FNRttC Christmas Ride and Drinks. Thursday 29th December 2011

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mmmmartin

Random geezer
£3.60 for a lemonade
Just drink only one. Furthermore, it's the company I'm after rather than the alcohol. AB1 with masses of people I know seems an OK bet for a drink or two after a pleasant pootle with chums.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
the ride is going to All Bar One. End of. For these reasons

1100 people have been sent an e-mail telling them that we're going to All Bar One
It's a splendid end to a ride through the city. We can go across London Bridge, through More London and under Tower Bridge and in to the Shad that way
There's plenty of space to chain the bikes and keep an eye on them
It's close to London Bridge Station, which means that people travelling south, east, southwest, west, north and northeast can get away by train if they overindulge
It's big, with lots of outside space, so if we get rowdy (as if..........) nobody will mind much

Any questions, see me outside.
Fair enough....
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
not me, no way

I'm a man of principle and will not patronise places like that

when London is full of supermarkets and All Bar Ones and Costa Coffees

No pubs, no cafes, no local shop, it'll be your fault

yours!
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
All those singing the praises of AB1 at Shad Thames probably didn't attempt to buy a round at the bar (shared money) when there was a drinks session last Spring. Twenty-five f**king minutes, and that wasn't being queue-jumped either. A complete shithole.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
what does it matter as long as there's bike parking and booze?

The wait to get served? You will probably get more luck from the miserable bar staff than I did. Speaking Estonian might help. Also, a slow voice on how to tot up the tab.

That place is a shithole....and it has been peer-reviewed, yay!
 

rb58

Enigma
Location
Bexley, Kent
I shall be along. Although technically I'm working that day so may not be able join you on the ride from HPC, but will catch up with you at AB1.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
not me, no way

I'm a man of principle and will not patronise places like that

when London is full of supermarkets and All Bar Ones and Costa Coffees

No pubs, no cafes, no local shop, it'll be your fault

yours!
well, we'll just have to manage without you

I don't have a problem getting served, but, then again, I go there at lunchtime or early afternoon at the weekend
 

redjedi

Über Member
Location
Brentford
All those singing the praises of AB1 at Shad Thames probably didn't attempt to buy a round at the bar (shared money) when there was a drinks session last Spring. Twenty-five f**king minutes, and that wasn't being queue-jumped either. A complete shithole.

Although this time it'll being early afternoon on Thursday 29th December, not peak time on a warm summers Friday evening. I'd imagine that the queues would be a lot less of a problem.

And this thread has a certain Déjà vu feel to it. If you don't like the choice of venue, don't come or why not organise something yourself rather than complaining every year.
It's not my first choice of venue, but I'll probably be there for a few drinks and a good laugh :cheers:
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
well, there was no rousing Sleeping Beauty this morning, so, rather than recce Southend, we wandered about central London scoping out a ten mile route for the 29th December, and, ah-ha! we did go to All Bar One for brunch - and very good it was too. Two breakfasts (mine had chips!), two cranberry juices and two flat whites for £18 or so, and the wait for service was all of fifteen seconds. And, yes they are a chain, but you can buy a half-decent bottle of vino for £13.50, and a scrumptious bottle of Rioja for sixteen quid or so, rather than risk something that has a whiff of warm meat and compost in the boozer round the corner for twenty quid.

So we've got a route that takes in the Embankment, St. Pauls, Smithfield, the Barbican, Leadenhall Market, the Gherkin, Christs Church Spitalfield, Fournier Street, More London and Shad Thames.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I apologise. Maybe I was unlucky. It was the only time I'd been to an AB1 and the waiting to be served left a powerful and lasting impression....almost up there with Talk Talk's customer service.:whistle:
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
there is no doubt that at 7.30 on a weekday evening it is absolutely rammed (although when I worked round the corner we were such big organised spenders - usually half a dozen bottles at a time - we used to get served really rapidly). The staff do their best, but there are times that they are overwhelmed. Weekend lunchtimes are good, though.

Interestingly there was not one customer in Conran's restaurants. Ha! That'll teach him to pay his bills! Or not!
 
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