Norfolk Arms

And so another one falls! By which I mean a clapped out old boozer (COOB for short) in the King's Cross area of London has fallen a victim to those who prey upon such premises, and return them to life in 21st century form, leaving a raft of disenfranchised punters floating about on an ocean that certainly does not include any beer.

Which is not strictly true; it's that the sleazy atmosphere, and most everything else has gone, leaving behind a relatively bare space that uses every inch available and goes out of its way to welcome Those who Eat as opposed to thems as drinks.

Amongst the food on offer, which consists of dishes rather than course choices expect to find paella, full of clams and monkfish; haddock, black pudding and cabbage all cooked together and topped with a fried egg. There is a good range of cold dishes, a decent and quite modest wine list, and the service was enthusiastic.

This may be taking the gastropub concept just a shade too far - time will tell - but when last seen it appeared to be working well, and any rafts that had been around had either sunk or taken refuge in another COOB to await the arrival of the transformers, for none seem to be safe from their enthusiasm.