It’s Good Friday and, as tradition demands, I am on a bit of a crawl.
Dodging some spit-spotty rain I wander into the Trafalgar Arms (148-156 Tooting High Street SW17 0RT). Like many pubs in this neck of the woods it’s a sizeable place, set back from the road and benefiting from a front-loaded beer garden. Inside, the lights are at a pleasing dimness, with three rooms containing a central bar and a variety of seating in the wings. As this is a Youngs house I order a pint of Ordinary, on sale at £6.25.
I settle, and take in my surroundings. Behind me a table of four are playing repeated games of jenga, their conversation being punctuated by the occasional crash. To my left, a couple with a spaniel occupy a pair of armchairs. Their companion, who I decide for the purposes of this story is named Colin, likes to wander, seeking affection from another couple in another pair of armchairs. “He’s yours now”, joke his owners. This is evidently a dog friendly establishment, with a dedicated treat station and a rogues’ gallery of canine regulars.
My beer is quaffable but not the best example I’ve had. I restock at the bar with a pint of TT Landlord (£7.25) and return to my seat to discover that Colin has amassed a little crowd of admirers, which he seems to enjoy.
I take my leave, wandering along the road towards the maelstrom of central Tooting. As it seems poor form this evening to walk past a pub, I duck into JJ Moon’s (56a Tooting High Street SW17 0RN) identifiable by its very name as a long standing stalwart in the stable of Tim Wetherspoon. A long and narrow pub, there isn’t a huge amount to say about it – it’s a Spoons and while I’m sure the carpet is both lovely and unique these sorts of things don’t tend to impress me much. What does impress me is my singular pint of Twickenham Brewery’s “The Naked Ladies”, a hoppy 4.4 per cent amber ale at an affordable £3.09. I find a seat towards the rear of the pub. There is a general hubbub and I fail to zero in on any eavesdroppable conversations.
I plod onwards, choosing next to darken the door of the Castle (38 Tooting High Street SW17 0RG). This is a Tardis of a pub and absolutely vast inside, with a similarly large outdoor area with a series of ingenious open sided little cabins and other seating for those who like to consume al fresco. I opt for a further pint of Landlord which is most enjoyable and £7.20, which is less enjoyable.
Heading ever northward, I decide my final staging post shall be a personal favourite, the Mayfair Tavern (127 Upper Tooting Road SW17 7TJ). There’s little to tempt the casketeers here and I go for a pint of lovely Carlsberg, unchanged in price from my last visit (which must be nearly a year ago) at a very reasonable fiver. Take It Easy by the Eagles (a song which contains what I always think is the one of the most perfect and evocative popular song verses ever written) plays out on the juke box, the young lads at the front enjoy their game of pool, there’s a good bustle. All seems right with the world when you’re in here, it is a fine place. I suspect I shall have a few here.
And what shall be next? Could there really be a visit to SW17 without a taste of the fine curries of Tooting? Probably not. I expect I shall let you know.
(If you were wondering, the verse is Well, I’m a-standing on a corner / In Winslow, Arizona / Such a fine sight to see / It’s a girl, my Lord / In a flat-bed Ford / Slowin’ down to take a look at me)
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