The Cloudy Orange Pub
Another long-term location ambition fulfilled - the_modette's Pros-themed birthday do at the Great Northern Railway Tavern, Hornsey. As the name implies, "could've been near a railway" - indeed, convenient for Hornsey station.
What a gorgeous place, especially the back room (featured on the website but not in the ep). A proper local, neighbourhood pub. Delicious food too. But they did not serve coffee at all - I thought all pubs did! In the days before ubiquitous coffee chains, pubs often served morning coffee... But, on request, they were happy to make a cup of instant for no charge.
Altogether, they* were most accommodating of an eccentric party of 18 women, 2 men and 2 dolls (ILWB's Bodie and Doyle!) occupying the front bar for the afternoon
and the very red leather upholstery the lads sat on (maybe - could it really have lasted that long?), beneath the same 'Burton Ale' mirror, certainly.
There was an excellent Pros picture quiz, again thanks to inlovewithboth, who had to leave a bit too early to appreciate us flailing with her cunning questions.
Sadly, people wended their way in all directions about 6, leaving the more determined agents to make our way back to King's Cross and thence to Soho to paint the town 'a tasteful shade of burgundy'. Well we were the last to leave the Amalfi - after Alpha 1** had blagged us in, to what turned out to be the same table as the last time I went, with a great crowd of LJers after the Scarsdale in 2009.
*Two presentable young men behind the bar at different times both claimed to be the landlord having taken the pub over a year or so ago, which made us wonder ...
**who insists Dave Matthews is Alpha 1, but imho Dave Matthews is The Minister (or just God).
What a gorgeous place, especially the back room (featured on the website but not in the ep). A proper local, neighbourhood pub. Delicious food too. But they did not serve coffee at all - I thought all pubs did! In the days before ubiquitous coffee chains, pubs often served morning coffee... But, on request, they were happy to make a cup of instant for no charge.
Altogether, they* were most accommodating of an eccentric party of 18 women, 2 men and 2 dolls (ILWB's Bodie and Doyle!) occupying the front bar for the afternoon
and the very red leather upholstery the lads sat on (maybe - could it really have lasted that long?), beneath the same 'Burton Ale' mirror, certainly.
There was an excellent Pros picture quiz, again thanks to inlovewithboth, who had to leave a bit too early to appreciate us flailing with her cunning questions.
Sadly, people wended their way in all directions about 6, leaving the more determined agents to make our way back to King's Cross and thence to Soho to paint the town 'a tasteful shade of burgundy'. Well we were the last to leave the Amalfi - after Alpha 1** had blagged us in, to what turned out to be the same table as the last time I went, with a great crowd of LJers after the Scarsdale in 2009.
*Two presentable young men behind the bar at different times both claimed to be the landlord having taken the pub over a year or so ago, which made us wonder ...
**who insists Dave Matthews is Alpha 1, but imho Dave Matthews is The Minister (or just God).