wheresthepath
England 🏴 MemberOptions
Activity
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
My first saké, so didn't really know what to expect. Picked it up from Sainsbury's on my way out on a 15 mile morning bimble. Drank it mid morning tramp style, crashed on a bench in the middle of a Chilterns village. With a Nutrigrain Elevenses cereal bar. It (the sake, not the cereal bar) was clear with just a hint of yellow. It tasted quite boozy for the 5% - would have guessed it was stronger than that. There's a touch of sparkling Chardonnay up front. Then it becomes sweet and fruity - rhubarb especially - with vanilla custard and a little boiled rice. It went down surprisingly well - I might be up for more sakes on walks if they weren’t so damnably expensive!
Setting - 4 | Selection - 8 | Service - 1 | Food - | Value - 3 | Overall - 5
Visited April 2025. From the front this looks like one of those dodgy American sweet shops, and indeed the front half of the shop is home to the usual overpriced American "candy" of dubious quality. The back half though has a big rack of beer... mainly UK craft cans, but also quite a few American brews too (not necessarily high quality ones, but certainly a few that you don't see all that often in the UK). There were also some Staffordshire meads (from Mercia Distillery) that I'd not seen before. A very decent range if I'm honest, although it didn't look to be anywhere near the 300+ different brews they've listed on the yellow site (although that does give you a good idea of the breweries they stock). However, the prices are high (even by city centre standards) and by the best before dates some of them may have been sat there a while. The worst part though was the service. The two people at the till totally ignored me when I went up to pay (they weren't actually doing anything other than standing there looking gormless and staring at me). When I politely asked if I could pay one of them muttered an expletive before taking my payment with exceptionally bad grace & no further communication. I nearly walked out, probably would have done if I hadn't been buying some sweets for my daughter at the same time. So overall, a very good selection in a handy city centre location, but the appalling service and high prices mean that I doubt I'd return.
Setting - 6 | Selection - 5 | Service - 6 | Food - 6 | Value - 8 | Overall - 6
Visited April 2025. Was rammed and raucous when we passed it on a Saturday evening, so gave it a miss. Returned Sunday morning for breakfast - a much more laid-back atmosphere; just the right amount of people to give a mellow buzz without feeling busy. It's bigger than the usual 'Spoons, but the traditional 'Spoons decor makes it feel friendly nevertheless, and it was spick and span on our visit. Counted 12 different cask beers on, including a couple of local ones from Byatts and Indian. The staff were friendly; breakfast was well-cooked and served promptly. All in all it was fine - exactly what you expect from a 'Spoons. Just time your visit to avoid the busiest evenings!
wheresthepath
updated a venue:
Caps and Taps
located in Tufnell Park, England
1 month ago
Setting - 7 | Selection - 8 | Service - 10 | Food - | Value - 6 | Overall - 8
Visited early on a Saturday evening in December 2024 before going to see the Crawlers at The Dome. Five keg beers (including a lambic on my visit) & one cider on tap. Large, interesting and well-thought out bottle & can selection (about 350-400 different brews, including a lot of lambic & mixed fermentation) in fridges down the length of one side of the venue. Good rock and indie music and a nice laid-back vibe to the place. The friendly and enthusiastic owner really knows his stuff about beer. Great bar, would love to have it as my local.
wheresthepath (3674) reviewed Père Noël from Brouwerij De Ranke 1 month ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 4.5
Bottle from HOTM. Hazy amber with a large but diminishing off-white head. A hint of banana and some dust. Very bready and yeasty. Quite bitter for a Belgian brew; just a touch of spice in the aftertaste. I didn't particularly enjoy this.
gave a cheers!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6
Bottle from Waitrose, Wycombe. Gold-blonde with a light fizz. Odd flavour of dirty, musty pearskins up front. Then vanilla and ripe dessert pears. A tad too sweet but not bad.
wheresthepath (3674) reviewed 1880 Vintage Cider from Westons Cider 1 month ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle from Waitrose, Wycombe. Gold-blonde with a light fizz. Gives off a tannic, scrumpy aroma. The taste is pretty complex for a supermarket cider - baking apples, black tea, vanilla, sultanas, cream and a hint of bitterness. There's a light dryness, light sharpness, a hint of sweetness. Very well balanced, very drinkable and interesting. Enjoyed it.
gave a cheers!