The Orange Public House & Hotel (ex Orange Brewery), Belgravia  

A quick quiz question to start: when is a pub not a pub? When it's run by Cubitt House, the people behind the nearby Thomas Cubitt and Pantechnicon. It's called a public house and it sells beer, but that's where the similarities end. Once a vaguely gloomy local's pub in an otherwise well-heeled area, it has certainly taken an upmarket turn. Now there is the mere essence of pub - an eau de pub if you will. The look is simultaneously warm yet light - the weatherworn feel works well and the real fire at the back was crackling away on our visit. Superficially, the left hand side looks like the pub area, while the separate right-hand room is devoted to eating. However all but three tables in the bar were laid out with cutlery and with those occupied we felt somewhat awkward propped up at the bar. Public houses aren't supposed to make you feel like that. The "impressive selection of guest ales" was actually a solitary Deuchar's, with the two other pumps unused. Meanwhile, the wine list was pretty good, rising from £16 upwards, while the main courses cost between £10 and £16. We're certainly grateful that this old pub wasn't converted into apartments and people who like this kind of non-pub will adore it here. However, for us there are a number of excellent pubs only a few minutes away that are considerably more relaxing places to drink.

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