The Amersham Arms, 388 New Cross Road

Brockley Jon has popped into The Amersham Arms several times since it re-opened under the Lock Tavern management team.

What was not to love about the old smoky Amersham where you could turn up and dance with a drunken Irish man any night of the week, at practically any time, but in the interest of you the readers of Brockley Central, we will try to put the old pub out of our mind and give the new Amersham a fair hearing!

It's a hard act to follow, but we have to say, we like what they've done with the place - it's not drastically different, just a bit more trendy, more eclectic.

Service is usually fine, but at busy times can be slow - especially as they have decided to offer novelty cocktails, involving copious amounts of crushed ice (for which each drink requires a trip to the blender), hand sprinkled mint, swizzle sticks and sparklers! All good fun, but not for us Brockley boys who just want a pint of bitter (perhaps we have spent too long in the Wickham?).

Tables are also quite hard to come by, but do grab one and try the food. Although our burgers last time took about 30 minutes to come, at £6ish they were very good. There was a decent amount of chips and a nice dip too. The roasts are also something to write home about, we're reliably informed (and the comments below echo this).

All in all, we'd say it's a good meeting place for a chat and some food, with a decent vibe, and a trendy crowd. The kind of place that Brockley is crying out for.

It should also be said that there is a gallery upstairs, Take Courage, and a club next door, the old Catapult Club, neither of which we've had a chance to try out yet.