The Approach Tavern

Couscous on the menu, contemporary art on the walls of the upstairs gallery, a heated terrace & trendy punters sipping Pinot Grigio – The Approach, near Victoria Park, is a thoroughly modern boozer. But neither the pub nor the local residents who use it are ready to call time on the more traditional features: namely, the jukebox, pub quiz & real fire in winter. The venue is now under the wing of Remarkable Restaurants, a London pub company, & has jazzed up its act in other ways. Sunday roasts are still the big favourite, but chilled gazpacho, pints of prawns, rib-eye fries & horseradish cream, & flourless chocolate cake, indicate a renewed pride in the kitchen. Order a sausage roll (made in-house) & pair it with a pint of real ale – Ossett’s Yorkshire Blonde or Gales Seafarers from Fuller’s, say. Continental choices include Litovel & Hoegaarden.