As the first Michelin star gastropub in London, this was always going to be on the essential eating list. British pub food with an exceptional rating - how can you not? The slight deterrents are that it is a little out of the way to get to and the quality tends to mean needing to book and plan in advance. Both things that aren't terribly difficult to negotiate, but that's why it took 1.5 years until the last 2 weeks of my London time to finally commit to getting there.
Maybe because it was a Sunday evening that they had a special of roast. With traditional English fare on the menu such as deer, pork and lamb, it may seem a little disappointing to have ended up with a Sunday lunch meal for a dinner at a Michelin star venue, but it was sublime.
- Seasonal roast partridge - my first taste of this beautifully cooked game bird;
- Treacle cooked smoked salmon, pickled apple whiskey jelly, smoked cod's roe and watercress - thick slices of fish with some chew and good flavour;
- Belted Galloway wingtip roast beef and short rib, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, smoked bone marrow - this was a real wow dish. The wingtip with rare to order with meat and bones to gnaw on. The short rib was a succulent fall-apart piece of tender flavour and some of the best beef I've eaten in my life. Potatoes were perfectly crisp and perfectly moist. Yorkshire puddings were filled with meat gravy. It was spectacular;
- Poached and fresh heritage apples, spiced mead and set cream - a simple apple dessert that sweetly ended the meal.
I wouldn't wait so long to go back again. British food at it's finest.
Next time I would order anything here with a same penchant for roasted meats and offcuts. Heart, ribs and cheeks would be my typical go-to if they happen to be serving it.
