering, and it was an excellent choice.  Afterwards, Jasmine and I ambled further into Hampstead’s main high street area for Hungarian pastries from Louie’s, which was another excellent choice.

Hooray for Hampstead, everybody!