London Fields, Hackney  

It's all change here at the London Fields. As we predicted not too long ago, the old genial, but grotty Irish pub was indeed on its last legs. Now run by the people who also run the nearby Cat and Mutton, the London Fields has been revamped as a thoroughly up-to-date Hackney gastroboozer. The once garish external colour scheme is now a far more sombre and sophisticated affair and it's much the same inside. There's Pedigree and Pride on the hand pumps, Weston's Old Rosie and a reasonable range of beers and lagers on the other pumps. The wine list is pretty typical for the genre, as is the food menu. The clientele is a mixed bunch - a few local geezers, who were probably regulars in the old pub, in to watch the footy on the telly and groups of trendy young Hackneyites, which obviously, this latest incarnation of the pub is aimed at. It's very early days for the new pub and it remains to be seen if the London Fields will match the rip-roaring success of its sister pub. If it does eventually match the uncomfortable, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of its neighbour, it will be a pity for us as it has the potential to be a classy, sophisticated spot. However, we feel this pub's location, rather on the periphery of London Fields, probably means that the braying hordes will prefer the sibling to this one.

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