The Londoner, reopened

[thonglorjimmy]

I'm told The Londoner has finally opened its doors at their new location on Phatthanakan Road, has anybody been there yet?

 

 

[blackcab]

Yes. It's very pleasant. Loads of parking.

 

Not sure if they brew beer on the premises anymore. I didn't see any but that doesn't count for much these days.

 

I've attached the menu.

Edited September 25, 2016 by blackcab

[wordchild]

miles away! shame they couldn't find a more central location, I used to enjoy the odd night in the old place.  

[theoldgit]

We actually went there last night and I agree with blackcab that it's very pleasant, we had a nice meal washed down with a few pints.

They don't seem to be fully open yet but as well as the ground floor pub there's a Bistro upstairs and a rooftop bar.

No they don't do their own beer yet, but we were told that they are in the process of testing all the equipment and will be doing so shortly. In fact the toilets are outside, and you pass the beer tanks on the way.

I don't think it has the ambience of the old place, but maybe in time it will have, the staff are friendly enough.

I do agree that it's a bit out of the way, not far as the crow flies for me, but a very busy road which requires a U-turn a fair way up the Pattanakarn Road, if coming from Petchaburi, so not really the sort of location that you might just drop in to, there's also a new Tenderloins almost next door. 

[Deserted]

Never rated the old place that much. Always seemed over priced and lacking in atmosphere. hard to believe a relocation out of the city could improve matters.

[Lamkyong]

expect to hear all about it from the cockney vlogger Kev in Thailand  and his new gang

[Rinrada]

Had a wander down to the new Londoner on Friday night and first Impression was very good.

Location is a bit of a walk ...from anywhere....but with happy hour to 8-00pm made it in time for a couple of pints at 100 Bt a throw.

Smart setup ...not like the "old barn" at 33..Big "sports bar" type TVs all over the place and pretty busy.Customers appeared mostly well to do local Thais (assume) with lots of interesting looking food being served up. Good luck to them...

[chilli42]

It's a 5 minute drive from my house.  Plenty of expats in this area but most are families.  They will have to get the well to do Thai's to give their custom or it will suffer the way that Tenderloins is (which is next door).

[alofthailand]

I found the old place large and characterless -its move to the sticks just means I won't have to check it out when in the area as I won't be passing by the area unless it gets a sudden influx of a 100 themed massage parlours.

[Deserted]

A new pub gives you more options. In my opinion many of the ex-pat bars are over-priced and poorly managed. there are some good ones of course, but a lot of them haven't got much going on, as anyone who has been in The Queen Victoria and many others like it can tell you.

[yellowboat]

It was once a refuge inside a refuge prior to the coup.  Loved the place.  Wish them renewed success.  Best memories in Thailand were there.  Hi-so's and lo-so's all congregated there.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

They have been open since mid-July. More than two months and still no brew pub beer. That might tell you something. Ahem . . . Until they show up with the beer, it's just another bar to me.  The only thing I miss are the great staff from the old bar, although a handful of them have returned, thankfully. Saw them on (soft) opening night.   And it's the same for me, living in the even sois of Phra Khanong, it's quite a hike. Whereas I can hop on the BTS to 33/1 for the newly opened and pleasant Harrity's (ex-Dubliner). 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

9 hours ago, Deserted said:

A new pub gives you more options. In my opinion many of the ex-pat bars are over-priced and poorly managed. there are some good ones of course, but a lot of them haven't got much going on, as anyone who has been in The Queen Victoria and many others like it can tell you.

 

Yup, agreed. I have mostly abandoned the "downtown" expat bars these days: too expensive, little atmosphere. OK, they pay huge rents but I'm not going to subsidize greedy Thai landlords. Bars are starting to sprout in the neighbourhoods, "locals" as the Brits call them. I am spending most of my time near home.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[Laughing Gravy]

I like it and it has potential. It is closer to my area than Sukhumvit so its a winner for me on the location. I would say give it a try, as it is a refreshing change from the poor excuses of British and Irish pubs, scattered around the city.

As a suggestion to the owner/manager. I would like to see some more traditional British foods on the menu, that pubs here and back in the UK, just do not do them anymore.  Ploughman's, Quiche, Beef Wellington, Hotpot etc. as a few suggestions.

 

I am looking forward to the Pils returning, as their home made brew.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Laughing Gravy
Grammar

[smokie36]

Happy to see this one open although prices are not on the cheap side for Pattanakarn.

 

It will be a big plus when their own beer returns....no doubt I will be popping in from time to time.

[Diplomatico]

On 9/25/2016 at 8:31 PM, Deserted said:

A new pub gives you more options. In my opinion many of the ex-pat bars are over-priced and poorly managed. there are some good ones of course, but a lot of them haven't got much going on, as anyone who has been in The Queen Victoria and many others like it can tell you.

 

  From the looks of the menu, this "new pub" is more expensive than the ones you avoid because they're overpriced.  286 THB for a Guinness?  Pass.  

 

  (For the mathematically challenged, that's 260 THB plus 10% service charge as listed on the menu = 286 THB.)

 

[p_brownstone]

21 hours ago, smokie36 said:

Happy to see this one open although prices are not on the cheap side for Pattanakarn.

 

It will be a big plus when their own beer returns....no doubt I will be popping in from time to time.

 

I could never drink the Londoners' "Home Brew".

 

Tried twice - at the Soi 33 location - and left well over half the glass both times. (OK, I'm a sucker for punishment!).

 

Horrible stuff - smelt more of a weird perfume than Beer: I read somewhere that the "Brewmaster" was instructed to concoct the Brew to be acceptable to the Asian palate, which I can understand of course, however the resulting creation was nothing like anything a Brit would call Bitter, or even a European would call it Pilsner.

 

Patrick

[Deserted]

286 for Guiness, that's nearly 7 English pounds. I wouldn't even pay that in London. Ridiculous.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

In Canada, a premium craft beer would be about 195 baht/pint. I believe Guinness is just a bit more. It just shows you how much of an import tariff is applied in Thailand and how much more bars have to charge, both due to the tariff and extreme Bangkok rents they pay. Had an import craft beer at Hair of the Dog (Soi 33/1) recently. It was 250 baht + VAT + SC, for grand total of 292 baht. No thanks. 

[Laughing Gravy]

13 hours ago, Deserted said:

286 for Guiness, that's nearly 7 English pounds. I wouldn't even pay that in London. Ridiculous.

I agree with you. How can some places in Pattaya sell Guinness for 150-170 baht a pint. Does it really cost over 100 baht an hour and half down the road.

 

I wait for the happy hours although it is limited to Heineken and Tiger.

[blackcab]

14 hours ago, p_brownstone said:

 

I could never drink the Londoners' "Home Brew".

 

Tried twice - at the Soi 33 location - and left well over half the glass both times. (OK, I'm a sucker for punishment!).

 

Horrible stuff - smelt more of a weird perfume than Beer: I read somewhere that the "Brewmaster" was instructed to concoct the Brew to be acceptable to the Asian palate, which I can understand of course, however the resulting creation was nothing like anything a Brit would call Bitter, or even a European would call it Pilsner.

 

Patrick

 

We have the same taste in beer. I didn't get on too well with it either.

[Deserted]

4 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I agree with you. How can some places in Pattaya sell Guinness for 150-170 baht a pint. Does it really cost over 100 baht an hour and half down the road.

 

I wait for the happy hours although it is limited to Heineken and Tiger.

 

If people were earning Western salaries I could understand it more but if you've been around for a while, you'll have noticed that each year, or each time they bring out a new menu, the prices of the English pubs creep up a little. Nothing much to cause outrage, just 10 or 20 baht a time, but 5 years down the line you see the difference, and in my opinion, these places aren't as busy as they used to be on the whole. And certainly aren't any better. Look at the Black Swn now for example, what a joke that place has become. The Queen Vic too, I've been to more exciting funerals than that place. Royal Oak, is dead a lot of the time. The Pintsman was dead the last two times I went there. 

[smokie36]

The Royal Oak from what I have seen does pretty well....the others totally agree.

 

The Queen Vic is a travesty of a place vying for the title of worst bar staff in Bangkok alongside its rival the Robin Hood. 

[Deserted]

Royal Oak has picked up in the evenings, I think they have a comedy club there some nights. It has improved. The Dubliner was shut last time I tried it, massive argument with the staff about something, not that I ever rated the place.

 

Best Place I've seen of late is The Clubhouse on soi 23, seems to be busier and more atmosphere.

[gdgbb]

16 hours ago, Deserted said:

286 for Guiness, that's nearly 7 English pounds. I wouldn't even pay that in London. Ridiculous.

 

Of course you wouldn't, it wouldn't be an imported beer in London.  Ridiculous.

[gdgbb]

17 hours ago, p_brownstone said:

 

I could never drink the Londoners' "Home Brew".

 

Tried twice - at the Soi 33 location - and left well over half the glass both times. (OK, I'm a sucker for punishment!).

 

Horrible stuff - smelt more of a weird perfume than Beer: I read somewhere that the "Brewmaster" was instructed to concoct the Brew to be acceptable to the Asian palate, which I can understand of course, however the resulting creation was nothing like anything a Brit would call Bitter, or even a European would call it Pilsner.

 

Patrick

 

Agreed, dreadful stuff.

[smokie36]

2 hours ago, Deserted said:

Royal Oak has picked up in the evenings, I think they have a comedy club there some nights. It has improved. The Dubliner was shut last time I tried it, massive argument with the staff about something, not that I ever rated the place.

 

Best Place I've seen of late is The Clubhouse on soi 23, seems to be busier and more atmosphere.

 

I don't know why that place does well as it has ++ pricing and not much else on offer.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

5 hours ago, smokie36 said:

 

I don't know why that place does well as it has ++ pricing and not much else on offer.

 

[Sorry, this is not the post I was trying to quote; was thinking Deserted's post would come along . . .]

 

The Dubliner is now Harrity's, which seems a pleasant place and I found the staff to be very good. However, with only a couple of "loss leader" beers for happy hour till 7 or 8 pm, it's as expensive as every other bar down the tourist strip.

 

Royal Oak leaves me kind of cold, as does the Robin Hood.

 

The boringly dull Queen Vic was bought by someone else a few months ago and they immediately boosted the prices of everything. New rather disinterested manager too, with Peter having gone. 

 

Overall, as I may have said above, Bangkok's pub scene is looking to be in a somewhat dire state, TBH. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by Kaoboi Bebobp
Screwed up quotes.

[Deserted]

11 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

Of course you wouldn't, it wouldn't be an imported beer in London.  Ridiculous.

 

Nothing to do with being imported. As can be read in this thread, it is sold for much less than that in Thailand elsewhere. Try reading through the thread.

 

And btw, Guiness is Irish not English.

[Deserted]

5 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

 

[Sorry, this is not the post I was trying to quote; was thinking Deserted's post would come along . . .]

 

The Dubliner is now Harrity's, which seems a pleasant place and I found the staff to be very good. However, with only a couple of "loss leader" beers for happy hour till 7 or 8 pm, it's as expensive as every other bar down the tourist strip.

 

Royal Oak leaves me kind of cold, as does the Robin Hood.

 

The boringly dull Queen Vic was bought by someone else a few months ago and they immediately boosted the prices of everything. New rather disinterested manager too, with Peter having gone. 

 

Overall, as I may have said above, Bangkok's pub scene is looking to be in a somewhat dire state, TBH. 

Yes agreed, ironically, Hanrahans on Soi 4 is still ok but under Thai management