The ‘local’, that Great British institution. Everyone in Britain has a local pub and everyone hopes that their local is a good one, or at least half decent. For years we were unlucky, the local pub – literally 100 steps from our front door – was not very good. It was mostly empty, did not seem to do any food and had little atmosphere. It changed hands a few times and it went from being pretty empty to getting a bit busier but still did not feel that welcoming. That was the case till it was taken over by Roger and his wife. The place was transformed and got the attention of all the neighbourhood.

Roger, as we found out, has been working in restaurants around London and decided that it was time to have a place to call his own. He put a wood fired stone pizza oven in the place and start serving good rustic Italian food.

Most importantly, as he is in the suburbs, all his menu was also available for takeaway which spread the word of the new pub much quicker. Another great feature of the pub is the live music every Friday and Saturday evening which creates a very lively and cosy atmosphere. Roger seems to have a great number of amateur / semi-professional artists in his contacts book and the music is always great.

The pub has a beer garden which although it is on the main road between Twickenham and Richmond it is very nicely done and has a really good view of Marble Hill Park (where Henry VIII kept his mistresses, some trivia never hurt anyone) which is exactly opposite, and is always busy.

Although we have been, or had takeaway, many times at the Aleksander this particular time was a Friday evening after work where we had arranged to meet some neighbours to say goodbye a couple of weeks before we move from the area.

We did not order starters but went straight for mains, I had pizza Amelie and K had the sea-food linguini.

As always, the food was delicious, the music was great and the place was buzzing.

There is not much more to say about the evening as Aleksander is all about chilling out in a comfortable environment around the corner. It is a place for the low key evenings and most importantly it’s not a chain. It is our local and we love it.

Although The Aleksander is not a gastropub that you will travel from the other side of London in order to try, it is definitely a pub that if you are in the area or live in the area you should go. The food is really good, it is not fancy, it is not fine dining (as some gastropubs do) but it is well cooked comfort food and they do a great Sunday roast, which is probably what you need from your local and it remains a local as people are always welcome for just a drinks – interestingly the regulars that used to go to the pub when it was not that good still go. I am so glad that Roger took over the place and made it great but at the same time I am sad that we will be moving soon and I will miss it…

The Aleksander

277-279 Richmond Rd, Twickenham TW1 2NP

T: 020 8892 6252

I consider the Pipe & Glass one of my greatest discoveries and one of my favourite pubs, shame it is 5 hours away from London and I cannot visit it more often. I found it through extensive internet research in the endeavour to find a decent country-pub around North Linconshire and Yorkshire. The search had more parameters than just decent food which was why it was extensive. K’s parents live in Scunthorpe and although there a few pubs that serve half decent food close by, we were in immediate need of a pub that will be at least a few levels up from that to make the visits a bit more exciting – at least for me. The pub had to be within reasonable distance from Scunthorpe, it had to offer simple-ish food to avoid any meltdowns by the OAPs when it came to ordering and had to be more of pub rather than a restaurant.

The first visit, a few years back now, was a scouting exercise and we turned up without a booking. To no surprise they had no tables other than in the bar area, where tables were offered on a first come first served basis. We sat at the bar and perused the bar menu. The bar menu consisted of – if I remember correctly – some small dishes such as chicken liver pate, ploughman’s, rarebit and sarnies. We all chose the sarnies which were absolutely delicious, K still talks about her BLT with rapeseed mayonnaise! At the next visit we booked a table in the dining area and we have done so almost every time we visit K’s parents. I am not sure how many times I have visited, probably 5-6, but the food and service has always been amazing. The northerners of course will quickly jump in to say that the amazing service is down to the northern friendliness and hospitality.

The pub is located in the picturesque village of South Dalton which is around 15 minutes drive from the town of Beverly, ½ hour outside Kingston upon Hull (or simply Hull or Ull as pronounced by the Northerners). The village, which I just shamefully realised I have yet to explore, is very small and the Pipe & Glass is the only pub there. It has a long history. According to Wikipedia the village was mentioned in the Domesday book as ‘Delton’. Some of the village’s history is on show. The pub is at the edge of Dalton Hall estate, which is a grade II listed building. The village church, St Mary’s, is also listed and the majority of the buildings/dwellings have a few centuries on their backs.

When you arrive at the Pipe & Glass you are greeted by a beautiful cottage-looking building with a few picnic benches outside. Two bay windows either side of the entrance allow you a quick peek inside. When you enter the pub you can either go right to the bar, which is welcoming for drink and light bar meals ie. The sarnies, or left for the dining area’s lounge around the wood burning stove where you get to peruse the menu over a drink and order your meal before you are taken to your table.

I was the only one to order a starter, not only due to the need to further my palate’s pleasure but also to have more material for the blog and my Instagram – the sacrifices one has to make for ones followers. I ordered the salad of smoked mallard breast with crispy duck heart croutons, frisee, air dried ham, clementine and cranberry relish.

The salad tasted as good as it looks. The duck breast had a deep smoky flavour which was beautifully accompanied by the sharpness of the clementine and the relish. The star of the dish, for me, was the crispy duck heart croutons, they were absolutely divine; I wish there were more on the plate!!

I was split over the main, slow cooked crispy shoulder of lamb with mutton and kidney faggot, lamb belly boulangere, butternut squash, redcurrants and barley or the roast loin of deer with celeriac puree, confit potato, haggis and duck liver fritter, juniper cabbage, pickled brambles and parkin crumb (as you may have gathered the food is anything but simple, but so far it has not caused any OAP meltdowns!). On the waiter’s recommendation I chose the deer and I did not regret it!

The whole plate was full of amazing flavours, every single element was delicious and worked perfectly with each other. Especially that celeriac puree with the haggis and duck liver fritter – which was my last mouthful, always save your favourite mouthful for the end. This must not detract from the fact that the deer was perfectly cooked and had an amazing woody and earthy flavour.

K and her dad both had the roast breast of pheasant with pheasant and chestnut sausage roll, kale, pancetta, parsnips and burnt apple sauce.

I only had a mouthful but it was enough to experience the great flavours in this dish, I particularly enjoyed the sausage roll.

For pudding I chose the liquorice panna cotta with treacle roast figs, pistachios and parkin accompanied by a glass or two of the recommended desert wine, Vin Santo del Chianti. Liquorice is a strong flavour but the desert was beautifully balanced with the panna cotta’s creaminess bringing everything together beautifully (K says I am sounding like I’ve watched too much Master chef over Christmas here!). It was difficult to check the wobble factor, a must in this season’s Masterchef J, as it was in a glass but I am sure it was there.

K chose the white chocolate and semi-dried cranberry bread and butter pudding with spiced clementine suzette and cardamom. I was only allowed a mouthful and it did taste great.

The most exciting moment of my latest visit at the Pipe & Glass was that I was cheeky enough, for the first time since I started blogging, to ask whether I could go into the kitchen and take a few photos for my food blog of the chefs in action. (I must note that I did not ask till we ordered the deserts as I did not want to come across poncey…at the end of the day I do not have a large following, yet.) The staff were very accommodating and told me that when they are ready to dress more plates they would get me in the kitchen. This was my first time in a professional kitchen in full service! I have to admit, it was daunting. I was trying not to be in the way of anyone whilst trying to take some decent pictures. Everyone was really friendly and understanding, especially one of the chefs, Ashley, who appeared to be the main person dressing the two plates. It was a very interesting experience and hopefully then next time I get in a kitchen during full service I will be less nervous!

Thanks Pipe & Glass for another amazing meal and for allowing the Greek to peek in the kitchen!

As we left, the pub looked even cosier and welcoming that when we arrived but the OAPs wanted to get back home for a snooze and we had an hour’s drive ahead of us. Till the next visit, adios Pipe & Glass!

The Pipe & Glass Inn

West End, South Dalton, Beverly, East Yorkshire, HU17 7PN

T: 01430 810 246

For the past 2 years I have subjected myself to copious amounts of studying, sacrificing all my weekends in studying for the Bar. This may sound as a very torturous journey but it was not that bad at all. Yes, at times it was stressful and hard, especially during the exams, but during that time I made some new good friends, entered and explored the traditional and peculiar world that is the English Bar, gained further knowledge and pushed myself out of my comfort zone multiple times. The visit to the Norfolk Arms was to catch up with those new friends, and to blog about it too!

As a group we met once a month for tutorials over a whole weekend and it was our little ritual, at the end of each weekend, to meet for a few drinks in pubs around Holborn. The course finished in June and our communication got restricted to social media as not all of us live in London. We did however think that it was time for another get together around Holborn, this time for a Sunday lunch, to reminisce about the good and tough times. By that point I had done a lot of prep-work for my blog and I had come across this pub during my research. I read mixed reviews about the Norfolk Arms but none of them said anything negative about the food, on the contrary all of them were very positive.

I arrived there on time but everyone else was running late so I enjoyed a pint of bitter on my own whilst perusing the menu and the interior of the pub, which seems to be original –  hard to comment what period as I am not an architectural historian.

The menu features the traditional Sunday roast, which is the reason I was there, and a number of other interesting dishes as you would expect from a gastropub, however, on the back of the menu there is huge list of tapas. I decided to go for tapas as a starter instead of the normal menu. By that point the others had arrived with exception to E who was stuck at a baby-shower, those American traditions are slowly infiltrating the country!!

I gave a chance for the others to peruse the menu before calling over the waiting staff to take our order, who I must note I did not find as bad as described in the reviews I read. That may be because I had a relaxing Sunday afternoon and did not want to stress myself or care about how long the waiting staff may take to attend our table. Either way I have no comments, positive or negative, about the waiting staff.

As the gathering was celebratory as well as a catch up, by that point most of us had been called to the Bar (this is sort of the completion of the studies – read here for more) we decided to toast the occasion with some prosecco.

I had spicy beef sausage with yogurt to start which was selected from the tapas menu.

The sausage was really nice, it had just enough heat, nothing too overpowering. I must admit looks was not the dish’s strongest point.

S and T had razor clams and chicken liver parfait respectively.

The chicken liver parfait was a rather generous portion and the clams looked delicious – although surprisingly they were served cold, which was not brought to our attention either by the menu or by the waiting staff. Both S and T were quite happy with their starters.

My main was roast beef, it was Sunday after all, which came with a huge Yorkshire pudding (yum!) but it was all stacked up in a clay pot similar to the one that they served my tapas.

This was rather impractical as it was quite difficult to eat. The beef was slightly on the dry side and could do with being a bit hotter, whilst the roast potatoes and veggies underneath the beef were piping hot. I also think that covering the roast potatoes with the beef makes them too soft.

S had the seabass with roast beetroot, parsnip, sweet potato, celeriac with a madeira reduction.

The dish looked very rustic but tasty and the feedback from S was that she rather enjoyed it.

T decided to order from the tapas menu this time around, she ordered the artichoke hearts and the beetroot with sherry, goat’s cheese and almond flakes.

Both plates looked ok, as with everything about this place there seems to be an intention to be rustic, which they did achieve. As for taste, I did not try either dish but T’s feedback was quite positive.

I finished my meal with cheese and a glass of port. It was a very generous portion of cheese (except for the oatcakes, all restaurants do it, I don’t know why but there is always more cheese than there are oatcakes but they were kind to give me some more when requested). The platter was quite nice but unfortunately they only provided one type of cheese, so a bit stuffed if you don’t like that particular cheese.

I certainly enjoyed my meal at Norfolk Arms and I would happily go back for another one but not necessarily in a rush. Personally I found some things a little bit confusing. For example, I understand why you will serve the tapas in the small clay pots but serving the Sunday roast in them does not make sense, it is just not practical to eat in. Also, why bother with the two menus, both of which seemed relatively long, it may be better to fuse the two and have a more concise menu. Lastly, the pub looked rather welcoming for drinkers only as it has a large portion of it dedicated to the bar area.

Norfolk Arms 

28 Leigh St, London WC1H 9EP

T: 020 7388 3937

It is always a pleasure paying a visit to the Duke of Cambridge, one of the first gastropubs to visit at the beginning of the journey, some 8 years ago, and still one of my favourites – although to be frank I always find it very difficult to choose which ones are my favourites…anyway back to the review.

The pub is hidden away in the beautiful terraced streets of Islington and away from the noisy and bustling Upper Street. It is always buzzy in the bar area which most people prefer to have their meal at – this is the first time I have used the dining area and that’s because I had to make sure we got a table as it was a birthday celebration.

It was a Sunday afternoon when we got there to celebrate my brother’s birthday, he recently moved back to London and although I had plans to fly to Portugal on Saturday I changed it for Sunday evening to be here for his birthday (aww…). The place was packed at the bar area and it looked like they were expecting a large party at the dining room.

Although I never used to go three courses for Sunday lunch, since I started visiting places for the blog I feel I am duty bound to have three courses which clearly is not great for my waistline as I am regularly being reminded by K! (Thankfully I have been going Psycling twice a week and for a run the weekends so I am currently making it through by the skin of my teeth!).

There are so many things I love about the Duke, the atmosphere, the FOOD but also the ethical attitude of the business, which is now the only certified organic gastropub in Britain. The pub doesn’t have printed menus but there are two blackboards (I know that’s quite common and not unique to an organic pub) one at the bar one at the dining room, and you just have to walk up to the board and stand there till you decide – or just take a photo now that we all have smartphones.

My brother had already got himself a premium organic larger from Stroud Brewery whilst he was waiting for me and M-C, and I ordered something new, an Atlantic Fistral Brewery Blond Ale, which was pretty good – I always like trying new ales, especially when I am outside London when you get all the small local breweries.

I ordered the potted pork to start – which was delicious although I could have done with a little bit more chutney…

At the Duke you always know that your meal will be as fresh as it gets, as the menu gets amended during the service as the fresh produce runs out. My brother wanted the buffalo mozzarella with roast cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives (so Greek!) and leaves but as they run out of mozzarella he chose ricotta instead.

As it was Sunday the roast was a must, M-C and I went for the pork shoulder and my brother went for the lamb. Both looked and tasted delicious although I felt short-changed with the crackling…

Since it was a celebration, and I was later flying with Ryanair (…) to Portugal and had to be fed properly to last till the evening, pudding was a must. We ordered two puddings to share, a lemon posset with fresh berries and a fig amaretto slice with crème fraiche. Followed by a glass of port to warm me up for Portugal…

The Duke is definitely a pub worth a visit(s) whether it be just for beer or beers and a meal. I have been many times and I have never been let down by the Duke in any respect, food, drink, atmosphere…

I may be sounding like a broken record as I have yet to give a bad review but I am afraid the places that I visit for, and list on, the blog are a result of desktop research and are somewhat vetted before I even get there. Like most of us, I do not enjoy the experience of a bad meal and I do some decent research before I get there. Also I’d rather provide you with places that are worth going rather than help you avoid the ones that are not…let’s be honest 9 out of 10 times we only have bad food experiences when we did not plan it and we cannot get a table at the decent places! As my advocacy tutor used to say at the Bar course everything in life is about preparation, preparation and even more preparation so why treat your meals any different?

TheDuke of Cambridge

30 St Peter’s St, Greater London N1 8JT
T: 020 7359 3066

It was roughly 14 years ago that I first visited Aldgate East. A friend moved to his new place, we were students back then and cheap accommodation was high on the agenda. It was early Sunday evening that I decided to make my way home and after being chased to the station by a gang it was the first and last time that I visited my friend, having been traumatised by the event. I have since visited the area, mostly during daytime on weekdays but never evenings on a weekend. I was therefore astounded to see how much the area has changed and how much more is due to change. Around the corner from the station, less than 5 minutes’ walk on Commercial Street and Wentworth Street corner you will find The Culpeper.

I’ve read about the place on various sites – research is key! As with everything preparation, preparation and preparation – and I was indeed excited to visit it for the first time. I got there earlier than planned with my brother, who has just moved back to London after a 12 year stint back home in Greece, to meet K who was out shopping that day. The place looked great, even better than the photos on the website that usually tend to do a great job – Photoshopped or not – in making a place look rather appealing.

Sat at the bar and looked at the beer menu, an excellent selection of locally brewed beers to celebrate the recent explosion of microbreweries across London. There were beers from Hackney, Bermondsey etc. I ordered a local IPA – name escapes me, serves me right for not taking notes – my brother ordered a local beer brewed with fresh lime zest which was quite unique in flavour (BBNo 01|06). K, who arrived a little bit later than us got her usual, an Aperol Spritz! Soon the rest of the group arrived and enjoyed a drink with us at the very buzzy bar of the Culpeper. It was a pretty mixed crowd but generally the trendy East London types – plenty of beards in the place.

Our table was at the Kitchen – which is on the first floor – and every single person from the group took the opportunity, whilst we are waiting to be sat at our table, to peruse the establishment. Although I was not the first to embark on the nosy journey I could not possibly miss such opportunity, especially as I wanted to take some pictures at the same time. It’s over four floors, although one of them is just the bedrooms, and each level serves food from a different kitchen. Although it is typical for such an arrangement what surprised me is that the menu was very limited and that you could not order from a different kitchen other than the level you were on, to be frank, I would expect otherwise due to the limited menu.

What I found worth of specific mention is the roof garden which has a small bar for drinks and cocktails and next to it a BBQ from which beautiful smells emanate that hit you as soon as you step foot on the roof. Although the roof is probably only open or usable in the summer it has a very nice atmosphere and feel to it with some great views of the City and some freshly cooked food from the grill. Unfortunately due to poor lighting the iPhone photos are too grainy…

We were sat at our table and were brought the wine menu which was passed to A. For a minute or two he looked perplexed as the Culpeper does not have a typical wine list, to be precise it has a section called ‘Peculiar’ – how very British. We decided to be daring and order a red wine from the peculiar list, which was a natural wine. It was interesting but I am not sure if I would order it again – not that I can remember the name of it. (Note to self: I must remember to take notes regardless the fact that I am with a big group.)

To start I ordered the chopped raw beef, which I must admit was not what I expected as I thought that it was coming with horseradish and I was surprised that the meat was fridge-cold and a bit bland. There was a negative review of the buffalo mozzarella with pickled girolles & oregano but generally everyone seemed to be happy with their starters.

The main was 750gr of beef rump to share with my brother and it was EPIC!

There was food envy across the table especially for the amazing Pommes Anna chips. So much envy that they had to ask if they could have two portions of them for the rest of the table.

Although slightly disappointed by the starter the main left me drooling. However, it was a bit pricey, as all good things in life are…but for beans on toast! The evening came to end with a round of cocktails, old fashioned please, and some warm gooey chocolate cookies on the house.

The experience from the Culpeper has been very positive, save for my starter and the limited menu, and it is certainly a venue that can accommodate almost everyone. It has a great variety of drinks, the cocktails were great, and can provide a quick bite on the ground floor or the roof’s BBQ whilst it can also provide a proper dinner for the grown-ups! It has very friendly and accommodating staff and a very lively atmosphere, across all levels. I will definitely try it again, especially for a Sunday roast which is always an important test for gastropubs!

The Culpeper

40 Commercial St, London E1 6LP
T: 020 7247 5371

I first visited The Brown Dog some 6-7 years ago when it first opened. It was a visit for Sunday lunch and to be honest it has been a visit for Sunday lunch ever since. Coming to think about it I don’t think I have ever visited The Brown Dog for anything but Sunday lunch and since I hadn’t visited for a while, made it the perfect choice when my mate Richard contacted me about meeting up. Location was also ideal as it was midway for both of us. Although unbeknown to me at the time a cycling race made it nigh on impossible for us to get there. Thankfully it was a sunny summer’s Sunday afternoon and, following a brief taxi ride with a cabbie that moaned and berated the cyclists, walking there was actually quite pleasant.

We got there around 2pm to find out that, surprisingly, the beer garden had tables available so we scrapped our booking inside and sat at a picnic table in the beer garden. The weather was glorious and nothing else would be justified, thankfully although Sunday, there were no screaming kids! Don’t get me wrong I like the little rascals but they do get on my nerves when they don’t behave!

   

The menu was promising, as ever, and the roast pork with all the trimmings caught my eye, I was sold. Surprisingly, for a Sunday lunch, the rest of the group fancied starters so Duck and peppercorn terrine it is then but first a pint of Guinness please.

The terrine arrived and it was divine, unfortunately K was sitting next to me and there was no way of stopping her from trying, a few times as one is never quite enough for quality control purposes! K had the serrano ham with melon and manchego which was also delicious, although I was only allowed one small mouthful – did someone mention equality?

Soon after the second pint the mains arrived and I was salivating at the sight of this piece of crackling. I tend to feel short-changed when I order pork in pubs as the crackling is never enough but not today! I wish I had asked for a Yorkshire pudding, always ask for a Yorkshire pudding.

The guinea fowl was also very succulent and tasty as was the amazing gravy with peas and pancetta that was coming with it.

The feedback received from the other two that had the beef was also very good, it did look great and they were lucky enough to get Yorkshire puds as well! (sobs…)

By now we must have been sitting in the beer garden for a few of hours and after all this food there is no space for pudding but the drinks orders continue to go in and as the weather gets hotter and hotter we move from Guinness to alcoholic ginger beer and cider! This is what summer afternoons should be about…shame that it is usually a rare occurrence in the UK. After five hours or so we decide that it’s probably time to go home…

I will always return to the Brown Dog, especially for Sunday lunch, as I have yet to be let down. Their food is always great and the staff always friendly. The next visit will have to be for dinner as I need to experience what kind of atmosphere they offer to have a rounded view. Should maybe try to pop in for a drink one time too as at the moment, although it has a bar area, I have a feeling it is not really a drinking only pub.

The Brown Dog

28 Cross St, London SW13 0AP
T: 020 8392 2200

It is Saturday night and we are visiting friends in Surrey for posh dinner at The Lickfold Inn in Petworth. Following an afternoon in the sun by and in the pool – I know it sounds like the Med but once in a while we do get a half a decent summer in the UK – the appetite is big and the venue sounds promising.

There are no designated drivers tonight as the taxis in the sticks are inexpensive and we are waiting our ride whilst enjoying the beautiful summers’ evening. Darren, our taxi driver, arrived on time and gave us a lovely ride through Surrey’s country lanes till we arrived at the junction – in the middle of nowhere – where the pub is located.

The place looks even more promising as the pub has retained its original style which is always a good sign. We take a few photos outside and proceed to announce ourselves to the waiting staff. As soon as we walk in I realise that this place is probably not a gastro pub but a restaurant operating in a building that used to be a pub. The interior is beautiful but unfortunately the bar/pub part of the establishment is eerily quiet, we are in fact the only people sitting downstairs – the restaurant is upstairs – having some English sparkling wine and perusing the – very promising – menu, whilst we are waiting for our table.

As we are sipping the wine I notice at the corner of my eye a little cupboard with cured meats, I am feeling envious I would love to have one of these at home!

We are escorted to our table, through a fully packed restaurant which – surprisingly – had very generous spacing between the tables (sounds alien for London restaurants!). The restaurant had a relatively quiet atmosphere but it was full – huge contrast to the ground floor bar which was still empty when we left.

As soon as we sat at our table there was the uncovering of the homemade chicken infused butter with crumbs of chicken crackling, unusual but really nice, especially since it was escorted by a freshly baked sourdough boule, yes a whole one! It went down really well and it was soon accompanied by amuse-bouche. First, deep fried whitebait with aioli and shortbread discs filled with goats cheese and, secondly, corn 4 ways which was absolutely divine! So far the food was faultless but the atmosphere of the place still lacked.

My starter was mackerel with alliums and ransom (which I forgot to photograph… I am still a beginner and dig in straight away!), followed by the sirloin steak with grilled gem and beef fat chips. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and delivered great flavour whilst melting in your mouth. The restaurant is definitely on its way for a Michelin star as Tom Seller’s other restaurant in London.

The dinner closed with a generous platter of British cheeses and a glass of port before it was time to go outside to meet Darren to take us back home.

When we got outside Darren had not arrived yet and the pitch-black country lanes made me feel like Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral but it was short-lived as the cab arrived and I did realise that I lack the British accent!

I was left debating with myself whether Lickfold Inn should feature in the blog, as it is more of a restaurant, but I thought it was too good a place to be left out. However, I would not recommend it for a beer and a bite as it is not that kind of place, but if you are after a great culinary experience around Guildford you should definitely visit, I will definitely visit again and hopefully they would have livened up the ground floor!

The Lickfold Inn

Highstead Lane, Petworth, West Sussex GU28 9EY
T: 01789 532535

It has been a while since the last time I visited The Pig’s Ear and a summer’s evening that we found ourselves in the area, was the right opportunity to re-visit and be the first review for my blog. It is not the ideal place for a hot summer’s evening, as it lacks outside space, but thankfully it was not packed and the high ceilings of the Victorian establishment made the place feel cool.

Although it was a relatively quiet evening, the people that where in the pub created a lively atmosphere with a really mixed crowd which included Chelsea gents, socialites, builders and a couple of tourists visiting from New York that sat next to us. The interior of the pub retains most of the original features but also has a bit of a 70s vibe with various posters from the era such as Sex Pistols and Michael Caine. It is not too far from the World’s End where Vivian Westwood set up her first boutique in the 70s, so maybe that’s the influence.

As soon as we arrived and sat at our table I asked K to take on a little mission, she was after the loos and thought it was a good opportunity to ask her to take photos of the upstairs dining room as she always does a better job than I do!

Whilst K was being artistic I started perusing the menu…

We ordered the Scotch egg to start, which had a runny yolk and tasted just perfect! The presentation of the starter reminded us of the Sex Pistols but never mind.

My main was fish & chips with tartare sauce and mushy peas. It was nicely presented and cooked but the soggy batter and the cold(!) mushy peas let it down a bit. Let’s be honest though, fish and chips are best from the local chippy!

K’s main was the spatchcock poussin with posh coleslaw, sweet potato fries and mustard sauce. The dish tasted much better than it looked and the plate was spotless not that long after it was brought to the table.

There was no room for pudding but there was plenty of room for a couple more drinks whilst enjoying the buzzy atmosphere and watching the world go by as people were coming and going. Since it was a school night we didn’t stay too late and made our way home as the sun was setting.

We had a really lovely evening but if I were to be uber critical of The Pig’s Ear there were some small slippages in relation to the food, but it still delivered great taste and great atmosphere. I’ve been coming here for years and I will always come back to The Pig’s Ear, whether for drinks or a meal and I will definitely choose it over any chain.  Next time I must try the first floor dining room, which must be ideal for a private party as well as dining.

The Pig’s Ear

35 Old Church St, Chelsea, London SW3 5BS
T: 020 7352 2908

And this is how it begins.

I have been thinking about this blog for a while and have been enjoying the great atmosphere and food in various different gastropubs across the country for a bit longer than that, but this is the moment that the journey begins and this is my first blog post ever!

The blog will be a journey, hopefully a long and continuous one, through London’s and further afield gastropubs. The subject matter may be niche but the UK, London especially, has yet to let me down, in the 8 years I have been exploring gastropubs, in providing new places to try. However, even if there are no new places opening anymore, disastrous as that may be, my experiences so far along with my recent research has given me enough material to keep this blog alive for a couple of years – let’s hope all the pubs do not close down tomorrow!

The target is to try and provide a post every fortnight-ish about a gastropub that I have recently visited. It may be a new pub or a pub that I have not visited since the start of the blog or some sort of gastropub/foodie related subject – in short, whatever floats my boat about food. It would be prudent to say that this is not a food critique as I am not, or trying to pass as, a food critic or connoisseur. There is no intention in the review to cover standard points as it will be more like a diary, when did I go, why, have I been before, did I enjoy the food and the atmosphere, is the pub right for drinks only etc. sort of make it up as I go along, its more interesting like that as otherwise it will be a tick-box exercise and will be boring for everyone, including myself.

The blog has another use for its readers and followers, it provides a list of all the pubs that I have visited (London – Further Beyond) or want to visit (London – Further Beyond). (Note: I have no affiliation with any of these pubs and I receive no tangible benefit from any of them, I doubt any of them are aware of my existence!). You can just use the list to find new places to try.

The stories will be posted here but the blog will have presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – please follow me there too. Although I must note that as my food experiences are not restricted to gastropubs only, other food photos may appear on these pages, at the end of the day it is all about good food whether it is served in a gastropub or not…like these jumbo prawns I recently had in Portugal…

they were finger licking – literally!

Enough said as I should try to protect you, at least for now, from my lengthy rambling!

I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I will.

Ta-ta for now.

Nik

P.S. Thanks to YenMedia for the amazing logo! (yenmedia.co.uk)