Bull & Last, Kentish Town  

The Bull and Last is situated in a bit of a quietly prosperous no-mans land, north of Kentish Town, south of Highgate. Still, its proximity to Parliament Hill means it's worth a popping on for a post-stroll pint. Although, if given the choice, we'd rather walk a little further to the Dartmouth Arms. Visits are typified by a general lack of good grace and manners - from the barman who just about managed to greet us with a "yeah?", to the group of scrabble players who blocked the pathway to the toilets, being just two examples. The decor is fine; it was once an ornate Victorian boozer, but we know it was eviscerated a fair few years ago now and is nowadays pretty stripped out. This isn't necessarily a problem, but the mass of young flatsharers and spoilt teenagers with a propensity to add the word "like" every third word were so loud - and the wooden furniture so unable to absorb their din - that staying indoors verged on stressful. It's a shame because we might have otherwise been tempted by the Wood Pigeon (priced at £13.50) while we enjoyed our Hook Norton ale. Still it's a perpetually popular pub so they must be doing something right, however it's just not our favourite place in NW5.

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