It is like that scene from the film An American Werewolf In London, in which two American tourists walk into an English pub: customers' faces turn towards me with steely looks in their eyes, their hostility almost palpable.

My crime? Well, it isn't my crime as such, but the spring-loaded door-closing mechanism is neither springing nor closing, and the resulting fiercely cold breeze blowing through the bar is what has generated so much hostility from my fellow punters.

I throw my body against the door and remain there as though I am defending the place against a gang of crazed burglars. The tut-tutting from the other customers eventually subsides and, giving the door one last back-heel into position, I walk in to the room. 'I'm so sorry, everyone, I'm not from round these parts.'

The place soon warms up, though. There's a warm, cheery enough welcome from the staff and a comely little lounge area with low-slung furnishings surrounding the fireplace.

Old-fashioned dining tables and rickety chairs are spaced in the rest of the L-shaped room, the whole place is candlelit, and Habitat-style blinds half cover the windows. This is indeed the most handsome of venues.

It's always a pleasure to find new real ales behind a bar, and the Robin's Revenge (from Gales' brewery in Hampshire) and Young's Bitter - these are part of their changing portfolio of beers - were on offer when I visited along with the Rye Winter Ale, Guinness and a wife-beating lager.

The wines are good and at accessible prices: £10.95 is the entrylevel price for Chilean chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, but moving up the range, a very palatable Spanish rioja (Luis Gurpegui Muga Primi 2003) or a more than agreeable Italian pinot grigio (2003 Lamberti) can be had for £19 each.

But it's the food that people come here for, and whether it's the ladies who lunch with their kids in tow, or a mature and agreeable gathering of local dignitaries and the like, the Rye is a culinary oasis in the plexus of residential dreariness that is South-East London.

I can't recommend the dish of chicken, ham and leek pie with mash (£9) highly enough - it is a perfect winter dish. The crispy duck salad with egg noodles, hoi sin sauce, cucumber, spinach and spring onions (£9.50) will work at any time of the year. And the burger with onions and salad (£9), despite the slightly ropey chips, is just what most people want to devour now and again.

I go to settle my bill and the friendly bartender says, 'Oh, what a shame, you're not leaving are you?' Yes, I reply, I'm looking for a place where the door closes properly. 'Annoying, isn't it?' he says. Next time I visit the Rye I'm bringing my screwdriver, and this should make for a perfect night out in what is a near-perfect venue.