Syllabub-like foam packed with fragrant hop oils gives way to the bright, sweet and sharp palate, and conversation fills in the gaps between mouthfuls of beer. Once more, our mugs of fresh Pilsner clunk together with the satisfyingly hefty sound of marble statues butting heads. This is more than table service, this is fresh pints on demand before you even ask for them, at Prague’s U Zlatého tygra (The Golden Tiger). Every now and again a tourist will enter and try to order at the bar, only to be told in Czech to ‘sit the f*** down’ (if, indeed, a seat is available).
He then returns to his place at the bar and starts pouring again. The server plonks down further pints wherever a glass is in danger of becoming empty, or rather, less than 1/4 full. The Duck & Rice, 90 Berwick Street, London W1F 0QB.Īnother pint of Pilsner lands on the table and another mark is made on our card. Suddenly, elegant Chinese food and pints of Czech Pilsner felt like the most normal thing in the world, as well as something quite special. Light, crispy batter-coated delights melted sweetly with gulps of Pilsner, like they had known each other for ages. Whilst upstairs is more restaurant-like, the focus here down in the bar area is just that, the bar, and food is focused on simple Chinese dishes and snacks to match with the beers.
The stacked, copper 500 litre tanks greet you like a steampunk bouncer as you enter, and beer was on top-notch form: the almost cask-ale-like mouthfeel, nourishing breadiness and spiky bitterness all present and correct. Still, the star on the bar was Tankovna Pilsner Urquell, freshly delivered from Pilsen. Pilsner were sponsoring the press launch night, so their beer was flowing freely, but the bar also has an impressive variety of other cask, keg and a (rapidly growing) list of bottled beers from the leading lights of the beer industry. The reason I was here of course, was the beer.
PILSNER URQUELL GAME 2 FULL
There’s a very Hong-Kong-in-the-Empire kind of aesthetic: lavish colonial decor, striking marble, blues and pearl colours, art deco painted glass, reminiscent of a bar at the edge of the world and full of its riches. I couldn’t quite place the theme of the decor, but I heard somebody say ‘Park Chinois’. The area has been worn down by its reputation into a bit of a parody of itself, but in doing so provides a number of unusual and striking venues, of which The Duck & Rice is undoubtedly one. In what is seen as a dramatic departure, the OBE and restaurateur has given equal focus to beer as well as food at his latest venture – a ‘Chinese-influenced gastropub’ in Soho.
A new photo-blog series, taking in the most interesting bars and pubs in London and beyond.Īlan Yau (founder of the Wagamama chain and owner of several Michelin Star-awarded restaurants) is one the last people you might expect to get in the pub game.
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