Punch Bowl still boxing clever

The Punch Bowl has been a long-standing favourite of ours, so we were a little dismayed by the celebrity hoo-haa surrounding the pub's ownership in recent months and even more alarmed to hear the pub was to be refurbished by the new owners.

It turned out we needn't have worried. It's a pretty sympathetic revamp and many regulars won't notice any difference. If anything, it looks a little darker and a little more distressed, which actually suits the place - the previous version was rather too manufactured looking with its modern old-style furniture and unsympathetic lighting. We guess it was too much to expect the old wooden partition between the public and saloon bars to be reinstated, but the overall effect of the work is pretty much in keeping with this old building.

The beers are much the same too, with Speccy, Bombardier and Courage Best still on the hand pumps. Prices are somewhat elevated, especially the wines, but it's not as if the locals around here can't afford it.

The live music - a banjo and guitar duo playing old (clichéd) Irish numbers on the night we were in - is probably an affectation too far in our opinion but it doesn't spoil the mood. We'll still be coming here.

CLIENTELE: locals
NEAREST STATION: Green Park station
FEATURES: live music; outdoor seating

The Punch Bowl
41 Farm Street, W1J 5RP