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| Builders
Arms Britten Street Chelsea 020 7349 9040 
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Lunch £21 ($40) |
Hidden down a backstreet off the King's Road, the Builders Arms is difficult for the unwary to find, but well heeled locals have no problem and were there in force when I and a friend dropped by one afternoon for a respite from shopping. The many rooms inside were all full, so we sat at one of the two outside tables and admired the local Victorian mansion block architecture. I had white wine £3.50 and we shared a starter of grilled squid with roasted red pepper (£7). Then I had a 10oz steak medium rare with chunky chips (£10.50) while my companion ordered water (£3) and salmon fishcake in parsley sauce (£9) and a side salad (£2.50). A second glass of wine and more water brought the bill to £42. The salad was tiny, and though the other dishes were tasty enough, they were not exactly special or demanding for a place that trade paper Morning Advertiser voted 12th in its Top 20 Pubs in the UK back in 2004. |
| The
Farm Farm Lane Fulham 020 7381 3331 Fulham Broadway |
Dinner £30 ($55) |
Proprietor Tom Etridge has overhauled this nice old red brick building
on a quiet backroad of Fulham to create a stylish bar and restaurant.
Staff are young and numerous, but seemed rather dazed on our arrival
- perhaps it was shock as it was early evening and the place was otherwise
empty. The lack of other customers made the dining room at the back
feel more formal than it really is. Our table overlooked a narrow
patio with outdoor dining for about a dozen people, and gave me a
welcome glimpse of blue sky and tree branches shifting in the breeze.
Inside the decor combines floors and tables of dark wood with burgundy
and trendily papered walls for an understated and classy look. However
my ultra-critical companion noticed traces of dust and felt it lacked
basic housekeeping. Cream coloured leather armchairs provide a bright
contrast and there are also several lampshades in cream on chrome
rails and wires. I was heading for Spain the next morning and a gin
and tonic put me in holiday mood. Though it was early I tucked into
the platter of chunky slices of country style bread that arrived at
the table with a small pot of unsalted butter. From the short menu
I ordered foie gras with onion marmalade and a generous slice of toasted
brioche (£8.50). The pate was cool, solid and creamy and the
brioche fresh and sweet, onion marmalade was sweet too but still had
a tangy flavour. For main course I chose neck of lamb (£15.50),
which came with spinach, dumplings and a soup like broth, plus small
chunks of carrots, green beans, mini courgette, tomatoes and a side
order of mashed potatoes and cava neroli - green cabbage-like veg
(£3.00 each). The lamb was delicious and tender and the veg
crisp, though the chef managed to put a rotten courgette on my plate.
To start my companion chose seared salmon with potato salad (£6.50),
which was very rare in the middle, and a main of chicken with toasted
brie sandwich (£14.50). To drink we had a bottle of sancerre
(£30). Service was attentive, which you'd expect with only two
customers, though not attentive enough to put the wine on the bill
(result!). The Farm has declared itself a cash-free zone and I recently
interviewed the proprietor (who owns three other venues in London),
about this for a major credit card company's staff magazine. The aim
is to reduce the time spent processing notes and coins, as well as
cut pilferage, though I understand they will accept cash if the customer
has no alternative. Clientele includes the plastic flashing locals
and flush punters from the nearby Chelsea football ground. I enjoyed
my meal but I imagine not everyone will have the luxury of getting
wine gratis. Cash free indeed. Website |
| The
Well St John Street Clerkenwell 020 7251 9363 Farringdon |
Brunch £10 ($20) |
Celebrating a friend's birthday brunch in the basement bar of this
trendified corner pub I arrived late after a miserably slow journey
by tube and unwisely started with a few Blood Marys. To offset the
sudden rush of alcohol I ordered and enjoyed a starter of crispy pork
belly with borlotti beans (£6.50). The pork was small but beautifully
cooked though I could have done with more beans. Later we moved upstairs
later to the bright, airy main bar room with its chunky wooden furniture
and stripped floor, where I settled into several white wines and conversation
with my new companions. The menu here ranges from classic starters
such as 'pint o prawns' with mayonnaise and more adventurous sounding
dishes such as sautéed wild forest mushrooms with feta on rosemary
focaccia, to seared chicken livers with balsamic vinegar and crispy
duck confit with rocket and celeriac apple remoulade, while brunch
standards include The Well's own full English breakfast, black pudding,
soft fried egg, crispy bacon and sautéed potatoes. Interesting
food well prepared and a friendly atmosphere that make it a regular
haunt for local residents and business people. Website |
|
Bung Hole Cellars |
Lunch £20 ($40) |
My boss took her team for Christmas lunch in 2004 to Bung Hole Cellars,
one of a small chain of restaurants and wine bars. The basement level
dining room, underneath a small bar near the law courts, is accessed
via stairs down from a narrow side alley. The decor is dark and suitably
gloomy with sawdust on the floor and dusty bottles on display, and
clientele - stuffed shirts from the local law companies - matched
perfectly. We were seated in a small private booth, next to a larger
one where a champagne party - no doubt to celebrate Christmas bonuses
- was in full swing. We ordered a bottle of Davy's Best Bordeaux Sauvignon
(£14.85) which was fresh, fruity and crisp with a lovely Sauvignon
taste that included hints of gooseberries. It arrived with a basket
of bread containing both whole grain and sliced baguette. To start
I had pheasant paté with spiced pear and baby figs in rum syrup,
dressed with green leaves, and a main course of Allerton ham with
dressed leaves, home made piccalilli and boiled potatoes. The paté
was suitably coarse and nicely sweetened with the pear and figs, while
the ham was excellent, though the piccalilli was on the bland side.
The others had starters of smoked salmon on mixed leaves with balsamic
syrup and pink peppercorns, or mozarella and tomato, and mains of
mushroom risotto. Website |
| The
Ealing Park Tavern South Ealing Road 020 8758 1879 South Ealing |
Dinner £20 ($30) |
This large old roadside inn on the South Ealing road used to be a
dump, according to Ted who works nearby. But a recent makeover, including
an attractive modern style back garden, and the installation of a
decent chef, have effectively transformed it into a very nice destination
gastropub for the trendy locals. Inside, original features abound
and the spacious dining room feels more like a baronial hall with
its high beamed ceiling, dark panelled walls, wooden floor and mix
and match wooden chairs and tables. Huge undressed windows let lots
of light into what might otherwise be a gloomy setting. One end of
the room is the open kitchen behind which several white suited figures
lurk, and on the wall above these the menu is chalked up. I ordered
chicken liver pate with cornichons and toasted bread (£4.50)
to start, and salmon steak with crushed new potatoes, broccoli and
lemon hollandaise sauce (£11). Ted and Karl both had terrine
of rabbit, pigeon, black pudding and chorizo with homemade sweet and
sour chutney (£5.50), and rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes
and a rosemary jus (£11.50). All the starters were accompanied
by a handful of salad leaves in a smooth dressing. My pate was chunky
yet smooth, and the cornichons tangy with vingegar, while the salmon
arrived delicate and flaky. The potatoes, buttery and salted and still
with remnants of skin, reminded me of when potatoes used to taste
this good all the time. To drink I had a glass of cool chardonnay
and we also ordered a bottle of sparkling mineral water. Service,
which I have seen criticised in other online reviews, was smart and
friendly, and I can say The Ealing Park Tavern is one of the best
of the so-called gastropubs I've eaten at. |
|
Lots Road Pub and Dining Room |
Lunch £17.50 ($26) |
I hadn't been too impressed
with my first visit here, but about six months later I returned with
visitors as it was nearby and I wanted to give it a second chance. I'm
glad I did, and returned again (early 2003), this time for lunch. In
the pale cream dining room just inside the entrance to the right, we
sat at salvaged cathedral seats at large, chunky wooden tables, not
dissimilar to those that were a feature of the now defunct Pierre Victoire
chain. The room is bright and airy thanks to large skylights. One wall,
padded in a pinkish aubergine, adds colour that throbs and contrasts
nicely with the fuchsia single potted hyacinths on each table. Below
the skylight a long, horizontally hung wood-framed mirror adds interest
above a brown leather banquette ranged the full length of the wall.
My starter of mixed pepper, olive and stilton tart (£5), under
a scattering of leaves, also contained mushroom and tasted oddly like
pizza. It was good, but repeated on me for the rest of the afternoon.
The haggis spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce (£6.50) were much
more successful, combining the unmistakable scent of offal with the
crunch of finely julienned carrots and the sweet tanginess of the sauce.
I daringly ignored my usual main course favourites such as sausages,
pan fried chicken and salmon fillet and plumped for grilled ham with
pineapple, big chips and fried egg (£8.50). The ham was smokily
seared and tender and the pineapple, although probably tinned, had been
treated to a spell on the grill, too. The egg was nicely done, with
the yolk not too runny but not completely set either, and the chips
were huge, plentiful and wondrous - golden and crispy on the outside
and fluffy inside, with a slightly nutty taste. I finished them with
difficulty. Cottage pie (£7.75) came with an uninteresting mashed
potato topping, but the meat was chunkily minced and rich in a thick
gravy sauce. We spurned beer and wine, and instead drank Strathearn
bottled water. Lots Road has certainly improved since my first visit
and now it's serving the sort of uncomplicated, well-cooked food that
should be available in pubs more often. |
|
All Bar One |
Breakfast £8 ($12) |
I don't often get to pubs
for breakfast but this exception followed a particularly drunken evening
with a friend who lives nearby in a redeveloped Victorian warehouse
overlooking St Saviour's Creek. It was a sunny Sunday morning but I
was feeling delicate as I ordered a 20oz freshly squeezed orange juice
and smoked salmon bagel, along with cappuccino. My companion had a 16oz
cranberry juice with a croissant and filter coffee. I've eaten satisfactory
lunches in All Bar Ones before, but those outlets were based in the
depths of Soho or Smithfield. This one opens out onto a stretch of river
front with fine views of the Thames and Tower Bridge. The flavours of
the juice and salmon were almost lost behind my hangover, but the meal
and view helped lift me out of my fugginess and set me up for the cycle
journey home on my Brompton folding bike. |
| Bel
& the Dragon High Street Cookham Berkshire 01628 521263 |
Lunch £32 ($48) |
On a bank holiday drive
around Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, looking for the Waterside
Inn in Bray (closed, as it turned out), we found this - a pub dating
from the 15th century on a quaint village high street. It was late -
after 2.30pm - and we were getting desperate. The outside looked unprepossessing,
but inside, squeezing through a very cramped and crowded bar room, with
bowed, beamed ceilings, we stumbled into a series of huge, connecting
and very busy dining rooms. It was this or nothing, even though there
was a long wait for a table. My starter of tossed salad of baby spinach,
stilton, pear, asparagus and walnuts with mustard and chervil dressing
(£6.50), was tangy and sweet, several large halved walnuts providing
a crunchy contrast. The delicately flavoured skewered char grilled monkfish
my companion ordered was wrapped in pancetta and served with saffron
aioli and tomato and red onion salad (£8.50). My main course was
char grilled duck breast, grilled corn, spinach, sarladaise potatoes
and baby onions, served in a honey and lemon jus (£15.95). The
duck was firm but not tough, and the jus added a delicious sweetness.
A huge slab of slow roasted lamb shoulder on parsley mashed potato with
grilled farmhouse bacon served with a shallot jus (£13.50) was
plonked in front of us. Although fatty, the lamb was strongly flavoured.
We ordered a glass of each of the red wines that were on offer - an
Australian shiraz, and a Chilean merlot. The prices, although high compared
to typical pub lunches, are worth it (lunch at the Waterside would have
set us back more than twice as much). The kitchen skimped on neither
portion size, quality of ingredients or skill of cooking. Everything
was loaded with flavour, and huge helpings made us glad we hadn't ordered
extra vegetables. Service at the Bel, one of three such operations around
the periphery of London, was brisk and friendly. It's well worth a Sunday
lunch visit on a drive out of town, but be hungry and prepared to wait
- we sipped drinks in the bar for 40 minutes. Website
|
| Too
So Bar Stephendale Road Fulham 020 7731 7823
Fulham Broadway
|
Dinner £20 ($30) |
Too So Bar, a wine bar
that replaced a grotty pub in summer 2001, adds another dimension and
a touch of class to an ordinary terraced Fulham street. Decor is modern,
with smart wooden tables and chairs, deep red fabric covered banquettes,
a vivid red wall, dotted with candy coloured paintings. The room is
bright and airy, with dining tables at the rear, and smaller cafe tables
spilling out onto the pavement at the front. There is room out the back
for a couple more tables. To start I had the special of grilled scallops
with risotto (£8), while my companions had the steamed mussels
with curry, coconut and coriander (£6) and chilled cucumber and
mint soup. The mussels were large and perfectly cooked in a delicately
flavoured sauce, while my scallops were well cooked although I was disappointed
there were only two for the relatively high price. For main course I
chose the marinated sesame chicken salad with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes
and cashew nuts (£7.50), while the others ordered pesto crusted
cod, crunchy potato bravas, green beans, tomatoes and herbs (£11),
and char grilled fillet steak with stilton rarebit and a mushroom and
potato gravy (£12.50). My chicken was spicy and the salad evenly
dressed with a tangy dressing, while the cod was firm without being
overcooked and the steak melted with flavour. We ordered a Framingham
sauvignon blanc 1996 from New Zealand to drink. Expensive for a small
gastropub, especially considering its previous incarnation, but worth
a visit and if the menu changes often it should keep the interest of
the large local residential population who have already taken well to
it. Also does Sunday brunch with some interesting selections, such as
eggs Benedict, smoked salmon and scrambled egg and char grilled fillet
steak sandwich. |
| Salisbury
Tavern Sherbrooke Road Fulham 020 7381 4005 Fulham Broadway |
Dinner £35 ($50) |
A corner pub in the Fulham
backstreets the Salisbury combines a modern looking bar and dining room
offering restaurant quality food. The dining room is a pleasant environment
with lovely tapestry banquettes, soothing terracotta walls, large conservatory
skylights and occasional framed black and white photgraphs, although
peace and quiet aren't on the menu. We chose to visit on match day -
Chelsea football ground is nearby - and were assailed by football chants
from the bar area, which we could just about hear above the stomping
disco beat from the sound system. Music ranged from U2 and Abba to Stars
on 45 - hardly appropriate for a serious restaurant, which this most
certainly is. From the short menu, which is strong on fish, we chose
Caesar salad with soft poached egg and roasted prosciutto and crispy
fried squid with warm potato and shallot salad to start. The Caesar
salad came topped with an anchovy and was quite tasty, while the tiny
helping of squid was drizzled with a sweet chili sauce that overpowered
all other flavours. I thought both were overpriced at £6.95 each. For
main course I had the seared fillet of seabass (£11.75), while my companion
had the day's special of roast guinea fowl (£12.50), and side dishes
of mustard mash and seasonal vegetables (£2.00 each). The seabass was
just right, although the tagliatelli of vegetables, coriander, sesame
and soy sauce (£7.50) tasted primarily of ginger and the mustard mash
although creamy was light on flavour. The fowl was delicious, although
the leg was rather overcooked and the sauce lacked depth of flavour.
The wine list starts at £11 a bottle and almost half of the list is
£20 or less. Nearly all are available by the glass. We chose a bottle
of New Zealand sauvignon blanc from Oyster Bay (£19), which provided
a good match for the seabass. For me the ambitions of the chef weren't
quite met by the end result and tastier food at these prices can be
found elsewhere in more peaceful surroundings. |
| Lots
Road Pub and Dining Room Lots Road Chelsea 020 7352 6645 Fulham Broadway |
Dinner £10 ($15) |
Recently converted from
one of the Firkin chain of pubs Lots Road, a corner pub off the beaten
track (being virtually on the doorstep of the white elephant that is
Chelsea Harbour), promised much with its very small menu and pristine
white and dark wood interior dotted with reclaimed church chairs and
some old leather sofas. Unfortunately the food disappointed. My omelette
(£5.00) with smoked salmon and wild mushrooms contained a single lonely
strand of mushroom of no discernible flavour and only a few crumbs of
salmon that was cooked right through so the smokiness was lost. My companion's
Lincolnshire sausages with bubble and squeak (£7.50) failed miserably,
as the sausages had an odd flavour and the b&s was little more than
mashed potatoes with not enough cabbage. We shared a bowl of large,
dark and rather damp but tasty hand cut fries. The menu on a board beside
the modern grey, steel-topped bar was even shorter than usual as some
dishes had been scratched from it, and what was left seemed overloaded
with beef. As it's local I might try again in the hope that it was a
slow night but it will have to do much better to warrant a third visit. |
| The
Old Crown New Oxford Street WC1 020 7836 9121 Tottenham Court Road |
Lunch £10 ($15) |
Small stylish corner pub
with distressed turquoise painted bar on the ground floor and other
bright colour schemes on the two levels above, the top one of which
is the dining room. The menu offers a range of small and larger home
cooked dishes alongside snacks and the ubiquitous burgers, as well as
a pasta and sausage of the day. On my visit I tried wild boar and apple
sausages, served with mash. I've also enjoyed the very tasty beef and
Guinness pie, served with a garnish of lettuce and dressing, and homemade
chips on the side for about £6.50, while a colleague made short work
of a steak baguette. |
| The
Ship Jew's Row 020 8870 9667  Wandsworth Town
|
Dinner £10 ($15) |
This very popular pub
beside Wandsworth Bridge boasts a large outside area overlooking the
river where pints can be sipped as you gaze at the murky waters, squint
past the rusting cranes and empty hulks on the near bank at the large
furniture emporia on the opposite bank, or watch the evening flights
line themselves up high above the river preparing for descent at Heathrow
miles upriver. Inside, queuing for drinks at the bar is a long drawn
out process. In the dining room next door, which overlooks an outside
dining area, young female staff haphazardly take orders for food not
dissimilar to the fare on offer at several other pub chains such as
All Bar One. We ordered bangers and mash, the latter having a weirdly
white and shiny appearance - possibly the result of having been covered
with cling film, stored in a fridge and then microwaved. The sausages
were homemade and very tasty, but the smallest in our party only got
two bangers on her plate, as opposed to three which seems to be the
universal standard. This was apparently because one was much larger
than usual, but our waitress eventually backed down in the face of some
stubborn Ozzie willpower and brought over one more - which we all shared. |
| The
Poet Creechurch Lane 020 7623 2020 Aldgate
|
Dinner £20 ($30) |
NB
- apparently under new management as of May 2004. The decor is modern and unfussy in this City bar restaurant, which makes a change from the usual grungey pubs and wine bars in the Aldgate and Liverpool Street area near the Lloyds building. Unfortunately it also makes for a deafening experience thanks to loud music and a complete absence of soft furnishings. Solid blocks of green, blue and mango on the walls, beechwood flooring and lots of glass overlook the street in a long, stylish bar on the ground floor separated from the restaurant by moveable ceiling-height frosted glass screens, which fold back in the evening. Downstairs is the brasserie, available for group booking. According to the owner the Guinness is brewed in Dublin and alongside the usual premium bottled beers there is Adnams Bitter. Positively reviewed by Time Out in January 1999 the Poet offers a varied range of bar snacks such as wild mushroom pasta, bruschetta with artichokes, peppers, tomatoes and mozzarella and tandoori chicken and nan sandwich. Similar dishes are available in the basement brasserie, while the ground floor restaurant offers the likes of daube of ox cheek with trimmings. I tried the roast pork sandwich with apple sauce, which was dry and uninteresting. However the hand cut chips were superb.
|
| Anglesea
Arms Wingate Road 020 8749 1291 Ravenscourt Park
|
Dinner £20 ($30) |
The food from this pub
has been raved about recently in several magazines and papers, including
Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Set on a corner in residential Shepherd's
Bush, The Anglesea Arms is a traditional pub offering Courage beers
and has a spacious dining room to one side of the bar. Light comes in
through several skylights in the ceiling from which hang several large
fans. Dinner begins at 7.30 pm, after the menu has been chalked on a
huge blackboard at one end of the room. There is no booking. Instead
diners are seated on a first come basis and orders taken supposedly
in the same order. The style of cuisine is modern British with a strong
mediterranean flavour. To start we had wild trout, creme fraiche and
spicy beetroot relish, and wild mushrooms with hollandaise on toasted
brioche, and for main courses we had seared mullet with duck confit.
Everything looked and tasted beautiful. An Australian riesling was so
delicious we had a second bottle. Friendly service started well but
flagged badly between the first and second courses. Our mood wasn't
helped when the waitress shrugged off our 30 minute wait after we asked
why diners who had arrived after us seemed to be getting their food
first. However, definitely worth a revisit. |
| Prices are per head for two-three courses, sharing a bottle of wine or a beer or two where appropriate | ||
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