[Food] "Substantial Meal"

Official Old Man · Oct 14, 2020

With pubs in Liverpool only permitted to open if they serve substantial meals, does anyone else remember the days of the late nights bars in the 1970's that could stay open if they served food. In particular I went to the bar under the New Heart & Hand which, although primarily a gay club, filled with many 'in the know'. At just after 11:00 pm a plate was handed out to everyone containing a piece of ham and a slice of lettuce. Rumours that the same slices were used for a few nights may have been true. Although with my then GF (I'm male and happily married), I made friends with many from that bar that lasted for years. Indeed, the owners and staff went on to open Rain, now Buddies, and I was involved with them in the 1980's. The first 'bar/restaurant' with a 2 am license.

Lenny Rider · Oct 14, 2020

The Carioca in Worthing (formerly the Mexican Hat) where Adam Faith discovered Leo Sayer, apparently used to serve up a fish finger and a chip at certain time to every punter to adhere to the 'supper licence' terms and conditions.

Can anyone of a certain age on here confirm this?

schmunk · Oct 14, 2020

Off topic, but this made me laugh:

[tweet]1315750886346498048[/tweet]

wellquickwoody · Oct 14, 2020

Substantial meal in Liverpool is walking into a pub and saying ‘Chayzy Chepps’.

GT49er · Oct 14, 2020

wellquickwoody said:
Substantial meal in Liverpool is walking into a pub and saying ‘Chayzy Chepps’.

Why would anyone walk into a pub in Liverpool and put on a fake Brummie accent?

Palacefinder General · Oct 14, 2020

GT49er said:
Why would anyone walk into a pub in Liverpool and put on a fake Brummie accent?

BNthree · Oct 14, 2020

Not local to Brighton but before the 11pm licensing law changed there was a small side road off Oxford Street in London that most people knew as Spanish Alley as there were a cluster of small Spanish restaurants there. They'd serve booze until about 4am as long as you bought a couple of plates of tapas. Many a work night out ended up there in the 90s, followed by the first train from Victoria back home.

Iggle Piggle · Oct 14, 2020

I remember Sunday opening was limited and had to involve food way back when. To get round this, I have memories of ordering a plate of chips with every pint.

keaton · Oct 14, 2020

You could drink after hours at the Lion and Lobster if you bought a jacket potato for £1 and sat down. I think you were supposed to eat them, they weren't bad and better than a dodgy kebab.

GT49er · Oct 14, 2020

In Scotland in the early 70s, pubs couldn't open on Sundays, only hotels could - and they could only sell drinks with a meal. The 'meal' was usually a lettuce leaf, a (very thin) slice of tomato and a cream cracker or similar!

zefarelly · Oct 14, 2020

I'm not a fan, but 5 pints of Guinness is a substantial meal isn't it ?

THere ar eprobably cocktails with more solid than liquid at point of serving. If you include the brolly!

In the 90's a lot of Shoreham folk would descend on the Dysentry Cottage for a curry at half 11 . . . washed down with 4 pints of lager obviously.

Seasidesage · Oct 14, 2020

Lords nightclub off Western Rd used to open Sunday afternoons when nowhere else did. You couldn't put your pint down for bowls of uneaten soup used to get round the licensing law....

Mr deez · Oct 14, 2020

keaton said:
You could drink after hours at the Lion and Lobster if you bought a jacket potato for £1 and sat down. I think you were supposed to eat them, they weren't bad and better than a dodgy kebab.

Yeah they were decent, I actively looked forward to them being served.

Paulie Gualtieri · Oct 14, 2020

BNthree said:
Not local to Brighton but before the 11pm licensing law changed there was a small side road off Oxford Street in London that most people knew as Spanish Alley as there were a cluster of small Spanish restaurants there. They'd serve booze until about 4am as long as you bought a couple of plates of tapas. Many a work night out ended up there in the 90s, followed by the first train from Victoria back home.

Rathbone place opposite Soho Sq.

Bradley’s Spanish Wine Bar is still there

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Paulie Gualtieri · Oct 14, 2020

Seem to remember some arrangement at the Railway Bell for the Sunday Palace Game (Spanish Dave) where we had to buy breakfast and was given ticket stubs for drinks?

The whole day and Monday after remains a blur though

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Snowy · Oct 14, 2020

Lenny Rider said:
The Carioca in Worthing (formerly the Mexican Hat) where Adam Faith discovered Leo Sayer, apparently used to serve up a fish finger and a chip at certain time to every punter to adhere to the 'supper licence' terms and conditions.

Can anyone of a certain age on here confirm this?

Yes, I can confirm this, although it may be fairer to say you would get two or three chips if you were lucky. Obviously this was to get around the T's & C's but as the Carioca was run by Jock McGuckin I'm sure that his Scottish tight fistedness had something to do with the sparseness of the meals too!

dennis · Oct 14, 2020

I’m pretty certain I’ve read that a legal case in relation to the serving of alcohol ruled that a cheese sandwich was a substantial meal!

I could be wrong of course

BNthree · Oct 14, 2020

London Black Cab said:
Rathbone place opposite Soho Sq.

Bradley’s Spanish Wine Bar is still there

Bradley's was one of them. There were a few in a row. Was it called Hanway Place though? Next street along from Rathbone. You knew you'd had a good night out if you ended up there at closing time.

schmunk · Oct 14, 2020

dennis said:
I’m pretty certain I’ve read that a legal case in relation to the serving of alcohol ruled that a cheese sandwich was a substantial meal!

I could be wrong of course

Hansard on the matter: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmstand/d/st030515/am/30515s08.htm

The legal case appears to be Timmis v. Millman (1965) - ''a substantial sandwich accompanied by pickles and beetroot was a table meal''.

Psychobilly freakout · Oct 14, 2020

When I lived in Camden when all the local pubs shut including my fav The Elephants Head the place to go was the Marathon Restaurant/Bar in Chalk Farm were we would carry on the party and band members would jam until dawn, all with a plate of chips or Kebab. Amy Winehouse used to be in their sometimes dancing to Rockabilly.
Also mentioned in the below link is the The Mac Bar across the road from where we lived on Royal College Street, many a wild night in both venues...

https://www.kentishtowner.co.uk/2013/11/22/party-five-legendary-bars/

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[Food] "Substantial Meal"

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