The Richmond Arms
55 Shepherd's Bush Road
London
W6 7LU
Stout has to retreat a few weeks for this entry. The Richmond Arms was a pre-Christmas visit that dulled the senses in the run up to even more festivity. Stout didn’t travel alone. He was one from a gang of three on this particular night, though the third member only joined once the shoes had come off. We didn’t really take them off in the Richmond. The term is simply an analogy to explain how settled we became having been warmed by the welcome of the staff.
“You are from Ireland yes?” Asked and then answered the barmaid once two pints were shouted.
“Yeah,” we replied in unison.
“I have been there once,” she continued after declaring her nationality as Polish. “To County Wexford and county Roscommon, yes? She answered again. “It is very beautiful there.”
She didn’t get to experience enough of Ireland she explained after the first pour. She was always in the car, looking out the window from windy roads at rocky walls…the Roscommon bit!
“But I learned something before I left Wexford,” she said. “How to pull a pint of Guinness, yes?”
“Well that was the least we could do,” came a voice further down the bar as a man turned his head to join the conversation.
“It was in Wexford,” continued the barmaid. “Everybody stayed on in the pub, yes?”
“There was a lock-in,” interrupted the man, who it later transpired was responsible for bringing said bar lady to the Model County.
“Yes, yes, a lock in,” she continued. “And the owner taught me how to pour the Guinness.”
And so went the conversation and all the while, the pints settled, the punters leaned to hear and then the drinks were topped up.
They stood proudly on the bar. There was a sharp finish certainly but still, the suggestion of a slight under-pour.
Stout squinted a look at the pint through one eye struggling to become a spirit level.
The barmaid squinted a look through two.
“You are happy yes?” she demanded more than asked.
“Eh, yeah,” we replied in unison.
She continued to watch for the first sup.
It tasted good, even if the experience has been enriched more through back-story than brilliant execution at the pump.
So buoyed by the hospitality and the easy ambience, we stayed and drank five more. Well, when a third member joins a round, you always have to go around twice.
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Verdict: Made in Poznan
The Pour: 4
The Taste:4
Appearance:3
Ambience: 4
Price: £3.40
Total: 15/20
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