I need to be in London for work reasons quite often. My motto has always been ‘combine work and pleasure in your job’, and I try to live by that motto.

So when traveling, I always look for new places to eat, drink, chat, sleep or dance.

We had to be in the neighborhood of The Barbican for a seminar, and this pub has always been one I wanted to check out. Not that I particularly like the dead animals in the window, but they are a part of the pub’s story and to be honest, I do like to eat fish, meat and other kind of living creatures.

The Jugged Hare is a so called gastropub, where you can either hang on the bar and have some strong draught Ales, Lagers, Stout or ciders. The bar is filled with the typical London ’suits’, relaxed chatting with other traders, bankers and other City workers. Everywhere in the pub you see animals from the hunt, as a kind of trophy in closets, armoires or on the wall. This kind of Victorian decoration is hip and happening in London and reflects a hunger for old, more safe and relax times. Time stands still in this place, but service follows our current time pressure. Best of both worlds, I told ya.

We tried a dark Jugged Hare pale ale and a gin tonic (pleasure in-between work, you know).

Lunch and diner is served in a corresponding room with lots of red velvet, leather, brass and oak floors. A very friendly staff, British polite and professional explained us the menu.

As you will read in other people’s feedback on Tripadvisor or Yelp, food is excellent. And I can admit, it is lovely.

Meat is definitly the main topic on the menu, but as I still prefer fish my choice was easy.

The Shetland mussels were probably the best mussels I ever had(and that means something): a pot of delicious Shetland mussels with Jugged hare pale ale, smoked bacon, garlic and some hand cut chips.

The ‘Billingsgate’ on the menu stands for Billingsgate Fish Market. Billingsgate is the UK’s largest inland fish market, located at Canary Wharf. Each trading day at Billingsgate Market offers buyers an opportunity to see the largest selection of fish in the United Kingdom. Daily arrivals from the coast and overseas ensure a continuity of fresh supplies. (Billingsgate Market, Trafalgar Way, Poplar, London E14 5ST)

The Jugged Hare is a great place to lunch. The excellent cuisine, the warm atmosphere and the Victorian style are worth the travel. Situated on the corner of Chiswell Street and Silk Street in the City of London, the pub forms part of the famous old Grade II listed Whitbread Brewery (now the Montcalm 5 Star London City Hotel).

Enjoy and say hi to the joly bartender!

Address: The Jugged Hare, 9 Chiswell St, London EC1Y 4SA. Nearest tubes: Moorgate, Barbican and Liverpool Street are all very close by as are Old Street and Farringdon.