Poor pubs

By Paul Fulford on Sep 2, 08 05:33 PM

The Michelin guide to good pubs is published tomorrow but I'm not anticipating any major accolades heading in this direction.

It's odd that this area has got some fabulous restaurant such as Simpsons, Purnell's and Edmunds, but few outstanding pubs.

There are one or two decent watering holes for a pint and a sandwich and a sprinkling of gastro-pubs that are okay. But there's nothing that I'd regard as exceptional.

I guess a few people might argue that there are good boozers in the Black Country, but it's not an area that I head to with a spring in my step because it's simply too gloomy. Believe me, if Shangri-La and all its delights were located up the road in Dudley, I still wouldn't visit.

Trouble is, chain pubs tend to dominate elsewhere in this area and they are bland and boring.

My pub of choice would be Bennetts Bar in Edinburgh - bare floorboards, wall tiles, stained glass, good beer, unfussy food such as stovies and customers who happily sit quietly supping their ale while reading the paper.

And the big advantage is that it's easier to understand the staff's accent than it is in that strange land where people support the Wolves of Baggies!