Myself and the Other Woman are currently looking for a new place to play pool after hapkido class following the demise of Kentish Town Snooker Club and Centre Point Pool Club’s ever-quickening decline from pool hall to Brazilian dance bar (a really rundown and shit-looking Brazilian dance bar at that too!)
So last night we headed to the Elbow Room in Westbourne Grove and we both felt a little out of place because we’re used to old-fashioned snooker halls and the Elbow Room is a trendy London bar first and a pool hall second.
In summary its bad points were:
i) It was full of trendy, bright young things drinking over-priced lager.
ii) It was not run-down or slightly seedy in any way.
iii) It was a whacking £10 per hour on the tables
iv) You could only book tables for an hour if it was busy.
On the plus side, however:
i) There were no knife-wielding nutters looking to rob you.
ii) The pool tables were well-maintained and level.
iii) The house cues were well maintained and cared for.
iv) It served food and had a decent menu.
Reluctantly I have to admit it was actually quite a decent place and we may well venture back but I think it’s a proper snooker and pool hall we really need to fulfil our needs. Because otherwise I am a pool player who just plays for fun – and I'm not sure I can consciously dull my competitive edge to the extent that playing pool just becomes fun.
Fortunately Rileys in Victoria is our next port of call and this apparently is THE place for nineball and American pool players in the UK so it may be a bit more like it – and it may spur me on to play actually seriously again after my self-imposed year-long exile.
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