WHEN the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) recommends a pub, you can be pretty sure it is going to be good.

So when I heard about the Robin Hood and Little John pub in Lion Road, Bexleyheath, which has just been named London CAMRA pub of the year, I just had to pay a visit.

This is a proper backstreet pub in every sense of the word. A mid-afternoon visit one weekday was slightly less than successful when I realised the pub is shut from after lunch until 5.30pm -as is the case with many quieter suburban pubs.

Undeterred, I went for a quick stroll around the area and caught up with my old pal Agent CP.

We both ventured back soon after opening time for a few early evening looseners.

The pub operates a sensible over-21s rule. This cuts out the danger of drunken teenagers in garish shirts wandering in on the rampage - always a winner.

Although I was mainly looking forward to sinking a few pints of properly-served real ale, I was also pleasantly surprised by the cosy, rural interior.

Clean, smartly-presented and well-kept facilities, lots of interesting pictures to look at and a traditional, yet friendly, atmosphere all give the Robin Hood a unique and charming feel.

The comfy leather armchairs are a bonus and the friendly, personable and knowledgeable service also rates among the best I've ever experienced.

But let's not beat around the bush. I came here for the beer. And I was not disappointed.

First up was a pint of Trafalgar Bitter - a complex golden pint which aficionados will relish, but not the novices.

Thanks to the barman's recommendation, the next pint I tried was honestly one of the best I've ever had.

Named after a clergyman, a pint of Reverend James looks decidedly ominous from the outset.

When you find out the alcohol level is nearing five per cent - matching most premium lagers - and you see the dark, near-stout colour of the brew, you are expecting to sink a glassful of thick, heavy-duty, hard-to-drink ale.

But instead, this was one of the most easily-drinkable, silky-smooth and subtly-tasty pints I have ever had.

If you ever see this beer available, I strongly suggest you enjoy it while it lasts.

It is honestly enough to convert even the most ardent drinkers of Euro-fizz.

However, I'm certain the excellent beer in the Robin Hood is due in no small part to some expert cellar-work.

Too many pubs, usually the badly-managed chain pubs, purport to serve real ale yet end up dishing out pint glasses full of overly warm, cloudy and vinegary Courage Best with half-a-centimetre of sediment swimming around in it.

Usually when you complain to the badly-trained and underpaid oiks behind the bar, you are met with rudery and indifference.

While there are exceptions, notably the Wetherspoons and Whitbread Hogshead chains, it is becoming increasingly rare to find a place which serves ale perfectly.

The Robin Hood is one of the few I know, and it is made even better by the fact it is an old-style friendly local.

Were it not for the fact my flatmate, Agent Sumo, had locked himself out of my house in the pouring rain and phoned me to plead for mercy, I could have stayed here all night.

I cannot recommend the Robin Hood enough. While I do not suggest you arrive en masse - the place is only small and probably hard-pushed to cope with bus loads of boozers - I do suggest you take the time to make a visit one

evening, even if it does involve a long journey.

Any cab fare/long walk and bus ride will be well worth it.