There’s already a Sparrowhawk, a White Hart and Four Hundred Rabbits on Crystal Palace Triangle – and the leafy area’s hospitality scene is now one step closer to ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ status with the arrival of a pub called The Faber Fox. It’s part of the Livelyhood group, whose other south London pubs include The Clapham North and Wimbledon’s The Old Frizzle. Just like those joints, it packs in a lot.
There’s a restaurant at the front and a sports’ TV area at the back – a lengthy bar primed for match days straddles the two – and both were heaving on a Friday night with groups in their thirties vying for tables. Service was swift at the bar, although the reception was frosty when I asked for details on the range of wine. It seems the average punter is more engaged with swiftly necking locally produced craft beers on tap. Small plates and a brunch menu were trendy concessions; fish and chips and burgers were most in demand.
Quirky light fittings, Spanish floor tiles and buttoned leather banquettes elevate the decor of this smart pub, even if the contrast between the restaurant and that boozing space is a tad jarring. Escape it come summer in a colourfully kitted-out, tiered beer garden offering sweltering views towards the capital’s skyscrapers. It’s practically bucolic here.