The Station House, Holland Park  

That Oscar Wilde line about only superficial people not judging by appearances definitely comes into play here. While we'd like to be proved wrong, pretty much all the other boozers in the vicinity look as though they may be dire, inhospitable, hellholes. Whereas this pub, the old tube station building, looks like the sort of place that sells continental lagers at above-average prices and modern cuisine at well above average prices, flavoured with a sprinkling of pretension and general self-absorption. Sure enough, it is and it does, it's a pretty standard by-the-numbers gastropub, but with only one room and poor acoustics it can quickly get pretty noisy in here. There are fewer sofas than one might expect in such a venue, although daily newspapers of various sizes and styles are provided. The Station has a hidden extra of some worth though: a smashing beer garden with seats both in the open air and in shelters. You may be disturbed by trains passing overhead every few minutes, but given the Hammersmith & City line's propensity for delays, you usually get respite for longer than that. Anyway, the garden won us over on our last visit, so we've nudged this one up to a 3-pinter.

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