SPICE ISLAND INN
PORTSMOUTH
This doesn’t happen all that often, but once in a while venue triumphs over menu. In my view that’s the case with the Spice Island Inn, a veritable history lesson of a pub located on Portsmouth Point at the eastern side of the harbour. Operated by Greene King, the Spice Island Inn rubs shoulders with another of Portsmouth’s historic waterfront watering holes, the Still & West, which is run by rival chain Fullers. That, we felt, boded well, for there’s nothing like a bit of competition to raise the bar.
Deciding which to take lunch in was a coin-toss moment, but it was the sandwich board outside the Spice Island Inn that sealed the deal. It outlined the pub’s heritage, and fascinating stuff it was too,…