Sebright Arms (with Lucky Chip) Bethnal Green 16/20*

Location: 31-35 Coate Street, E2

Website: www.facebook.com/Luckychip and www.sebrightarms.co.uk/

Visit: Wednesday Evening

To Note: Tucked away off Hackney Road but regular buses from Liverpool Street, Old Street and London Bridge, worth the schlep  

Scores (for the pub)

Ambiance 3/5

Design 3/5

Drinks 5/5

Staff 5/5

Extra LBC star: * for getting the fabulous Lucky Chip in for residence

I don’t often review pubs, normally stick to the cocktail bars, but with the additional of my one true love – BURGERS – to this one I thought it worth a few words.

A bit of a schlep from South of the river for me but I think this was well worth it. On finding the pub (A to Z and GPS at the ready but totally unnecessary, it was right by bus stop) I was tempted by the benches outside in the lane that runs by the pub since it was a warm night but since we were eating and I do hate people smoking over food I explored the inside options instead. And there are plenty. You can take a leather couch like we did (not practical for eating), perhaps curl up in the smaller room set behind the bar, gather round a barrel in the main room or take a table up a few stairs by the windows. It is all traditional but with that feeling particular to London that I love – this is not an “old mans pub” but a local.

There was an extremely impressive range of beers and ales. As a side note I am often asked what wine or cocktail to order in a pub. My answer: don’t. You would certainly find something for every palate and in this case the helpful bartender guided me to Camden Pale Ale whilst my friend had Meantime. Then onto the food.

I do not know what they did before but now they have LUCKY CHIP. I went for the “Kevin Bacon”, my friend the “Royale” and fries to share. Mine was a delightfully pink patty with beautiful slab of bacon and gooey cheese with pickles all held together in shiny bun that held to the very end. The Royale – I though strangely – came in a seasame seed bun but there were no complaints from my friend, in fact very little talk at all, before we turned to the fries that were clearly hand chipped and very tasty.

There is regular live music and although it got louder as the night went on, I can safely say that I will return to The Sebright Arms – I like their style – and my friend is delighted by her new “local” too. 

Presenting...The Korean FATTBurger

I took advantage of the scorchio weather recently to enjoy sitting in The Sun and 13 Cantons, at a table for 8 people with big couches, completely undisturbed as the crowds piled onto the pavements. What we had come for was not something you would want to balance on a window sill. This would get messy. 

FATTBurger, another of the fabulous burger outlets that keep appearing, this one based in Dalston, is gracing this Soho pub for a few months and a very good thing it is too. It seems that we were the only ones to know that this was going on despite the menus on tables, or perhaps other customers did not know just how good these burgers are. We both opted for a single burger per bun - I recommend this unless you can dislocate your jaw - and I decided to go with their advertised Korean with salad and kimchi, a korean fermented pickly cabbage dish that is fabulous (try Kimchi Cult too) and perfect on a burger. On the side was a small skinny fries and onion rings.

So how was it? Dripping with tasty goodness and perfectly cooked, I doubted throughout the meal if i could fit the burger into my mouth and if i could actually carry on. I could. On both fronts. Our lovely waitress understood our need to "graze" on the chips as we digested. I do not know what the sauce was - Korean influence and somewhat mayo like - but I licked my fingers clean. Love the packaging, love the burgers, not as good as street food Kimchi Cult in terms of the kimchi (their's has smaller chunks so easier to squish into the burger) but worth a visit and at these prices...


Burgers £6/£7 + Small Chips £2.50 + Onion Rings £1.50 = BARGAIN