The best of London 12 - eating, drinking & pubs

These days it seems most shops are nothing more than Identikit tin sheds surrounded by a car park.

Remember the days when companies took special pride in their places of business, spending time and money to provide a place of beauty and comfort? They did it because they knew that by making their customers feel welcome we would repay them with our loyalty.

The Black Friar is one such outpost, a fantastic pub whose builders put a great deal of effort into creating what now feels like a luxurious retreat from the bland modern world outside.

The pup oozes sophistication with marble walls, gilt mosaics, sculpted bronzes and other extravagant details like carved figures holding the light fittings.

The decorative theme harks back to the pub being built on the site of an old monastery, so the walls are covered with a host of fat friars and merry monks.

The beers are always a treat and we've enjoyed the likes of Badger, Fullers and Timothy Taylor here. The kitchen's speciality is a range of huge meat pies served with two veg and gravy for about £8. Food is available till 9pm. We have found the staff to be extremely attentive and friendly, another rarity in London.

Plus you'rea few minutes from Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese which means it's ideal for that great English tradition, the pub crawl.

Somewhere in the pub you might spot a plaque admonishing you to 'SEIZE OCCASION: A GOOD THING IS SOON SNATCHED UP.'

Or gulped up, more like, as the food and beer is top notch. Take a tip and enjoy these monks' quips!

INFO Sadly these days the pub sits adrift amid a spaghetti bowl of busy roads, underpasses and pedestrian subways on the north bank of the Thames next to Blackfriars Bridge. Nearest tube is Blackfriars (District and Circle lines). It is very convenient for St Pauls and Tate Modern.