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The Drafthouse, Battersea, nice pub

My lovely wife was off to see some friends so I had sole charge of Baby G. He is now very much the toddler about town so needs a bit more in the way of distraction. We ended up at Battersea Park which was great fun. It’s a lot quieter than Holland Park and Kensington Gardens up near us but seems to have a lot more going on. So after a fairly fun packed few hours which involved going on a toy train, jumping around in the adventure playground and taking a pedalo out on the boating lake, we set off to find some lunch. Obviously this was after we had shared an ice cream (with chocolate flake). I’ve never eaten around Battersea so we had a wander around until we happened upon the Drafthouse on Battersea Bridge Road. The pub on this site has always looked inviting especially when stuck on endless traffic jams to get over Battersea Bridge. I was a bit unsure about taking Baby G in but he actually pulled me in. It was quite quiet inside as most punters were enjoying the sun outside but the staff were very welcoming and we got a table. Baby G loudly requested an apple joice whilst I had a nice craft pale Ale.

Despite being on a busy road the site does well with it’s space. There is outside shaded seating, a large central bar inside with the open kitchen to one side (I love an open kitchen). It also has another room over to one side. There was a TV up on the wall showing athletics and some nice music on in the background. Father and son felt very happy and comfortable. I was keen to try the food here as I had enjoyed my visit to their Charlotte St outpost and had rued our decision to not eat there instead of getting rinsed for over a hundred quid at Bubbledogs. They have a limited kids menu (burger & chips or fish & chips) but lots of good stuff for big kids like me. I went for the pulled pork bun with red cabbage coleslaw, burger and chips for the little one and a side of mac’n’cheese in case he didn’t want the burger. I shouldn’t have worried, he loved his burger. It was a proper one without the distraction of cheese. The patty had plenty of seasoning and onion in it which made it very tasty which he loved. The skinny skin on chips were also very good. My pulled pork was lovely, succulent and moreish with a bit of a kick to the sauce. I’m not too fussed on coleslaw but this was nice creamy and fresh tasting. The mac’n’cheese was also very tasty, baby G wasn’t interested so I had that to myself.

It really capped off a lovely day for us. The staff were very friendly and even kept an eye on our stuff during a visit to the toilets. The bill came to £26 for the two of us and that is great value. It’s a place I am very keen to come back to as it is a great option for a post park pint and lunch. The Draft House have got a nice little chain developing and if they keep their offer of drink, food and service as high as this then they deserve to do really well. It’s well worth a visit.

Monday, July 29, 2013
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9

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