Our recent visit to  Phileas Foggs was an awesome digression from the normal, boring pub fare. Firstly, the charming little pub is strange upon entry- soccer jerseys stapled to the ceiling, a full-size Chinese art mural splashed across the walls, and an impressive lineup of beers on tap. Brian, the owner, likes it that way. For this place is an extension of himself: an interesting hodgepodge of curiosities and bad attitude that makes this place irresistible to culinary treasure hunters like us.

Beer and food pairing recommendations come unsolicited from Brian himself, who seems to take a great personal interest in what you’re drinking with your meal. Not surprisingly, he’s planning to open his own brewery next door: Sabre Springs Brewing Company.

You better hope you don’t order wrong because Brian will actually bawl you out: but he’s got a sharp British accent and razor sharp wit to match so you won’t at all mind the verbal lashing.

On the menu, my old foe: and after a briefing on how blood sausage and black pudding is not the same thing, I ordered the black and white pudding appetizer. I dreaded that I might have to face the fact that a traditional European delicacy might once and for all disappoint me. But as Brian pointed out:  the black pudding is firmer like a sausage, and his came battered and deep fried – that’s the way us sissy Americans like to try out new things, he tells me. I had to agree.

The hearty and rich fish and chips here was good enough to put any contender for the food fight challenge for the best fish and chips to total shame. The steak and kidney pie was the finest I’d ever tasted, and the deep fried black pudding sausage, I am happy to report, was deep, dark, meaty, well spiced and absolutely divine. After many spot-on beer pairings and some house made bacon ice cream and poached apples paired with a lovely chocolate stout, I felt a serenity that normally only occurs after a roll in the hay. For my tummy was full of pub food and beer, and my faith in visceral meats cooked in their own blood completely restored. And if you thought pudding was limited to dessert, you’d be dead wrong.  Take it from a man for whom pudding means sausage, custard means pudding, football means soccer, chips means fries, and a negative Yelp review makes his day.

So come here for the Asian spiced chicken wings and televised sports, and stay for the blood sausage and beer.

What maybe one of the best reasons to check out Phileas Foggs is the pre-visit Yelp review, where you can read all about how much Brian doesn’t care about what anybody thinks, which is how it ought to be.   A veritable novel of what can only be described as sissy whiny whimperings from those that are not worthy to bask in his glow. You may not care what people think, but we just love you Phileas Foggs, and unlike the brain belching wannabe food writers on yelp who will give one star just because the waitress didn’t give out her phone number, we actually know what we’re talking about.