Abbot’s Choice Shinjuku

First time to attend a Unilocal Happy Hour event but timing worked in my favor today. We had a nice sized group that grew from five to eight, but that was about the right size of any semi-​large group here in terms of space limitations. I suppose if you wanted to make things really cozy, one more table could be added for a group of ten. Beyond that, you’d literally be falling into each other’s laps… uh, some may prefer that, LOL.
British pub so ya gotta try the fish-​n-​chips. We did and they were quite tasty — made of flounder from Aomori prefecture. Flounder is a flat fish so the fish pieces were fillets, but thin (duh). I’m used to more «meaty» cuts of fish for F&C, so although it was tasty, batter, frying and size were not up, to my personal standards. Fries were rough cut and done well. However, a big missing ingredient for F&C is malt vinegar. Should’ve asked but didn’t see any either. Some people don’t care, but I do. Three stars max.
(I skipped the sun-​dried tomatoes in olive oil because, well, it’s REALLY hard to screw those up because you know they came straight out of a bottle.)
Next we tried the Shepard’s Pie. Not bad, but as I mentioned to my fellow Unilocalers, if I think I could make a dish better at home, we’re looking at falling stars here. No, I’m not a great cook but what I can do, I do well. Three stars max for this as well.
Next was sliced meats: prosciutto ham, salami and pepperoni. I think
I’m spoiled by Belgian dried ham, which many will argue gives the more famous Italian variety a serious run for the money. I’m going to be a bit harsh here — two stars. I’ve had better.
Are we thirsty yet? There’s a good selection of imported beers on tap. I went for Belgian Belle Vue, one of my favorites. The others were pretty common. Was surprised to see Japanese Yona Yona on tap — that would have been my choice if I had switched. Prices per glass were pretty standard for the area: ¥800 ~ ¥1,000+/glass.
My friend here on business arrived and we decided to share a plate of assorted sausages. It took forever for his beer to arrive. I asked twice after that about where the piggies had run off to. Nearly 30 minutes later, they came. Good, tasty, nice selection of four varieties and a slice of ham, plus sauerkraut and Dijon mustard accents on the side. Taste: Four stars. Service: One star: Seriously, not even the traditional «Sorry to keep you waiting» greeting.
Overall, it’s an okay place to chill, alone or as a couple, maybe a group of four is stretching it. Most of the other patrons were there as pairs, plus one table of three.
It wasn’t standing room only. They had an adequate number of staff, so I think the service was at most 1.5 stars. Hey, smiles at McD’s are free! One waitress had a particularly bad attitude, so I’ll leave my rating as is even though if it were just her, she’d get a donut. Food quality about three; beer selection, three; atmosphere, three. English Premier League on the TVs, that was a plus (but we weren’t there to debate the back line of Liverpool, so…).
After all this, I’m still wondering, who the hell is Abbot? I want to have a few words with him. A fin, ymmv.

Went here for a Unilocal Happy Hour event. After 50 mins on train and getting lost in Shinjuku station we finally made it. Use the stairs behind Mister Donut to the basement.
Abbot’s Choice is my kind of pub. Beers on tap. Small but not crowded. Champions League Futbol/​soccer playing on TV. Not too quiet or loud.
The food was great. Sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto, salami appetizers and Shepard pie. All very delicious. As for beer I had the Yona Yona Ale and Belle Vue Kriek. The Yona Yona ale, made in Japan, went down smooth Should have ordered two. The Vue Kriek was ok. Too fruity for my taste.
I got to meet local Tokyo Unilocalers and one that made it here from Osaka. Great times!