London’s Soul Shines in Pubs for All Seasons

It was 2 p.m. in Soho when I began shopping for a pub. I wandered into a couple on Brewer Street that were too thick with smoke for my taste, then stuck my nose into another pub that, unfortunately, smelled of old fish.

Finally, on Dean Street, near the crimson and gold gates of London’s Chinatown, I found it: A pub with fresh air, clean surroundings, a lively clientele and fine fare. Ferns sprouted above carriage lamps by the door. Engraved in stone were the proud words: Renowned Bar and Buffet.

Its name: De Hems. Its origin: Dutch. I walked through a stand-up-in-the-sunshine crowd out front and chose a cool corner banquette.

Oranjeboom beer from Holland was listed, although English lagers prevailed. A chalkboard menu listed Indonesian specialties with spicy peanut sauce--an influence from the former Dutch East Indies. The plowman’s lunch was terrific. A huge, fresh-seeded whole-wheat bun, a generous slab of Dutch Gouda, tasty chutney and salad.

The West End theatre district has many classic pubs that are convenient places to snack before or after a show. In Cambridge Circus, where Shaftesbury Avenue and smaller streets intersect Charing Cross Road, is the forest green sign of The Cambridge.

Across the circle is the traditional Marquis of Granby. Both offer warmth in wintertime and shade on a summer day. St. Martin’s Lane, which links Shaftesbury to Trafalgar Square, has several good choices, including the venerable Sussex.

Some pubs near Covent Garden or Royal Festival Hall tend to attract musicians and fledgling actors. In others, the conversation can be heavy with politics or sports. Fancy Mayfair pubs such as The Guinea may be overflowing with Americans. One of my old-time favorites is gone: St. Stephen’s across from Big Ben was torn down for a government office complex.

English pubs are changing . . . yet unchanging. Since the afternoon closing became optional, many pubs in London stay open from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Beer and ale are still the common drinks, but wine, coffee, iced tea and diet sodas are becoming increasingly available.

Reading pub names is a jolly way to pass the time when careening around London on a double-decker bus. I smiled at The World’s End near Camden Station, and its neighbor, The Halfway House. Somewhere in east London I whizzed past The Queen’s Head and Artichoke, and later The Green Man and Frog. Near Victoria Station, I wilted over a sign for The Slug and Lettuce.

London policemen are as willing to point out neighborhood pubs as they are to give directions. One warm Sunday near the Tate Gallery, I overheard a bobby sending thirsty tourists around the corner to Ponsonby Place, where “some pub should be open today.”

The same bobby turned out to be from the town of Bury St. Edmunds, where I would be heading shortly. “Be sure to visit The Nutshell across from the corn market,” he volunteered. “It’s the smallest pub in England.”

At Harrods’ bookstore, I saw dozens of paperbacks on pubs. The Camra guides explore the subject by region: “Best Pubs of East Anglia” is the newest in a series.

But the Camra title that stopped me short was: “Best Pubs for Families.” The book rates 405 “convivial hostelries that treat children as people, not alien beings.” It is aimed at families traveling by car.

The book lists pubs that serve small portions for children, and pubs that have playgrounds with seesaws and swings. One chapter deals with pubs that have facilities for nursing mothers.

That’s when I left the book department and retired to The Green Man pub in Harrods’ basement.