Pubcast 8: The Punch Tavern, Fleet Street, EC4

Pubcast heads to The Punch Tavern on Fleet Street to review the first of a spate of Fleet Street drinking establishments. Before beginning their pubcast, there were teething technical problems (no recording tape), which, after a brief discussion, led to Alex galloping up and down Fleet Street looking for a camera retail store at speeds his body is no longer willing to maintain whilst Dave sat in the pub and read the paper, occasionally checking his watch and clucking with impatience at Alex's inability to instantly acquire a Mini DV tape.So, what of the Punch Tavern? On their website (and, indeed, on the very walls of the establishment itself) they claim all sorts of awards, from 'Best Food Pub in London', to 'Best Tenanted/Leased Pub', and even were a finalist in Stella Artois' 'Love Your Local' competition. Listen in to find out how whether this confidence is misplaced. Do they score well in Alex and Dave's almost scientifically rigorous Orwellian Pub Scoring Guide? Is splattering this self-congratulatory gusto all over the place in direct violation of point 9 of the manifesto? Did the barman really take several minutes to pour two pints? Did Alex find a tape in time? (spoiler: yes he did).