Jolly Gardeners has a few niggles

Whilst not strictly true, considering the German love of beer, it's surprising there aren't more places like this.

Sat on the rundown Black Prince Road just south of the river, it's rather intimidating from the outside. High windows prevent you seeing in properly, while the black paintjob makes it look a like a funeral parlour.

Inside the black theme continues, with laminate flooring and modern elevated bench seating sitting uneasily with the last vestiges of this Victorian boozer.

It also felt sparse - you could've fitted another ten tables in here without much problem.

Still, as a German pub the most important thing is the beer selection, which thankfully doesn't disappoint. With both dark and wheat beers amongst the 20+ selection, you'll find Bitburger, Paulaner, Erdinger and Warsteiner.

While not exactly groundbreaking if you've ever propped up a good bar in Berlin, the choice is still impressive by London standards. The food, whilst uniformly German, needs to be improved in terms of quality and speed to make it a destination eating place; waiting 40 minutes for an average lunch isn't ideal.

Overall there's a few niggles keeping this as a two pint rated pub, but we'll return soon to see if things improve.

FOOD REVIEW: Despite the reasonable prices, the currywurst (£5.95) portion was a little too small and the chips too salty. The meat loaf (£6.95) had the opposite problem by being under-seasoned, while the accompanying potato mash has the look and consistency of baby food. All perfectly edible, but not the standard we'd hoped for.

FOOD RATING: 2 FOOD VALUE: 2

CLIENTELE: locals, local office workers, fans of German beer/food
NEAREST STATION: Vauxhall station
PHONE NUMBER: 020 7840 0426
FEATURES: Large selection of both bottled and draft German beers

The Jolly Gardeners
49 Black Prince Road, SE11 6AB