You know the rules, when a boozer changes its name or has a big refurb it has to be re-ticked and there are two that are currently eligible.

The Met. (Or Bar 10 or The Wharf Bar).

I meant to do gardening after work on Wednesday but as I departed I felt rain. Well I aint using a lawnmower while it’s of a damp nature so I opted to go to The Light Cinema to watch the current Jennifer Lawrence flick No Hard Feelings. It was decent enough but upon leaving it was too early to go home and I was kinda thirsty so I went to The Met.

My last visit here was around Covid times where we were shouted at twice upon entry and were served crap expensive lager in plastic glasses so this place has been off my radar for a while.

It shut in April and was closed for two months which surprised me as it’s not the biggest of buildings so I was eager t see what had been done. Well it’s different. The bar and toilets are in the same place but that’s where the similarities end.

It’s now very much a sports bar with an American feel. The sign for the toilets saying restrooms was pushing this theme a bit much for my liking though. Service was quick and friendly with Madri in a proper glass coming in at £4.90.

There is a retro gaming machine, table football, a couple of gamblers and 2 pool tables. Those booths on the canal side are now gone so it feels a lot more open plan. There were a few people in for a rainy Wednesday evening and the mood was relaxed.

The biggest change is in the toilets. The layout is totally different. The trough has been replaced by individual urinals and the cubicles have moved too with the added bonus of now having doors that fit so when you have a poo there is no longer a gap between frame and door for delighted passing voyeurs to glance into. One cubicle door is adorned with the Gazza crying in 1990 picture with the other one sporting that picture of the female tennis player scratching her bare arse, a picture I was on about only last weekend saying how I’d like a game of tennis one day and to recreate that. The other difference in the toilets is that they no longer smell like a giraffe house (reference nicked from an old guy in The White Lion years ago).

The bouncer on the door was friendly too. He greeted me warmly on the way in asking if he looked good in the picture that I took. I assured him that he did. He was friendly on my way out too. This place has clearly had money and some thought put into it. I wish them well and I’ll certainly not be a stranger. But at that moment in my life I needed a Thatchers Cloudy Cider so I ran up to The Oak Inn.

The second re-tick was going to be Room 112 which has recently changed its name from Flying Tiger Bar but it spent most of its life as Bar NV. Unfortunately the two times I visited this week it has been closed, hopefully not permanently.

The County – Willenhall.

This pub has just reopened after a major refurbishment and from the outside you immediately see the difference. The tired old signage has gone and new elegant ones have gone up and the building looks so much better.

The two old style doors as you enter have been retained which is nice as I like those and it was nice to see on entry that walls have been kept too. I like it when pubs keep their individual original rooms rather than going fully open plan.

The music on entry was Valerie and it was the proper version by The Zutons which just doesn’t get played enough. This was followed by Arctic Monkeys Mardy Bum and Libertines Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. An excellent start. Carling is£2.90 a pint which is decent these days but there isn’t any real ale pulls.

Both rooms were busy and it was a really good vibe. The indie disco gave way to a singer who started with Oasis then threw in Kings Of Leon plus Angels by Robbie Williams. I’ve been very lucky with regards to Angels as I have rarely heard it being sung on karaoke over the years so I was happy to hear it. Also people were joining in and it reminded me of the end of Early Doors which is always good.

I popped into the beer garden which I had no idea was there but there was a bit of a windchill so I headed back inside.

They have done a great job of this refurb. The place looks good and it was nice to see a few people in. I look forward to going back.