The Burgh Arms

Really? I honestly never knew that there were Arms attached to The Burgh. In the years after the smoking ban, this bar looks a whole lot different. Back then, it was thick with smoke and regulars who didn’t simply attend, but lived in this bar. It was definitely a local pub for local people — and more local than me, even though I had lived all my life in this town to that point.
Returning tonight, it looks different, and smells much better. I don’t feel quite as unnerved as I used to walking in here (although I still had a trigger hand on my packet of smokes). In fact, it was rather pleasant. It’s still definitely a local pub, but with less ominous threat now. Wine is served out of a box, don’t expect anything classy here, folks. Also while we were there, we were surreptitiously offered hunks of salmon and fish cakes. Cockles and mussels in the east end of London, sure, but raw salmon is a first for me.