At heart, Walmer Castle is an old-school English pub. An English pub that you can eat Thai food in, but an English pub nonetheless.

The Venue
The Walmer Castle is a cosy West London pub with an Oriental spin. With some of the wall decorations hailing from Thailand and Oriental food gracing the plates, you have to glance out the window to Ledbury Road to be reminded that you are, in fact, still in England. The giveaway is the interior of the pub.

The front of the pub comprises a fairly cramped bar area with a few places to sit, which opens up to another room featuring a large TV on the wall. At the very back of the venue is a small, cosy room that’s ideal for sipping red wine in the thick of winter. Upstairs is a very well designed restaurant, which gets extremely busy on the weekend. From experience, the downstairs area around the bar is the social hub of the pub. At the weekend, as the space begins to fill, this is where the action is. If you’re after a quiet setting choose a table out the front in summer, and a table closer to the back in winter.

The Atmosphere
This is a place where you don’t feel compelled to dress in your best kit. Throughout West London, pubs are popular mid-week and Walmer Castle is no exception. There is often a large crowd of drinkers on weeknights. That said, the most popular nights are Friday and Saturday. There is a good mix of large groups and couples and the crowd is friendly and unpretentious. Music is kept at a low volume to allow the murmur of voices to take centre stage.

The Food
Over the years, Walmer Castle has consistently served up some of the most impressive Thai food in London. The menu has expanded to encompass Thai dishes as well as more traditional Western offerings such as burgers and fish and chips. From the Thai selection you don’t just have the choice of pad Thai or Thai green curry, you also can select a Vietnamese-style crispy duck or Singapore noodles. The stand out dishes from the kitchen are the appealing starters and the kaeng kiew wan gai (Thai green chicken). You can order food downstairs, which is a good option for social boozers. The food is good value for money.

The Drink
The drinks on offer at Walmer Castle are what you would expect from a non-boutique pub. There are a few beers on tap and a good selection of bottled beer. There is a good stock of spirits, and the wine list has an interesting mix of whites and reds from Australia, Italy, Chile and France. The Italian rose is particularly easy to drink. Small glasses of wine start at around £4 and bottles are priced between £15-£20. Champagne is available by the bottle.

The Last Word
A relaxing and non-pretentious pub with great food from a menu featuring a mix of Oriental (predominantly Thai) and Western cuisine.

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