THE GREEN

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Or, in other words, if a gastropub has a hard-won reputation for dishing up outstanding food, but you’re not eating, is it still a great bar? Plenty of pubs with grub suffer from an assumption that creating fancy food absolves them of bar responsibilities; happily The Green doesn’t fall into that trap.

Yes, chalkboard menus dominating the back walls proudly display the kitchen’s versatility – the evening tapas list (OK, ‘Small Plates’) is a particularly tempting array of Greek, Spanish and Middle-Eastern influences, rich with olives, halloumi, merguez and even salt cod. In the upstairs dining area, a magnet for local business types at lunchtime, heartier dishes also display that Brit-Med fusion flair. Sunday roasts, we hear, excel. But if your whistle just needs wetting, there’s no table Nazi denying you a seat.

For pint-lovers, a real ale (on our visit, well-poured Adnams), half-a-bar’s-length of left-field draught beers plus Aspall Suffolk Cyder promise thirst-slaking relief. The intriguing and encouragingly affordable wine list is strewn with unusual choices, including Portuguese and Austrian whites, an
organic French merlot and some spiffing Proseccos and rosés; six each of red and white, plus two of the pinks, are quaffable by the glass.

So, you’ve bagged your drink. You’re waiting for your Manchego and quince to apparate. What’s the vibe? Friendly, to start with – none of that posh-bar sniffiness. Oxford-blue walls, moulded cherub sconces, fairy lights, old church chairs and a whopping hanging clock – there are enough slightly quirky elements to levitate the décor above standard bar fare, and sounds are stimulating without requiring a pretentious level of music nous to absorb. In short, it’s a comfortable spot for an evening’s blarney.

Would we cross town just to drink here? Quite probably. And would we then try to snaffle a handful of feta pastries from the next table while they’re at the bar? We couldn’t possibly say…