CArpenter's Arms
Bold Anglo-French fare is the order of the day at this thoroughly enjoyable gastropub. Beautifully layered flavours are present in each dish we tried – creamy lamb sweetbreads with baby turnips and pickled grapes, for example, or meaty halibut set atop cider-braised bacon, peas and lettuce with a clean, savoury broth. It often feels more restaurant than pub, but it doesn’t seem to be a concern of the eclectic mix of fans that flock to the place day and night.
When to go :
For solid seasonal British food prepared and presented with a flourish. Anything that looks good – the dishes consistently deliver on taste.
For solid seasonal British food prepared and presented with a flourish. Anything that looks good – the dishes consistently deliver on taste.
Address :
91 Black Lion Lane, W6 9BG (8741 8386). Stamford Brook
Info :
91 Black Lion Lane, W6 9BG (8741 8386). Stamford Brook
Info :
The GuN
Tom and Ed Martin’s dockside gastropub is still as good as ever. Best in the summer but a fine place to dine all year round, the more casual back room is our favoured perch for knocking back the pints (Adnams Broadside, Young’s Ordinary, Abbot Ale) alongside perfect pub food – a pint of prawns with aïoli, perhaps, or a pie of the week. The posher dining room is a perfect setting for gastronomic excess, with a Modern European menu that may feature braised shin of venison, duck confit or foie gras velouté.
When to go :
On a blue sky day, to soak in the views across the Thames. Anything from simple fat chips to a full-blown Sunday lunch.
Address :
27 Coldharbour, E14 9NS (7515 5222). Canary Wharf or South Quay.
Website :
http://www.thegundocklands.com/
Bull & LAst
Own-made charcuterie, dedication to ingredient provenance and quite possibly the best triple-cooked chips in the capital makes this revamped gastropub a firm favourite with food lovers. The fab range of draught ales includes Spitfire, Black Sheep, Old Speckled Hen and London Pride. To eat, we loved braised ox cheek with parsley risotto and roast marrow served with cassoulet; we’ll be back for Sunday lunches. To try everything – and believe us, you’ll want to – multiple visits to honour this will be obligatory thanks to the gargantuan portions.
When to go :
To warm bellies before hitting the nearby Parliament Hill farmers’ market. Bring the kids, too – child portions cost a mere £6. Anything from the blackboard, and try your hardest to fit in pudding.
Address :
To warm bellies before hitting the nearby Parliament Hill farmers’ market. Bring the kids, too – child portions cost a mere £6. Anything from the blackboard, and try your hardest to fit in pudding.
Address :
168 Highgate Rd, NW5 1QS (7267 3641). Kentish Town tube/rail then 214, C1, C2, C11 bus/Gospel Oak rail.
Princess VictoriA
A former Victorian gin palace, this gastropub has managed to hang on to the elegance of its former incarnation while at the same time propel itself into the present with a serious attitude to food and drink. New leaseholders Matt Wilkin and James McLean are the two to thank; Wilkin, previously head sommelier at the well-regarded Capital hotel in Knightsbridge, has conjured a fine wine list mixing both strong European wines as well as those from lesser-known regions. The ales, including Timothy Taylor Landlord and London Pride, are well-kept. Meanwhile, McLean has ensured that there’s no fustiness about the menu,which focuses on reinventing the gastropub meal with layers of flavour – fall-apart confit Barbary duck, for example, is neatly matched with soured onions, creamy fondant potato and simple winter greens; bar snacks include deep-fried pig’s cheeks with an eggy gribiche sauce, or sour-sweet guindilla peppers stuffed with mellow feta. The Princess has a lot going for it – quality without ponce, and comfort without compromising elegance.
When to go :
On a Saturday, for a slap-up lunch and a chance to peruse the artisanal food market in the carpark. Go surf and turf. The potted Dorset crab is one of the best; follow up with 28-day-aged ribeye with ludicrously tasty thrice-cooked chips.
Address :
On a Saturday, for a slap-up lunch and a chance to peruse the artisanal food market in the carpark. Go surf and turf. The potted Dorset crab is one of the best; follow up with 28-day-aged ribeye with ludicrously tasty thrice-cooked chips.
Address :
217 Uxbridge Rd, W12 9DH (8749 5886). Shepherd’s Bush Market tube.
Website :
Website :
York & AlbAny
Angela Hartnett hasn’t disappointed with this new venture, a Gordon Ramsay Holdings project that consists of a very handsome dining room, hotel, bar (and – a bit of window-dressing really – a deli). Yet for all the fanfare, when it opened, it’s a great place that lives up to the promise. Wowing us with stunning and precise reworkings of Modern European cuisine, strongly accented with ingredients and techniques via Hartnett’s Italian background, she – along with head chef Colin Buchan – has created something very special indeed. The consistent quality of the offerings – smoked duck carpaccio or oven-baked halibut, say – is virtually guaranteed.
When to go :
For a spot of high-end cooking in kooky Camden. Any of the Modern European dishes that have an Italian accent.
For a spot of high-end cooking in kooky Camden. Any of the Modern European dishes that have an Italian accent.
Address :
127-129 Parkway, NW1 7PS (7388 3344). Camden Town.
127-129 Parkway, NW1 7PS (7388 3344). Camden Town.
Harwood Arms
There are many pubs laying claim to serving ‘seasonal, local and natural produce’, but Mike Robinson’s Fulham venture actually transcends it. A well-known game specialist, Robinson himself actually hunts for all the deer that will form the base of dishes such as roast venison T-bone with cavolo nero and mushroom ketchup. Much of the menu uses wild ingredients sourced from land in and around the woods near Robinson’s first gastropub, The Pot Kiln in Berkshire. Everything we tried was superb, and washed down nicely with the well-kept ales (including Black Sheep bitter, or the current guest ale, Good Old Boy from the West Berkshire Brewery).
When to go :
For a bone-warming, conscience-free game meal. Pigeon, venison, rabbit – all good. With warm Bramley apple doughnuts to end.
Address :
For a bone-warming, conscience-free game meal. Pigeon, venison, rabbit – all good. With warm Bramley apple doughnuts to end.
Address :
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