Review

Like a blot on the landscape, The Spice Island is a large, barn-like, purpose-built pub that can be seen from most of Wapping's historic riverside pubs. Situated on the riverbank, next to the Rotherhithe Street Bridge that crosses the entrance lock to Surrey Water, the pub is, as its name suggests, an island: an 'island' surrounded by concrete, not water.

Designed to resemble an 'old wooden warehouse' it looks more like a Wild West saloon, which is apt for the Burberry Cap- and gold-clown necklace-wearing Rotherhithe posse that invades the pub's terrace at the first glimpse of sun. Removing their tops quicker then you can say 'skin cancer', they're making a liar of Noel Coward who said it was only 'Mad dogs and Englishmen (who) go out in the midday sun' - he forgot to include the Rotherhithe Massive.

The pub's detached nature means there's no such thing as a garden, just an endless patio surrounding the pub and providing endless possibilities for deciding on which area of concrete to sit. The front (or back?) of The Spice Island has a large terrace overlooking the river, which has many benches and Calor Gas Heaters (to keep the drinkers warm on those hot, sunny summer days). From the terrace there is an excellent, albeit distant, view of the Erotic Gherkin in the City - the Swiss Re building at 30 St Mary Axe. Sitting on the terrace with its obvious Wild West appearance, one expects a 'Madame' to saunter onto the outside balcony in full 19th Century regalia and proposition the drinkers to visit her 'girls' inside at the 'best little whorehouse in...Rotherhithe'!

The internal balcony of the pub, on the mezzanine floor, overlooks the large central bar, which has a fishtank as its main feature. The ceiling of the pub is a marriage of air-conditioning ducting and fans, the latter going haywire and seemingly likely to fly off at any moment, decapitating a Burberry-Capped head.

There is no shortage of tables and seats (or pews), nestling between the excessive potted-palms, where intellectuals can sit and read a selection of newspapers provided by the pub. The newspapers were untouched during our last visit.

The music in the pub: David Gray followed by Supergrass (?), which says it all! This is a fairly innocuous pub that is cheap and a great place to experience a rarely seen view of the London skyline, although my aide-mémoire taken whilst enjoying a recent pint says the pub is 'full of twats', and there are plenty of cameras in the pub. Make of that what you will.

Review by mr_psm