Counting House, Bank  

NatWest really got it the wrong way round: the Counting House demonstrates just how much better suited a city cathedral is for drinking and dining than, in its previous guise, yet another bank. If you step inside this cavernous, soaring basilica and a "wow" doesn't form on your lips then you truly deserve a life as a bank clerk. From the colossal island bar to the huge glass domed roof at stratospheric levels, beautiful wood, brass and marble fittings abound - wherever the eye settles, it is magnificent. The pub absorbs regiments without excessive crush (even at Friday lunchtime) at stools and tables, in a collection of smaller rooms at the back, in the many dining tables running round the mezzanine. Fuller's classic beer range is of course available, but the smart, friendly and plentiful staff also have the pick of a dizzying range of other taps running up and down the bar counter to tempt you with. Food matches the overall standard too. Not just the eponymous pies - excellent though they are, other classic dishes are supported by the adventurous traditional such as corned beef hash or Welsh rarebit with a poached egg. We could stay here all day... err, we nearly did.

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