Mobilit-eye Of The Tiger

Full credit to The Wickingman for the title of this blog post after he gave me the idea on Twitter. He has proved himself to be not only a Bass aficionado but also a Sub Editor of some repute.

I’m not sure this picture actually does the boozer justice as, whilst I was having a pint of Burton’s finest, another mobility scooter pulled up to create a bit of a parking lot outside a Derby institution.

Some towns just lend themselves to pubs like this – I think they can be referred to as towns “awaiting gentrification” and Derby fits the bill perfectly.

Whilst this might not be good for the High Street as a shopping destination it does mean that town centre pubs with mobility scooters parked outside are not that unusual.

240 – The Tiger Bar DE1 2DT is a perfect example of an old skool boozer in the centre of Derby that has blokes with vests drinking at the bar allied to earthy language, amusing pub banter and a lot of people who appear to be ‘locals’ as they are clearly regulars.

There are two rooms and the bar had a decent turnout whilst the lounge was left to me, the chef and two old boys soon to be joined by another couple.

(eye catching – the pint of Bass obviously…)

Oh yes, like a lot of pubs in this neck of the woods it also sells Bass.  And it’s very good!   Rich will be pleased to know they also have Landlord as an option but it was always going to be the lure of the iconic red triangle for me.

This is a proper market boozer with not only the fish market opposite but also the Guildhall (Victorian) market next door and it was noticeable that during the hour I spent in there a lot of market traders came in to use the toilets.

I guess the payoff is that they come and have a pint and it was that kind of place with a funny atmosphere and whilst this pub might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I thought it was cracking.

It opens at 10am in the morning as befits a market pub and it is situated in an area known as the Cornmarket and when I went in there at about 2.00pm Australia and Denmark were slugging it out in a World Cup clash with the pub bedecked in England flags.

There was an absolute abundance of Paddy Power betting slips (along with some very tidy beermats) and the game was being shown on a couple of televisions throughout the pub but that didn’t detract from the level of conversation.

A chat about colostomy bags was order of the day on the table nearest to me whilst the chef appeared to have downed tools for the day as she was texting on her phone.

I noticed that there is a disco every Friday and Saturday night and looking at the age range of punters in there I suspect I would be regarded as a youngster if I turned up in my seventies gear.

The toilet also had some bona fide football stickers along with some condoms that appeared to be sponsored by Rangers…

…although I suspect Viagra might have sold quicker in The Tiger.

I really think we should cherish pubs like this as I am pretty sure they won’t be here in about 30 years’ time.

The price of Bass (£3.75) might have been a little steep but it was well kept and in a town centre that had already been gentrified it would be an absolute bargain at that price.

A hidden gem in central Derby serving good beer and a good atmosphere with punters who were definitely not making their debut in The Tiger!

I think it is quite apt that band Survivor sang “Eye Of The Tiger” as this place is definitely one of Derby’s survivors and long may it continue in its current guise.