A quiet pub with a pool table and some decent ales on draught, The Cartoonist doesn’t have much else going for it.

The Venue
Housed in a building of cheap and ugly block architecture, The Cartoonist is juxtaposed against the ultra modern glass skyscrapers around it. Once you’re into the pub, the edges around the large space are dotted with booths that leave a gaping hole in the centre. There’s a cellar bar below, which is almost identical but on a smaller scale, and it at least accommodates a pool table, which might take your mind away from the tacky George and Lynn-esque cartoons on the walls.

The Atmosphere
The Cartoonist retains an awkward silence, only punctuated by the sound of the fruit machine and pool balls cracking into each other. The pool table does encourage lads out of nearby offices to pop in but even they seem to be here out of convenience more than anything else.

The Food
The menu includes steak pie, ham, egg and chips and lasagna as well as lunchtime specials on sandwiches that come filled with the likes of prawn Marie rose and cheese and spring onion - all very homely.

The Drink
The lagers on tap are Fosters and Kronenbourg and it excels with its selection of ales: Adnams Best, Courage Best, Explorer and Wadworth are all on tap. Wine is limited, though, there’s only three of each colour and they charge around £15.50 for a bottle of very average Pinot Grigo.

The Last Word
The positives of its pool table and decent ale don’t make up for the venue’s deficiencies in other areas. Unless you’re running a pool competition in a nearby office and need a venue for the knock-out stages, you’d be better off elsewhere.

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